In Meridian, our budget process is important as it builds on a history of conservative financial stewardship and allows us to provide the services our residents expect with our available resources. As a City, we are debt free and have long held a philosophy of saving before we spend. The Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 proposed budget continues those practices, and looks forward with optimism and a higher bar for the City as our residents and businesses expect premier services day-in and day-out, which our employees are ready to deliver.

Meridian City Council has held two budget workshops to review my FY 2023 proposed budget. During these workshops there were great conversations with departments reviewing the requests.  Included within the budget are 53 new employees. A vast majority of these positions are for public safety needs and will help prepare the opening of two new fire stations, a police precinct, expand our School Resource Officer program into elementary schools, and meet water and sewer service delivery requirements. Also included in this year’s budget is the construction of the next phase of Discovery Park, continued investment in water quality at our wells, additional pathway connectivity for our open spaces and funding to continue our planning for a new community center.

The budget is ambitions yet balanced, fiscally responsible, and designed to make investments in our services as we grow. I encourage you to review the Proposed Budget Fiscal Year 2023. This draft has been approved by City Council and public comment will be taken at the Public Budget Hearing on August 16th during the regularly scheduled City Council Meeting. If you are unable to attend the meeting in person or virtually, please take a moment to provide feedback through our City Clerk’s Office via email at cityclerk@meridiancity.org.

Ultimately, our success is because of our involved citizens, businesses and civic groups who recognize and support the traditions and values of our community. We always want to hear your feedback on how we are doing as a City. Just this morning, we released our 2022 City Survey online and want your feedback about the City of Meridian services and other community issues. Whether considering public safety needs, our parks and pathways, an emerging downtown, or road and transportation needs, our goal is to understand how you view the quality of these services and what your priorities are as Meridian residents. The survey is entirely voluntary and should take only 10 to 15 minutes of your time. Visit www.meridiancity.org/citysurvey to provide your feedback. The information we obtain from this survey is critical to understanding the needs of Meridian residents and we look forward to sharing the results of the survey with the community in the coming fall.