Have an issue to share with the Merced City Council? You get a chance in January
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Merced City Council will hold three January town halls at local venues.
- Each meeting begins with a Department Open House, followed by public comment.
- Speakers receive three minutes; council may shorten time; regular meetings continue.
The Merced City Council will hold its annual town hall meetings in January, with the first scheduled for later this week.
The meetings are an opportunity for members of the public to meet with council members and city staff and to communicate their concerns and priorities.
They are less formal than regular city council meetings and have no set agenda.
The meeting times and locations:
- Thursday, Jan. 8, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Location: Stephen Leonard Community Center, 640 T Street
- Tuesday, Jan. 13, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Location: Luther Burbank Elementary School, 609 E. Alexander Ave
- Wednesday, Jan. 14, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Location: El Capitan High School Theater, 100 Farmland Ave
What happens at Merced town hall meetings?
Each town hall meeting is scheduled to begin with a “Department Open House” where city departments will have informational tables set up for citizens to learn more about each department and meet with its members.
After the open house portion, the town hall meeting will run from 6 to 8 p.m.
Council members will be seated behind tables and anyone who wishes to speak may do so from the podium.
Just as at regular city council meetings, members of the public will have 3 minutes to address the city council. At the council’s discretion the time allotment may be reduced depending on the number of requests to speak and time left in the meeting.
“This is our opportunity to hear from you (and) hear what’s important to you,” Merced Mayor Matthew Serratto said in his opening of a town hall meeting on Jan. 30, 2025.
Get realtime response from Merced leaders
Because the town hall meetings are less formal than regular council meetings city employees are able respond in realtime to the public’s questions and concerns.
In addition to the town hall meetings, the City Council will continue to hold its regularly scheduled meetings on the first and third Monday of each month.
The first meeting is scheduled for Monday at 6 p.m.
Since the third Monday of January is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and a federal holiday, the next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 6 p.m.
