City Council Agenda
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Memo to: |
Manteca City Council |
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From: |
Stephanie Van Steyn, Director of Human Resources |
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Date: |
February 17, 2026 |
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Subject: |
Municipal Pooling Authority Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement |
Recommendation:
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Adopt a resolution approving the Amended and Restated Municipal Pooling Authority Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement for providing property, workers’ compensation, public liability, and other insurance coverages.
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Background:
The City of Manteca is a member of Municipal Pooling Authority (“MPA”) a Joint Exercise of Powers Authority (“JPA”). MPA provides members with administration and self-insured coverage for liability, workers’ compensation, vehicle physical damage, and short-term disability, as well as access to participate in 14 additional programs that offer coverage for property, crime, cyber, and employee benefits. MPA was formally approved by the state as of July 1, 1977. Many of its founding members are still members today. Currently, MPA has 21 member municipalities.
MPA was formed primarily to mitigate the rising costs of private insurance for liability and workers’ compensation. The founding members agreed to pool fiscal resources to share in the cost of administering and litigating claims. This pooling of funds is permitted under the Joint Powers Act, Government Code, Sections 6500-6536. There are over 1,800 JPAs in California that provide public agencies with pooled coverage for benefits, liability, workers' compensation, and other services. By pooling funds, MPA members share in the risk and cost of claims, thereby stabilizing the impact on individual members' costs. The share in claims cost is spread among the members. However, pooling is not just a means of sharing the cost of claims; MPA members receive economies of scale benefits for a variety of additional insurances that can only be accessed through membership in the pool. For example, this includes property, cyber, crime, and deadly weapons coverage for the members. MPA also provides valuable resources for training and education, as well as access to a comprehensive wellness program, ergonomics program, dental and vision plans, life insurance, and online training modules. MPA’s risk mitigation support includes mandatory safety training and inspection support to ensure regulatory compliance, as well as mandatory employee certifications.
Participation in a JPA is invaluable in reducing claims exposure and cost. Due to the pooling aspect, members also receive dividends for years the reserved funds have exceeded the actual cost for that year. These dividends were instrumental in aiding members through the revenue decline that resulted from COVID-19. MPA has also been able to provide members with grants to address safety needs within their cities.
MPA has a board of directors, with each member of the pool holding a position on the Board. The Board collectively decides on how claims are administered and what is covered by the pool. Through the Coverage and Governance Committee, the Board regularly reviews the bylaws and memorandums of coverage for each program annually to determine how coverage will be provided. To be a member of MPA, each member’s governing body must agree to the Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement (“JPA Agreement”), as this is the required governing document that all members’ governing bodies must agree to participate in any of the programs provided by MPA. The JPA Agreement is the foundational document that outlines MPA’s powers and organizational structure. The last version was adopted by the Board of Directors in 2004 and executed in 2005 by its members and has recently undergone an extensive review and revision process.
Discussion
At the February 27, 2025, meeting, as part of its review of MPA’s governing documents, the MPA Coverage and Governance Committee approved recommended amendments to update the JPA Agreement and ensure it aligns with other MPA governing documents and applicable laws. Those recommended amendments were then reviewed by the MPA Executive Committee, which approved the recommended amendments with certain revisions on March 26, 2025. The revised recommended amendments were then approved by the MPA Board of Directors on April 10, 2025.
The amendments approved by the MPA Board of Directors were then sent to each member for review and feedback. The feedback received was reviewed by MPA Staff and Legal Counsel, and additional revisions were made based on that feedback. The final recommended amendments were approved by the MPA Board of Directors on January 13, 2026, and include both substantive updates and formatting refinements to ensure clarity and consistency:
• Section 3 (Creation of MPA): Language revised to clarify that MPA was previously formed and is continued pursuant to current Government Code provisions (title also changed to “Amended and Restated).”
• Section 8 (Powers of MPA): Additional language added to address CAJPA accreditation recommendation regarding language specifying limitation of powers.
• Section 17 (Member Responsibilities): Minor re-wording to clarify that obligations continue beyond participation and to better define a Member’s duty to provide requested information and support investigations.
• Section 23 (Effect of Withdrawal or Expulsion): Clarified language confirming that withdrawal or expulsion does not relieve a Member from obligations under MPA’s governing documents.
• General Formatting and Language Consistency: Several non-substantive edits were made throughout the document to correct formatting issues that arose during the conversion of the original PDF into an editable format. These changes improve internal consistency and readability without altering meaning.
The Amended and Restated JPA Agreement (included as Attachment 2) must now be approved by each member by resolution of the member’s governing body and signed by each member’s designee and is included on the City Council agenda for consideration and adoption.
Fiscal Impact:
Approval of the Amended and Restated Municipal Pooling Authority Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement does not result in an additional fiscal impact. Insurance costs are budgeted annually within the Human Resources Department/Risk Division.
Documents Attached:
1. Attachment 1 - Resolution
2. Attachment 2 - MPA Amended and Restated JPA Agreement
3. Attachment 3 - MPA Amended and Restated JPA Agreement (tracked changes)