The Livingston City Council on Wednesday approved a set of Measure V and Measure B regional project funding agreements to advance three transportation projects and the city’s transit-center work, voting 4-0 to authorize the city manager to execute the agreements.

The moves commit the city to begin project study reports, preliminary design and any supplementary environmental review needed for the Campbell/Hammett corridor improvements, Wood Parkway rehabilitation and the Livingston Transit Center Phase 1 project — steps staff said are required before full design and construction. The actions also include a minor wording amendment to one resolution requested by Council member Ruppel.

City Manager (name on file) told the council the project list and sequencing are “data driven,” and described the typical sequence for such projects: matching funding and priorities, preparing a Project Study Report (PSR), then determining whether additional environmental review beyond the existing documents is required. “It’s not easy. It’s a little complicated, but we do that,” the city manager said.

Noe Martinez, from the city engineering office, said the PSR is used when a project is not fully defined; its purpose is “to basically come up with a fully, defined project,” including right-of-way, environmental, and other requirements. Martinez said the city’s engineering team will perform most PSR, design and basic environmental work in-house but that specialized studies would be contracted when needed.

Council members asked for clarification about who performs the PSR; Martinez and the city manager confirmed engineering will handle PSR and design work unless specialty consultants are required. The city manager said a PSR typically costs about $165,000, an estimate he provided when describing the typical scope of work.

Jean Okuy, a Livingston resident who spoke during the public-comment period, urged transparency and pressed for clarity about the city’s position on the proposed Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) stop in Livingston. “Our team is attempting to gain some insight into the planning for the Livingston Atwater ACE Train Station,” Okuy said. City staff and councilors recalled that Livingston was selected for a station in December 2021 and that a final EIR had been adopted at that time; staff said the city has programmed regional funds toward related work and will use the PSR to define local project needs and any added environmental analysis.

Council member Ruppel asked that the last whereas clause in one resolution be amended to match similar language in the other Measure resolutions; the clerk confirmed the language was provided and the council approved that change before voting. Each of the four funding items was approved by a recorded roll-call vote of 4-0.

Council members and staff emphasized that some projects date back several years and that schedules can stretch because of required studies, public input and funding constraints. Staff noted that the Merced County Association of Governments (MCAG) maintains the regional project list and that matching local priorities and funding streams is part of the planning process.

What happens next: engineering will start the PSR process and identify whether additional environmental work (for example, supplementation to an existing environmental impact report) or outside consultants are required. The council approved the agreements and authorized the city manager to execute them and any amendments necessary to implement the PSR and preliminary design work.

The council’s action does not itself grant construction authorization; it moves the projects into the next planning-and-design phase that precedes full design, permitting and bidding.