Merced County officials on Tuesday shared with Planada residents how the remaining portion of the $20 million in flood relief funding will be spent, announced a change in contractors, and addressed residents’ concerns.
About 20 residents attended the meeting at Cesar Chavez Middle School. The county is the entity responsible for enacting the 2023 Winter Storm Flood Relief Program Plan.
Erick Serrato, director of workforce investment, said 69% of the $20 million has been allocated to expenditures, leaving 31% unspent.
This was the first time many residents heard how the remaining funds would be used.
“The current plan is to divide the remaining balance into two areas: The completion of home repairs and investments in infrastructure for the community,” Serrato said.
Mark Mimms, the economic development director, began his presentation by saying that one of the contractors working on home repairs is no longer part of the program.
“We are shifting the cases from the one contractor over to Self-Help Enterprises,” he said. “The rest … will go to contractors that are contracted with the county directly.”
Mimms never mentioned the name of the contractor no longer involved in the program.
After the meeting, Serrato confirmed that Habitat for Humanity, an entity residents said they had difficulty working with in the past, was no longer involved in the program.
When asked about the separation, Serrato said he believed the contract had a sunset clause at the end of 2025 and that the county decided not to renew it. He was not at liberty to discuss the reasons, he said.
Representatives from Habitat did not respond to questions about the separation, whether any projects were left unfinished, or matters related to the funds awarded to the nonprofit.
County staff have already begun contacting affected residents, Mimms said. Homeowners with active repairs should have received a notification from either Self-Help Enterprises or county staff.
“If your house is still under repair, you should have already heard from Self-Help or county staff,” Mimms said.
When the funds were awarded to the county almost two years ago, a Dec. 31, 2025, deadline was imposed for all the funds to be used. An extension was granted.
“The County successfully worked with the California Office of Emergency Services on an indefinite extension,” Merced County spokesperson Mike North said in November. “We anticipate our home repairs to be substantively complete by end of year, with infrastructure projects to be completed in 2026.”
During the presentation, Mimms said that out of 177 approved home repair projects, 133 were completed and 44 were pending.
How much money has been spent
The county has obligated almost $13.8 of the $20 million relief fund, according to Serrato, who said that includes funds already disbursed and funds committed for future payments.
Serrato said the remaining funds are planned for two areas: completing home repairs and investing in community infrastructure.
Officials also said that the other programs included in the plan had been completed and closed, such as direct assistance, lost wages and business loans.
Residents’ concerns
Planada residents pushed back on communication gaps and eligibility rules. Lucinda Martinez, president of the Planada Municipal Advisory Council, said the MAC has not consistently received updates.
“That has not been happening,” Martinez said. “We have not had someone to speak about this every month at the MAC meeting.”
Several residents said they paid for repairs out of pocket or took out loans and received no assistance from the county.
Mimms said the program includes a reimbursement option, subject to eligibility and would be handled on a case-by-case basis. Residents can contact the county to see if they’re eligible.
However, county officials said the program cannot repay government-backed loans taken out before the Planada relief program began.
“It would not be legal for us to extend resources that would be duplicative in nature,” said Mark Hendrickson, the county’s chief executive officer.
Infrastructure and flood prevention plans
County officials also outlined future infrastructure projects, including creek clearing, flood protection, and street improvements.
Nathan Bray, director of public works, said the county has cleared vegetation along Miles Creek three times since the program began and plans to clear one more section from Childs Avenue to Highway 59.
Another completed infrastructure project, Bray said, was the installation of a standby generator for the Planada Community Service District to ensure the facilities can continue providing water to the community during a power outage.
The remaining funds could support flood barriers, sidewalk and curb construction, and road repairs, he said.
The estimated cost of proposed street improvements is about $3 million, depending on available funding.
“These are what I would call one-time generational improvements,” Bray said.A previously planned study to investigate the watershed that feeds Miles Creek was canceled after the California Department of Water Resources received a grant to conduct it, which Bray said freed up $1.5 million to repair affected streets.
Emergency preparedness
One of the presenters at the meeting was Adam Amaral, the emergency services manager for the Merced County Office of Emergency Services.
An emergency preparedness exercise was planned for a Saturday in the coming spring, he said.
“We really want the community to be involved and engaged in this exercise,” Amaral said. “We really want to focus on pre- planning and preparedness as a community.
Each dollar spent on preparation would save significant money during recovery efforts, Amaral added.