Spending plan, large apartment building on the agenda in Merced
Public hearings are set Monday on the city’s proposed $218 million budget for the new fiscal year and plans for a large apartment complex at the edge of Merced.
The regular City Council meeting is at 6 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 678 W. 18th St.
The preliminary budget would be about 9 percent larger than last fiscal year’s $200 million spending plan. The budget remains below pre-recession spending plans. The fiscal year beginning in 2006 had a $280 million plan, according to records.
It plans for more than two dozen new positions, most of which would be in the public works department, according to city staffers.
The spending plan proposes filling a position for a director of parks and recreation, which the city has not had since 2011. Youth programming would get a boost with $20,000 proposed for the Boys and Girls Club’s Saturday program and $8,500 for an arts program at the Merced Multicultural Arts Center.
The City Council will take comment on Monday, but the plan is scheduled for adoption at the June 19 meeting. The full budget is available at the city’s website.
Also on the agenda is a project from University Village LLC, which is a 225-unit complex proposed on the south side of Yosemite Avenue near Lake Road, according to city planning documents. The Planning Commission unanimously recommended a land-use change to allow the project, according to city staffers.
The council would have to approve a change in land use, which would be for about 17 acres across two parcels, according to records. Along with the complex, developers plan 6,600 square feet of retail commercial space, records show.
Area leaders and real estate agents have said Merced has a 1 percent vacancy rate citywide, which has been attributed to a growth in UC Merced students that has outpaced building.
The council is schedule to meet in closed session at 5:30 p.m.
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.
Thaddeus Miller: 209-385-2453, @thaddeusmiller
This story was originally published June 4, 2017 at 2:25 PM with the headline "Spending plan, large apartment building on the agenda in Merced."