Ada Reporter

City of Meridian issued the following announcement on June 1.

Mayor Robert Simison delivered his State of the City Address today, at the Galaxy Event Center. The event was hosted by the Meridian Chamber of Commerce and Presenting Sponsor, Albertsons. Mayor Simison focused on the needs of our community including infrastructure, public safety, services provided by partner agencies, and the need to treat people with dignity and respect.  

 With transportation being one of the top concerns for Meridian residents, Mayor Simison discussed many road improvement projects underway along with Meridian’s number one road priority project – construction of the Linder Road Overpass. The City of Meridian remains committed to ensuring this project gets built as soon as possible and is funding the design of Linder Road Overpass which is currently underway.  The construction of Linder Road will need to be completed by Idaho Transportation Department and Ada County Highway District.  Mayor Simison noted that it will also bring properties north of the interstate, including Peregrine Elementary School, into the 5-minute emergency response time. 

Mayor Simison also called for action to make Eagle Road safer. Recognizing that Eagle Road is a central business corridor for Meridian, operating at 55 miles per hour is no longer viable. “I am asking the business community, and our transportation partners to engage on finding meaningful, long-term solutions that will make Eagle Road easier and safer for all who travel it. A safer transportation network helps improve our community,” said Mayor Robert Simison.

Work on a new Meridian Community Center was also highlighted by Mayor Simison. “Whether for classes, meetings, or a variety of activities, we will need space that allows us to deliver the premier services people are looking for,” shared Mayor Simison. In addition to the Community Center, the City of Meridian is transitioning the operation of the Story Park pool, while addressing needed safety and mechanical improvements. Mayor Simison highlighted that this process will reduce the property tax burden on Meridian residents by eliminating the separate taxing district of the Western Ada Recreation District (WARD), a community partner in Meridian.

 An update was also provided about how the City plans to continue to deliver premier water and sewer services to residents, noting that a rate increase is being considered by the City. “While these rate increases are needed, they are small in nature and our rates would remain one of the lowest in the Valley,” said Mayor Simison.

 As part of his speech, Mayor Simison focused on the needs he is presenting in the upcoming city budget, including over 50 new employees. These positions will help prepare the opening of two new fire stations, a police precinct, and meet water and sewer service delivery requirements. “It is ambitious yet balanced…The most important part of the infrastructure for these public safety needs is the human aspect. None of these stations and precincts can benefit the community without people to serve them. Growing our number of fire stations by 33% in one year is not an easy task - but it is a necessary one,” said Mayor Simison.

 Mayor Simison recognized concerns of families for students’ safety and the need to do more for our most vulnerable residents, proposing an additional six School Resource Officers for assignment to a dedicated SRO program for West Ada elementary schools in Meridian. “Safety is our number one priority in Meridian, and work is being done with our law enforcement and the school district to help stem potential acts of violence, but we need to do more now,” said Mayor Simison.

  To conclude, the Mayor announced this year’s Legacy Award recipient. The award is presented to a Meridian resident or business person who has contributed to the betterment of Meridian in a variety of capacities over a number of years. Mayor Simison recognized Pastor Steve Moore, for a lifetime of involvement in Meridian and dedication to advocating for what was right for the community. “Whether building a facility that is a beacon to the community where they have space for those who have special needs, have hosted their fall festival, the Mayor's Prayer Breakfast, and TMC sports, or whether advocating for the building of the Ten Mile Interchange - you can feel his impact,” said Mayor Simison.

Before wrapping up, Mayor Simison also noted the challenges of the past few years, and encouraged the community to focus on civility moving forward, sharing that “as an Idahoan, I will do my part and encourage others to find commonality with one another so we can keep Meridian and Idaho what we all know and love.”

Video of the Mayor’s State of the City speech can be viewed here.  A copy of Mayor Simison’s State of the City speech and the video will be posted here on Thursday, June 2, 2022.

The City of Meridian has more information regarding many of the Mayor's updates in the Meridian Annual Report. You can view highlights and accomplishments, and other City news here.

This year's Presenting Sponsor is Albertsons. Supporting Sponsors for the event include: CBH Homes, Citi Cards, Empire Title & Escrow, Bright Bank, Harvey Performance Company, Idaho Power, Idaho State University, Galaxy Event Center, Bank of Idaho, Select Health, First Interstate Bank, TDS Fiber, All American Insurance, Flat Creek Payments, Power Engineers, Intermountain Gas, CapEd Credit Union, Sparklight Business, D.L. Evans Bank, Glass Doctor, Kiln, ESI,  Westmark Credit Union, Investment Resources of America, and Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine. 

Original source can be found here.