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Meridian council approves package of ordinances, pay changes and appointments; emergency culvert repair authorized
Summary
At its March 18 meeting, the Meridian City Council approved a series of routine and substantive items including rezoning requests, pay-band adjustments, a mayoral appointment, adoption of updated building codes, FY2025 budget amendments and an emergency declaration to repair a collapsed culvert. Most items passed by voice vote.
Meridian City Council approved a slate of routine orders, ordinances and personnel actions during its March 18, 2025 meeting and authorized an emergency repair after a culvert collapse on Old Country Club Road East.
The council voted on a broad consent and routine agenda that included the mayor’s appointment of Haley Van Drewen to the Meridian Electrical Board; a $18,024 renewal for city-hall HVAC maintenance with Terry Service Inc.; creation of a communications director billet with an associated salary adjustment; multiple pay-band adjustments and new hires for utility plant operators; two rezoning ordinances for commercial development; and adoption of updated municipal building codes. The council also approved FY2025 budget amendments bundled as items A through O and approved an emergency declaration to repair a collapsed culvert on Old Country Club Road East.
Why it matters: the votes clear personnel and administrative actions that affect city operations, set development rules for specific properties and update technical standards that affect permitting and insurance ratings. The emergency declaration authorizes immediate work on a public safety threat.
Key outcomes (votes at a glance) - Appointment: Confirmed the mayor’s selection of Haley Van Drewen to the Meridian Electrical Board (motion seconded; voice vote: ayes have it). - HVAC maintenance: Approved renewal of a maintenance service agreement with Terry Service Incorporated for city-hall HVAC for $18,024 (voice vote: ayes have it). - Communications director billet: Approved creating the communications director position and adjusted the proposed salary to match the incumbent-equivalent salary (motion to adjust salary adopted; voice vote: ayes have it). - Utility hires: Approved filling two utility plant operator positions in the Public Works water division (voice vote: ayes have it). - Pay-band adjustments: Approved adjustments for code enforcement manager, cultural affairs coordinator, utility plant operator (and senior/chief levels) and related positions (voice votes: ayes have it). - Employee one-time increase: Approved an employee pay increase of $3,000 previously approved but amended to exclude those positions that had just received pay-band increases (motion to exclude listed positions adopted; voice vote: ayes have it). - Rezoning (RZ-25-01): Approved rezoning from A (Agriculture) to B (Regional Business) at 424 Hawkins Crossing Road for development of a truck center (voice vote: ayes have it). - Rezoning (RZ-25-02): Approved rezoning from B (Regional Business) to AB (Agricultural Business) at 616 Highway 11/80 to develop a recreational vehicle park (voice vote: ayes have it). - Building codes ordinance: Adopted updated city building codes to move from 2018 to 2024 editions to maintain compliance with the state rating bureau’s cycle (see separate article). - FY2025 budget amendments: Approved the bundle of amendments labeled A through O (voice vote: ayes have it). - Emergency declaration: Authorized an emergency declaration to repair a collapsed culvert on Old Country Club Road East (motion seconded; voice vote: ayes have it). - Claims and payroll dockets: Approved claims and payroll dockets as presented (voice votes: ayes have it).
Meeting details: most items passed with little debate and were handled on voice votes after motions and seconds. Some personnel and salary items prompted clarifying motions to adjust the listed pay or exclude positions from the one-time $3,000 increase; those amendments carried before final approval. The building-code adoption included a brief staff explanation that the state rating bureau requires jurisdictions to be within a six-year update cycle (the city moving from 2018 to 2024). The fiscal amendments were taken as a block (A through O) and approved together.
Votes and records: votes were recorded by voice and the council chair declared the ayes to have it on the listed items. No roll-call tallies with named yes/no votes were recorded in the transcript provided. If a specific roll call is required for an item, the official minutes should be consulted.
What’s next: the emergency repair work on Old Country Club Road East may proceed under the declared emergency; administrative staff will implement personnel changes and update payroll per the approved pay-band adjustments and the newly created communications director billet. The rezoning approvals clear the specific properties to move forward with planned developments subject to permitting.
