Report Prepared by: Daryl Jordan, P.E., City Engineer
Title
SUBJECT: Adopting a Resolution of the City of Merced City Council Authorizing an Application to the Merced County Association of Governments (MCAG) Measure V Regional 2025 Implementation Plan Call for Projects
REPORT IN BRIEF
Considers approving a Resolution to authorize the application to the MCAG Measure V Regional 2025 Implementation Plan Call for projects.
RECOMMENDATION
City Council - Adopt a motion:
A. Adopting Resolution 2025-61, a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Merced, California, approving an application to the Merced County Association of Governments (MCAG) Measure V Regional 2025 Implementation Plan Call for Projects; and,
B. Authorizing the City Manager to execute any necessary documents.
Body
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve, as recommended by staff; or,
2. Approve, with modifications; or,
3. Deny the request completely; or,
4. Refer to staff for reconsideration of specific items as requested by Council; or,
5. Continue to a future City Council meeting (date and time to be specified in the motion).
AUTHORITY
Charter of the City of Merced, Section 200.
CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES
As provided in the 2025-26 Council Goals & Priorities.
DISCUSSION
On November 8, 2016, the voters of Merced County approved “Measure V”, a one-half cent sales transaction and use tax to supplement transportation roads and alternative transportation project funding. The Measure V transportation sales tax will be in place for 30 years, expiring on March 31, 2047. MCAG is the administrator of the apportionment of sales tax funds to the County, six Cities, and the agreed upon regional areas within Merced County.
One half of the total Measure V funding will be allocated to each jurisdiction through three methods: an annual base allocation and proportional shares of population and approved road miles, the remaining funds will be allocated to regional projects, with a minimum annual amount allocated to transit projects and to the administration of the measure. As part of the Measure V ½ Cent Transportation Sales Tax, 44% of the Transportation Measure funds will be allocated to Regional Projects which are to be established in the adopted Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) approved by the MCAG Governing Board. Regional Projects are to provide for the movement of goods, services and people throughout Merced County and should benefit multiple jurisdictions. Additionally, 27% of the total is for an Eastside share, to be spent on projects east of the San Joaquin River and 17% of the total is for a Westside share, to be spent on projects west of the San Joaquin River. Other allocations are provided to Transit and administration.
As the Local Transportation Authority overseeing the funds, the Governing Board of Merced County Association of Governments has the authority to approve recommendations made by the Regional Projects Committees. However, the MCAG Governing Board shall not approve a project that has not been recommended by a Regional Projects Committee.
MCAG is required by the Expenditure Plan to develop and adopt an Implementation Plan update at least once every two years and the Implementation Plan is the primary financial document that provides an analysis of Measure V revenue and programs project expenditures over a specific period of time as authorized by the MCAG Governing Board.
MCAG is in the process of developing the Implementation Plan which will be adopted prior to the end of the calendar year. As part of that process a call for projects has been issued by MCAG for Measure V Regional Projects. A City Council Resolution has been prepared and is required to submit projects to MCAG during this call for projects. The deadline for local jurisdictions to submit to MCAG was October 3, 2025. The resolution has to be submitted to MCAG prior to their board meeting in November.
Projects under the Measure V allocation are required to meet very specific criteria. Attachment 2 includes the Measure V Regional Project Policies which outlines those criteria.
Currently the City has three active projects under the Measure V Regional Allocation. They include Highway 59 Widening and the Black Rascal Creek Bridge, which are programmed as two separate projects, and Mission Avenue Widening. A complete list of Programmed projects for the East Side Measure V Regional allocation is included as Attachment 3.
Staff met with the Transportation Subcommittee on September 30, 2025, to discuss funding options for the 3 regional projects. It was advised to focus funding on the Highway 59 Black Rascal Bridge project due to the current unsafe conditions of the bridge for travelers.
City staff also met with MCAG on October 14, 2025, to review the Measure V Regional requests. It was recommended to phase the Mission Avenue Widening project to encompass the intersection of Highway 59 and Mission Avenue. The updated project scope will widen Misson Avenue from the current 2 lane road into a 4-lane road from
Henry Street to approximately ¼ mile west of State Highway 59. This project will be phased in two segments. Segment 1 (Phase 1) will include the widening of Mission Avenue from Henry Street to just west of Mather Road. Segment 2 (Phase 2) will widen Misson Avenue from just west of Mather Road to approximately ¼ mile west of State Highway 59. The creation of the two segments will allow the project to be constructed to meet the needs of the community and allow the project to stay within budget.
City staff is recommending the following projects under the implementation plan call:
|
|
Proposed Programming Period |
|
|
|
|
Project |
25/26 |
26/27 |
27/28 |
28/29 |
29/30 |
|
Hwy 59 Black Rascal Bridge Widening |
$4,000,000 |
$4,000,000 |
|
|
|
|
Hwy 59 Widening Ph 1 |
$(4,000,000) |
|
|
|
|
|
Mission Ave Widening |
$1,000,000 |
|
$1,000,000 |
$7,500,000 |
|
• Highway 59 Widening Ph 1 - Requesting to reprogram $4,000,000 from the Highway 59 Widening project to the Black Rascal Bridge project
• Highway 59 Black Rascal Bridge - Requesting the $4,000,000 in reprogrammed funds from the Highway 59 Widening project and requesting an additional $4,000,000 for project construction
• Mission Avenue Widening - Project scope and funding updates to phase the widening into two phases. Phase 1 will consist of widening Mission Avenue from Henry Street to Mather Road, and Phase 2 will consist of widening from just west Mather Road to approximately ¼ mile west of State Highway 59.
The above Proposed Programming Period table differs from the Currently Programmed Projects Table in Attachment 3. MCAG will update their programmed projects table if the request is approved or develop different project programming based on their projected funding schedule.
IMPACT ON CITY RESOURCES
No impacts. If awarded future acceptance and appropriation may be required by separate action of the City Council.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Resolution 2025-61
2. Measure V Regional Project Policies
3. Current Eastside Measure V Programming