MINUTES OF
REGULAR MEETING
August 4, 2026
CALL TO ORDER - PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Nagy called the meeting to order at 6:30 P.M. and conducted the pledge of allegiance.
ROLL CALL
Council Members: Melville – Giles – Marsigli – Mayor Pro Tem Ford – Mayor Nagy Staff present: City Manager Melanie Correa, Finance Director Jennifer Morrison, Economic & Community Development Director Jami Westervelt, Police Chief Ruben Chavez, Fire Chief Rich Martin, City Attorney Olivia Clark (virtual), Recreation Manager Tiffany Vitorino, HR Manager/Deputy Clerk Desirae Porras and Public Works Director Alberto Villa-Leyva
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Council member Melville made a motion to approve the agenda.
The motion was seconded by Council member Giles and carried 5-0.
DECLARATIONS OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Mayor Nagy and Council member Marsigli advised of their abstention from the June 16, 2026 minutes. Council member Giles advised of his abstention from the July 21, 2026 Special and Regular Meeting minutes.
PRESENTATIONS
PUBLIC COMMENT
Agusto Correia, on behalf of Our Lady of Miracles, requested approval from the City to allow overflow trailer parking in Henry Miller park during the Festa event. He advised of the business this approval could bring to the City and its businesses. Mayor Nagy directed staff to contact the resident regarding the request.
CONSENT CALENDAR
1. Minutes of the June 16, 2026 Regular Meeting
Recommendation: Review and approve
2. Minutes of the July 21, 2026 Special Meeting
Recommendation: Review and approve
3. Minutes of the July 21, 2026 Regular Meeting
Recommendation: Review and approve
4. Warrants
Recommendation: Review and ratify
5. Approve Amendment to Finance Director Employment Agreement Recommendation: Review and approve resolution
6. Approve Use of City Park Facilities and Services, and Authorize Mobile Food Vendors at Annual Kid’s Fishing Day Event
Recommendation: Review and approve
Mayor Nagy introduced the consent calendar.
There was no public comment.
Mayor Nagy requested to pull consent calendar item #6 for separate consideration.
Council member Melville made a motion to approve consent calendar items #1-5.
The motion was seconded by Council member Marsigli and carried 5-0, with Mayor Nagy and Council member Marsigli abstaining from consent calendar item #1 and Council member Giles abstaining from consent calendar items #2 and 3.
Mayor Nagy introduced consent calendar #6.
There was no public comment.
Mayor Nagy inquired whether the donations listed have been received by the City, to which Recreation Manager Vitorino denied and advised the listed donations are from the previous year. She further advised of the expense breakdown and the history of the Annual Kid’s Fishing Day event.
Council member Marsigli inquired whether the City could avoid having to pay overtime for the event, to which City Manager Correa advised it is possible, and there may be some resulting service interruption as a result of the flexed schedule.
Mayor Nagy inquired whether the employee could work a shorter shift at the event, to which Recreation Manager Vitorino affirmed and advised of the employee’s current priorities during the week.
Council member Melville inquired whether the City could use the UUT funds for direct expenses for the event rather than using for the salary.
Mayor Nagy suggested increasing the Fishing Day participant fee, to which Recreation Manager Vitorino advised of the reasoning behind the $1 fee and agreed the participant fee could be increased.
Mayor Nagy inquired whether it was too late to increase the fees for this year’s event, to which Recreation Manager answered no and advised she has not made the event public.
Mayor Nagy inquired whether the food vendors pay a fee, to which Recreation Manager Vitorino advised the fee is $50.
Mayor Nagy inquired whether the City receives a portion of the proceeds, to which Recreation Manager Vitorino denied.
Council member Giles reiterated agreeance with utilizing vendor and participant fees to cover the City’s costs.
Council member Marsigli advised the pizza vendor should be allowed to charge rather than providing a free lunch, to which Recreation Manager Vitorino advised the kids receive a free lunch and the adults are required to pay for their food.
Mayor Nagy inquired clarification on what the City provides, to which Recreation Manager Vitorino provided a breakdown of the items the City provides.
Council directed staff to increase the event fees to $5 for residents and $10 for nonresidents.
Mayor Nagy requested a final donation and expense summary post-event.
Council member Marsigli made a motion to increase the event fees, approve use of City Park facilities and services, and authorize mobile food vendors at Annual Kid’s Fishing Day event.
The motion was seconded by Council member Giles and carried 5-0.
ADMINISTRATIVE AGENDA
7. PUBLIC HEARING: Consider Adoption of City’s Financial Budget for Fiscal Year 2026- 2027
1. Receive staff report
2. Open the Public Hearing
3. Receive Public Comment
4. Close the Public Hearing
5. Consider a motion to approve the resolution adopting the City’s 2026-2027 Financial Budget
Finance Director Morrison presented the staff report.
Mayor Nagy opened the public hearing at 6:55 P.M.
There was no public comment.
The public hearing was closed at 6:55 P.M.
Mayor Nagy inquired on Fund 403 fund balance, to which Finance Director Morrison advised there should be a balance of $20K and stated she would look into it and get back to Council.
Council member Melville made a motion to approve the resolution adopting the City’s 2026-2027 Financial Budget.
The motion was seconded by Council member Giles and carried 5-0.
8. Consider Approval of a Resolution Establishing Appropriations Limit and Certifying Population Estimate for Fiscal Year 2026-2027
1. Receive Staff Report
2. Receive Public Comment
3. Consider a motion to approve resolution
Finance Director Morrison presented the staff report.
There was no public comment.
Council member Marsigli made a motion to approve resolution establishing appropriations limit and certifying population estimate for fiscal year 2026-2027.
The motion was seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Ford and carried 5-0.
9. Consider Approval of Request from Gustine Traveling Library for the Use of City Streets, Services and Equipment, and Waiver of Fees for Annual 9/11 Memorial Walk and Donation, Installation, Design and Location of Commemorative Plaque
1. Receive Staff Report
2. Receive Public Comment
3. Consider a motion to approve use of City services, streets, equipment, and waiver of fees for Memorial Walk and Consider acceptance of donation, installation, design and location of commemorative plaque Recreation Manager Vitorino presented the staff report.
Zachery Ramos, 1080 Elm Avenue, thanked staff for including this item on the agenda and advised of donations and grants received. He further thanked Council for their support throughout the years.
Council member Marsigli inquired whether staff could flex employee hours in order to avoid overtime, to which Recreation Manager Vitorino advised of the errors on the event budget distributed to Council prior to the meeting.
Council member Marsigli clarified the amount is slightly inflated and stated the actual labor during the parade is only the Police Officers, to which Recreation Manager Vitorino affirmed.
Council member Marsigli inquired whether the Police Officers will be receiving overtime, to which Police Chief Chavez advised of the use of Reserve Officers to avoid overtime.
Mayor Nagy clarified whether Council is only approving the design at this meeting, to which Recreation Manager Vitorino affirmed.
Council member Melville made a motion to approve request from Gustine Traveling Library for the use of City streets, services and equipment, and waiver of fees for Annual 9/11 Memorial Walk and donation and design of Commemorative Plaque.
The motion was seconded by Council member Giles and carried 5-0.
Council member Marsigli thanked Mr. Ramos for including the K-9 on the plaque.
CITY DEPARTMENT REPORTS
Police Chief Chavez advised of his agreeance on the location of the 9/11 Dedication Plaque. He thanked Zachery Ramos for the plaque dedication.
He reminded Our Lady of Miracles members of the 9/11 parade route and advised Council the department will work on keeping costs at a minimum.
He reported on the July 22nd fire at Green Acres Mobile Homes.
He advised on July 29th Reserve Sergeant Luciano Zelvaggio assisted in a probation sweep. He further recognized the volunteers for their assistance at the Lions Club Rib O Rama event. He provided an update on administrative citation efforts at a house on the 1000 block of Wallis.
Fire Chief Martin provided an additional update on the Green Acre Mobile Home fire that took place on July 22nd. He advised of the upcoming Fire Department Annual Golf Tournament. He advised the department is taking donations, sponsorships and golfers.
He advised he is looking forward to the upcoming 9/11 Memorial Walk and Festa event.
Public Works Director Villa-Leyva updated on an interview last week regarding the OnCall Electrical proposal and advised the City is moving forward with the contractor. He advised of staff’s preparation for the Clean Up event in September.
Council member Marsigli recommended the department turn off the Schmidt Pond aerator for the Fishing Day event.
Economic & Community Development Director Westervelt updated on the Beauty Salon at 680 South Avenue and advised of a request for inspections.
Recreation Manager Vitorino updated on the sound system issue and advised of the steps to repair it.
She informed Council the restrooms at Harry Schmidt Park were broken into and the damages have been addressed.
She advised of the surprise inspection at the Aquatic Center by Merced County and informed Council the water heater went out and has to be repaired in order to pass the inspection.
She reported on the incidents that occurred at the Aquatic Center on July 29th.
She informed Council that Newman is hosting their annual Trunk or Treat event on Friday, October 30. She relayed that after speaking to staff the City is keeping their annual Trunk or Treat on Halloween.
She advised of the upcoming Back to School Night event on Friday August 7th.
Council member Marsigli requested the finance summary for the Trunk or Treat event.
Finance Director Morrison thanked Council for the approval of the fiscal year 2026/2027 budget. She provided an update to Mayor Pro Tem Fords request regarding city-owned properties.
Mayor Pro Tem Ford inquired whether staff has a map of the city-owned properties, to which Finance Director Morrison affirmed and advised she will provide to Council.
HR Manager/Deputy Clerk Porras advised of the completion of 1st round of Meet and Greets for the Reserve Police Officer. She reported on open recruitments. She advised of an upcoming Negotiations Simulation Academy she will be attending. She updated on the Conflict of Interest Code review and stated this item will be brought to Council in September. She advised of her assistance with the City website Business update. She provided an update on Public Surplus.
CITY MANAGER REPORT
City Manager Correa advised she had nothing to report.
CITY ATTORNEY REPORT
City Attorney Clark advised she had nothing to report.
COUNCIL REPORTS
Council member Marsigli inquired whether the AT&T outage after-action meeting is open or closed to the public, to which City Manager Correa advised she would look into it. She advised of resident concerns regarding Code Enforcement and expressed appreciation for the current updates. She advised of concerns over bagged fire hydrants. She expressed concern with the amount of dog feces along Linden in Schmidt Park.
Council member Melville advised of his attendance at the Rib O Rama and Chamber of Commerce meeting. He informed Council he will be assisting Ducks Unlimited at the Back to School Night event. He advised of a Car and Book Show in O’Reilly’s parking lot on Sunday.
Council member Giles commented on the double-yellow lines along the airport curve on SR-140 being extended and inquired whether Caltrans reach out to the City regarding the extension, to which City Manager Correa advised Caltrans did complete this awhile back, without any communication to the City.
Council member Giles Inquired whether they acknowledged the issue or did the City advise of the issue and they fixed it, to which City Manager Correa advised the City approached Caltrans of the issue repeatedly.
Council member Giles advised the lines need to be longer. He inquired whether there were any fines collected for fireworks, to which City Manager Correa advised there was one citation written and stated it has been appealed.
Council member Giles Inquired on the business license website update, to which Economic & Community Development Westervelt advised of the timeline for the update.
Mayor Pro Tem Ford expressed his gladness to see the reports on city owned properties.
He commented on the use of Schmidt Park along Linden by people traveling, who frequently let their dogs out to relieve themselves.
There was further discussion regarding the issues with dog feces along the Schmidt Park trail.
Mayor Nagy expressed concern and agreeance with Council member Giles regarding the double-yellow lines on SR-140 along the airport curve. He advised of his visit at the Police Explorer Academy. He gave kudos to the lifeguards for saving a life. He commended the Fire Department and Police Department for their assistance in the Green Acres Mobile Home fire. He advised of his attendance at the Rib O Rama. He thanked Zachery Ramos for continuing the 9/11 Memorial Walk event. He informed staff that the broken heart on highway needs to be repainted. He reiterated the details for the Fire Department Golf Tournament, Back to School this Friday and the O’Reilly’s Car and Book Show. He thanked staff for all of their hard work.
CLOSED SESSON PUBLIC COMMENT
There was no public comment.
CLOSED SESSION
1. CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL – ANTICIPATED LITIGATION (Gov’t Code Sec. 54956.9(d)(2): Three Cases
After returning to open session, Mayor Nagy advised direction was provided to the City Manager and City Attorney.
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Nagy adjourned the meeting at 8:15 P.M.