Residents press Meridian on tree maintenance, drainage and abandoned properties; city re-advertises urban forester position

Several Meridian residents used the public-comment period and the mayor's report to press the council for faster responses to tree hazards, recurring drainage problems that residents say are eroding private property, and abandoned homes that pose fire and safety risks.

At the meeting a resident, Jeanette Jamieson, described a drainage ditch near her property at 380240 Third Street (between 40 Third and 40 Fourth; as stated aloud) and said it has been a long-running issue dating to 2003. "It is a health hazard, and it's washing away my property ... snakes are beginning to come up on my property," Jamieson said. City staff directed Jamieson to provide the address and said Public Works would follow up; a council member asked staff to take the contact information and pursue a site visit.

Council and staff also discussed tree limbs and failures across the city. Staff said the city is re-advertising for an urban forester position after an initial recruitment produced no qualified applicants. A community-development staff member explained the urban forester "will manage the city trees throughout the city of Meridian," and will be the point of contact for calls about trees leaning into rights-of-way; that person will work within Community Development and coordinate with Public Works or contractors as needed. Staff also said Kevin (surname not specified) — previously involved in tree decisions and now the planning manager — has less availability to continue handling tree issues, creating the need to fill the urban-forester role.

Staff told the meeting that code enforcement conducts regular checks and that plans were in place to address a homeless camp the next morning with Public Works support. The community-development representative said owners are sent notices in nuisance or abandonment cases, but the notification process takes time; some properties revert to state ownership because of unpaid taxes, and staff said the city can help residents connect with the Secretary of State's office for a list of available state-owned properties. Staff noted the city has identified over 500 county properties that have reverted to the state for lack of tax payments and said they can assist citizens interested in purchasing such properties.

Other citizen requests included asking for a stop sign at Eighteenth Street and Fourteenth Avenue and replacement of a fallen "stop ahead" sign; staff accepted the requests and asked for specific addresses so crews could inspect and take action where warranted.

Discussion vs. direction vs. decision

- Discussion: Residents offered details of ongoing hazards (drainage erosion, falling trees, abandoned/deteriorating houses used for shelter). Staff described current enforcement steps, the limitations of the notification process, and the jurisdictional split between privately owned trees and city-owned trees. - Directions/Follow-up: Staff asked residents to provide addresses and contact information; Public Works and code enforcement committed to site visits and next-day action in at least one homeless-camp case. Staff confirmed a re-advertisement for an urban forester position and outreach to professional associations and colleges. - Decisions: No new ordinance or contract resulted from the public comments. The re-advertisement for the urban forester position and operational follow-ups by Public Works and code enforcement were presented as administrative actions already underway.

The meeting record shows staff and council asking residents to provide specifics so city crews can inspect ditches and trees; staff said they will continue to pursue responses while the city seeks to fill the dedicated urban-forester role.