Last week, Meridian residents made their voices heard by approving the City’s Public Safety Levy with 66% of the vote, surpassing the required 60% threshold. This outcome reflects our community’s strong support for public safety and the level of service our residents expect.
I believe this result is a testament to the outstanding work of the men and women in our Police and Fire Departments. It reflects years of hard work, professionalism, and dedication shown by our public safety teams as they serve and protect the people of Meridian. The work they do every day with each call answered, interaction, and life impacted is contributing to the quality of life we all enjoy in this community.
While some work will begin right away, funding from the approved levy will start in Fiscal Year 2027, which begins next October. At that time, these funds will be used to retain 13 firefighter positions currently funded by the Federal SAFER Grant, which expires then, it will increase salaries for sworn police officers to aid in recruitment and retention, and establish an in-house City Prosecution team to handle misdemeanor cases.
As we look ahead to how this investment will help strengthen the City’s ability to serve and protect our community, I want to say thank you to our residents for your engagement, trust, and support throughout this process. To our city staff, thank you for continuing to earn the trust of our residents every day through your exceptional service. To City Council, thank you for giving the voters the chance to choose.
Together, we will keep Meridian safe.
About the author
Mayor Simison