Merced set to study zoning code, fire fees

The Merced City Council plans two study sessions before its regular meeting Monday, when the members will discuss changes to the new zoning ordinance and to firefighter-related fees.

The study sessions will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the regular meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 678 W. 18th St.

The council has been looking over an update of the 50-year-old zoning ordinance, updating rules that govern the city for the first time in half a century.

The code regulates everything from where a business can set up to the allowed height of a home’s backyard fence. The code describes itself as a guide that “implements the goals and policies of the Merced General Plan,” the document that sets out long-range planning for the city.

That earlier study session is a joint meeting between the council and the Planning Commission, who are set to discuss suggested changes to the draft zoning ordinance. The proposed ordinances were recently part of a focus group review.

City staff and local businesspeople also held 17 meetings to comb through the old zoning code and try to streamline it. The original zoning code was adopted in 1964 and has never had a comprehensive update, according to city staff.

The council will have to hold public forums for comment at a later date before adopting the zoning code.

During the same meeting, NBS Government Finance Group is set to give a presentation on fees collected for the Merced Fire Department; the fees haven’t been updated in several years, according to city records.

Also on the agenda is a presentation on homelessness by City Manager Steve Carrigan, who is also the chair of the Continuum of Care, a coalition of homeless advocates and service providers.

A group of volunteers in Merced County tallied 519 homeless people this year, a 42 percent drop from 899 counted last year. Advocates said they’ve had some success in housing people in Merced, but the dramatic drop also reflects a new counting method.

City Council meetings are streamed live on the Internet; a link to the meeting and past videos is at www.cityofmerced.org. The meeting is also shown live on Comcast’s Government Channel 96.

This story was originally published March 20, 2016 at 4:10 PM with the headline "Merced set to study zoning code, fire fees."