Ada Reporter

MERIDIAN – Mayor Robert Simison delivered his 2023 State of the City Address today at the Galaxy Event Center. The event was hosted by the Meridian Chamber of Commerce and Presenting Sponsor, The Village at Meridian and CenterCal Properties. Mayor Simison focused on the recent successes of investing in public safety personnel and infrastructure and partnering with agency and community partners to meet the service expectations of the community sooner through responsible growth strategies. Mayor Simison highlighted those successes discussing Meridian’s look and feel, the economy, mobility and responsible growth successes while also looking ahead at the additional services and projects that are needed to allow Meridian to continue to thrive, as there is more to do. 
 
With mobility being one of the top concerns for Meridian residents, Mayor Simison discussed several road improvement projects nearing completion including the expansion of the final leg of Chinden Boulevard between Locust Grove and Meridian Road, as well as the repaving of Eagle Road and its new third lane southbound from River Valley to Interstate 84, among several others that have been completed.  Looking ahead, the City of Meridian also remains committed to ensuring that the Linder Road overpass project gets built as soon as possible. A project which is schedule to complete design this fall, with funding for right-of-way to be included in the Ada County Highway District’s (ACHD) budget for next year.

Mayor Simison highlighted current efforts pertaining to public safety both on the roads and in the community, including the Meridian Police Department working with local agency partners to provide a coordinated effort that will patrol traffic hot spots with focused attention to help reduce dangerous behaviors such as red-light running, texting while driving, speeding and others.  Mayor Simison also covered public safety transportation infrastructure improvements including a move to update the city’s Opticom system which controls traffic signals.  These updates will open lights in advance of approaching public safety vehicles to allow for faster response times.  “When this is combined with updating our pre-alerting system in our fire stations, we are talking about saving minutes, not just seconds in response times,” said Simison.  As Fire Stations #7 and #8 and the new northwest Police Precinct wrap up construction and open later this fall, Mayor Simison shared that these improvements will further allow our public safety personnel more time out in the community with better access to emergencies when needs arise.
 
Efforts to make Eagle Road safer were also highlighted by Mayor Simison who shared that ongoing discussions with ITD have been occurring. Mayor Simison shared that Eagle Road has had a community grow up around it and Eagle Road operations also need to evolve and meet community standards.  “I’m concerned that people will continue to try and travel at unreasonable speeds on the freshly paved road this summer due to a posted speed limit that isn’t achievable during many times of the day,” said Mayor Robert Simison as he shared that he expects that ITD will be providing speed reduction recommendations soon.

Mayor Simison revealed that part of his vision for the community to be a premier place to live, work and raise a family includes Meridian becoming the health care epicenter for Idaho, and shared expansion plans of both Idaho State University and St. Alphonsus.  St. Alphonsus plans to develop a new outpatient center in northwest Meridian with their purchase of land near Chinden and Highway 16.  Additionally, Idaho State University plans to expand their Meridian health care campus beginning with an initial property development funded by $5.3 million in State appropriations. “We need to lay out a clear [land use] framework for a medical corridor in this area,” said Simison.  Further stating that these efforts will benefit “those who need care, are focused on finding the next medical breakthroughs, and for the necessary education opportunities for our future providers.”
 
Simison also covered several aspects of the economy and the responsible growth successes that the city has seen over the last three years, while preparing for the necessary work to ensure that Meridian remains a place that brings job growth to benefit the community, as the city seeks to continue to build on its successes as a top employment center. Noting that the city has a strong economy, Simison highlighted that “since 2020 over 8,500 jobs have been created with average wages increasing more than fifteen percent,” an amazing accomplishment in a city that is focused on ensuring that the right environment exists for others to make investments in.

Simison noted the city’s work to update impact fees to better capture the cost development has on the city, ensuring growth pays for growth.  He also discussed the implementation of three new urban renewal areas, and identifying priority growth areas and infill projects over the last three years as tools to encourage where growth occurs, which is good policy and fiscally responsible.
 
As part of his speech, Mayor Simison covered the needs he is recommending in the upcoming city budget, noting purposeful requests that will continue to meet the service level expectations of the public and forward-facing departments as the city grows. The budget includes resources for support departments of information technology, human resources and finance. It also recommends funding for pathway connectivity and streetlight expansion which will improve the community’s look and feel, make better mobility connections and increase safety. The budget also expands wi-fi in parks, and supports both improving the quality of our water and meeting our permit requirements for wastewater.  Mayor Simison is also committed to having a strong public safety presence, stating that six police officers are requested “while keeping any property tax increase as minimal as possible in order to provide the necessary police officers needed for public safety.”
 
The Mayor also announced this year’s Legacy Award recipients. The award is presented to Meridian residents or businesspersons who have contributed to the betterment of Meridian in a variety of capacities over a number of years. Mayor Simison recognized Brian Simer and Mark Lightner for their efforts making Meridian PAL an organization that has made a difference for so many families in Meridian. “They have brought programming to our coaches, encouraged drug-free decisions, and been major partners with the City of Meridian in the development of Heroes Park,” said Simison as he touted Simer’s and Lightner’s successes as dedicated mentors leading the organization where many Meridian kids get their start in sports programs.

While wrapping up, Mayor Simison thanked the Idaho legislature for their efforts in House Bill 292 which was a good first step in the state’s constitutional responsibility to fund education needs, including school facilities.  He encouraged the legislature to focus more on the main street issues of transportation, education and local business’s needs.
Mayor Simison also cited his frustration with a “vocal minority who are manufacturing social issues to create fear and division in our state and communities in an attempt to achieve political gain.” He shared that Meridian and Idaho are a welcoming place for people and families, and that he looks forward to leading city employees and the community as there is more to do to achieve the vision to become the west’s premier city to live, work and raise a family for every generation that follows.

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 by Friday, June 2, 2023.
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 The Village at Meridian and CenterCal Properties. Supporting Sponsors for the event include: CBH Homes, CapEd Credit Union, Idaho State University, Republic Services, SelectHealth, Blue Cross of Idaho, Boise Office Equipment, Idaho Central Credit Union, Citi Cards, Idaho Power, Sparklight, St. Luke's, West Valley Medical Center, Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, Westmark Credit Union, First Interstate Bank, Investment Resources of America, Hilton Garden Inn, All American Insurance, Inc., TDS Fiber, and ESI Construction. 

Original source can be found here.