Livingston Council appoints Mayor Pro Tem Samra as MCAG representative, Moran named alternate

The Livingston City Council voted 4-0 Tuesday to appoint Mayor Pro Tem Samra as the city elegate to the Merced County Association of Governments (MCAG) and Mayor Moran as the alternate.

Councilors debated whether Livingston should pursue MCAG—hair responsibilities now, because the open chair term runs only through June following recent elections. Council Member Roth urged caution, saying accepting a six-month chair term could cut short rotation opportunities for Livingston in the next cycles. "If we take the chair, we only get it for 6 months," Roth said during discussion. Samra and other council members said the city should preserve its rotation for a later full term instead of taking a short chair stint now.

Multiple council members described prior practice in which the mayor typically serves as the primary MCAG representative with an alternate from the council. Samra said she has been active at MCAG and plans to continue regular attendance; she also referenced conversations with MCAG CEO Stacy Guzman about the executive board vacancy. After discussion and a nomination from the dais, the council moved, seconded and approved the appointments. The clerk conducted a roll-call vote in which all members present voted yes.

The motion formalizes Livingston ttendance and representation at MCAG while leaving open future rotation for vice-chair and chair positions as MCAG ppointments come around.

Ending: The council did not take additional formal actions on MCAG leadership beyond the representative and alternate appointments and left future MCAG leadership rotation to be addressed in subsequent cycles.