Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Meridian council approves $158,760 budget amendment for fire outreach center design
Summary
The Meridian City Council approved a $158,760 fiscal-year 2025 budget amendment to fund design work for a proposed Fire Outreach Center attached to the new Meridian Community Center. The council approved the amendment after a presentation by Carly Shears of the Fire Department’s Community Risk Reduction division.
The Meridian City Council approved a $158,760 budget amendment on March 25 to pay for design of a Fire Outreach Center to be attached to the new Meridian Community Center.
The Fire Department’s Community Risk Reduction (CRR) division presented the request. “I want to start off with stating the intent and the purpose of this space and the value that the fire department sees in having an outreach center,” Carly Shears, division manager for CRR, told the council during the work session presentation.
Shears said the proposed outreach center, sited at Settlers Park and attached to the Meridian Community Center, would provide space for fire and life-safety education, hands-only and certified CPR classes, car-seat clinics and checks, and a venue that could reduce operational impacts associated with station tours. She said the CRR division has seen a drop in community outreach activities over the last 18 months, and that the center would also provide workspace for the division as it grows.
Council discussion was brief but included support for co-locating fire education with parks and community programming. Councilman Overton said the shared-site approach recalls a previous successful partnership between police and fire training facilities and called co-location “probably the most efficient way we can get the job done.” Councilman Kavanaugh (recorded in the minutes as voting no) said he supported CRR generally but objected to placing the center in the community center and preferred exploring alternatives such as a dedicated facility or rehabilitating existing space.
A motion to approve the amendment was made by Councilwoman Little Roberts; the motion passed with the roll-call recorded in the meeting minutes as: Little Roberts — Aye; Taylor — Aye; Overton — Aye; Whitlock — Aye; Cavanagh — No. The minutes show the item “is agreed to.”
The amendment will be paid from the city’s general fund, not from impact-fee revenues, according to staff responses during the discussion. Staff noted the use of general-fund dollars preserves flexibility for future funding decisions.
Next steps described by staff include continuing design work and further briefings to council as the community center development proceeds. Carly Shears offered to return for a fuller briefing on the CRR program and to bring additional staff to explain operations and programs.
Funding amount: $158,760 for design of the Fire Outreach Center (fiscal year 2025 budget amendment).
