Council approves consent agenda, reappoints airport authority member and hires Stennis Institute for employee handbook review

The Meridian City Council approved a set of routine orders at its meeting, including confirming the mayor’s reappointment of Robert Calicoat to the Meridian Airport Authority, accepting several procurement and payment items, adopting a fiscal year 2025 budget amendment and authorizing the John C. Stennis Institute of Government and Community Development to perform an independent review and update of the city employee handbook and pay bands.

Council members and the appointee discussed the airport’s planned terminal project and the handbook review’s scope. Robert Calicoat, who the mayor reappointed and who has served on the airport authority for five years, described the airport work as an economic-development priority and said the new terminal project is “approximately $20,500,000,” adding that the money will come “mostly [from] grants, state and federal money” and “none out of our local taxpayer pockets.” Tom (last name not specified on the record) was named by speakers as someone who could provide further detail about airport funding and operations.

On personnel policy, the council removed the item from the consent list for discussion before approving it. Council members asked what new work the John C. Stennis Institute…