Inbound Las Vegas flights, ARPA spending: Here is what’s on Merced City Council agenda
The Merced City Council is scheduled to meet for the first time since mid-November on Monday.
Although the agenda is relatively light, compared to recent jam-packed meetings that kept residents and officials up late into the night, the council is slated to vote on several items of interest. Here’s what to know about the first Merced City Council meeting of December:
Advanced Air to boost Las Vegas flights come the new year
The storied debate over which airline will helm Merced Yosemite Regional Airport’s Essential Air Service (EAS) will at last reach its final chapter, as the council is poised to approve a lease agreement with Advanced Air, LLC.
The Hawthorne, California-based airline’s lease will span from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2025, officially severing the EAS agreement held by Boutique Air since 2015. The four-year lease outlines a monthly rent payment starting at $6,050 and rising to $6,611 by the contract’s end, plus other fees. .
The new airline contract brings with it a schedule of new flights starting New Year’s Day.
EAS contracts address continued air carrier service concerns throughout the nation’s rural areas. The program provides an operating subsidy to air carriers through a contract with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the selected airline.
The controversial endorsement was spurred in May, when the council initially voted to unanimously support Advanced Air over Boutique Air.
But the next month, Boutique Air officials and local members of the business community pleaded their case to the council, asking for reconsideration. Some City Council members were receptive to those pleas.
When the debate resurfaced in July, the council voted 4-2 to maintain Advanced Air as the city’s top choice.
The decision came down to the city’s expectation that Advanced Air will provide long-sought service between Merced and Las Vegas. None of Boutique Air’s proposals included such flight paths.
Plus, Advanced Air pledged $70,000 annually to market the airport — a much needed promise to meet Merced’s tourism goals, electeds said at the time. The airline also planned to align flights with YARTS bus schedules to Yosemite, further reflecting support and knowledge of Merced’s economic development and tourism needs, city officials said.
The Department of Transportation, charged with making the final call on EAS contracts, announced on Oct. 13 that Advanced Air was the selected airline.
As of Jan. 1, Advanced Air will provide 24 weekly flights from Merced, including 12 round trips to Las Vegas McCarran International Airport and 12 to Los Angeles International Airport.
Second opportunity to weigh in on ARPA spending
Monday’s agenda also includes the second of two public hearings concerning the $27 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds allocated to the city. The public hearing represents an opportunity for the Merced community to advise city decision-makers on how to best invest the millions.
The first ARPA public hearing on Nov. 1 invited impassioned testimony from city residents about many community needs.
An affordable housing trust fund, the creation of jobs for high school students, a universal basic income program and premium pay for essential workers, especially farm workers, were among the programs requested.
Youth advocates also rallied for investing ARPA monies in programs that helped young Mercedians. Proponents requested a $2.5 million commitment for a universal income program for the city’s youth, with $500,000 to be used to create new jobs for high school students.
But some electeds were wary of these suggestions — especially the establishment of a basic universal income program.
More widely supported proposals included leveraging ARPA funds to pay the backlog of unpaid water, sewer and garbage disposal bills, the total of which amounts to around a half million dollars.
Other priorities voiced by community and council members alike included zoo improvements, public safety, street improvements, tourism, more services to the homeless and broadband internet expansion, among other diverse suggestions.
Monday’s discussion will be used by electeds and city staff to create an investment plan to be included in the city’s operational budget.
This story was originally published December 3, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
