The Meridian City Council discussed several large projects during a work session Tuesday. Among the topics discussed were potential changes to the city’s food truck ordinance, redistricting and paving and infrastructure projects planned throughout the city.

Food Trucks

Council members are continuing to review the city’s current ordinance governing food trucks and gather input from community stakeholders on proposed changes.

Community Development Director Craig Hitt told the council the current ordinance established a Food Truck Advisory Board to decide where and when food trucks can operate. According to the ordinance, the board consists of the director for community development, planning director, building official, director of tourism and the fire marshal.

Hitt said he did not know the last time the board met but had neither attended nor heard of any meetings since becoming director of community development last August.

The city council is hoping to draft an ordinance that would allow food trucks to operate without negatively impacting local restaurants or causing liability issues for the city.

Ward 1 Councilman George Thomas said he wants the ordinance to be fair.

“It’s a complicated issue,” he said. “It’s not a simple thing.”

District 3 and 4 councilmen Dwayne Davis and Joseph Norwood said they also had concerns about the current food truck park, which was approved as a test site and is the only food truck park in Meridian.

The property is privately-owned and food trucks pay rent to operate there. The two councilmen said they were concerned that could be considered a monopoly and create an unfair advantage.

Redistricting

The city is also looking at beginning the process of redistricting, which is required every 10 years under federal law. Redistricting uses census data to redraw wards throughout the city to reflect population changes.

The first step in redistricting determining if redrawing the lines is necessary. The law requires that governments redistrict if their maximum deviation is more than 10% outside of the ideal population size for their districts.

The city is considering contracting with East Central Planning and Development District to assist with the redistricting process, but has yet to make a final decision.

The next municipal elections in Meridian aren’t until 2025, Thomas said, but the city needs to get started so potential candidates can begin planning.

“We just need to get that going so people who are planning on running in three years know what ward they live in,” he said. “That may sound like a long time, but it’s not a long time. It comes on pretty quickly.”

Sela Ward Parkway

Work on the $4 million revitalization project for Sela Ward Parkway is continuing ahead of schedule.

Project Manager Gabe Faggard told the board about $500,000 worth of work was completed in January, and crews are on track to complete an additional $500,000 in February.

Faggard said the project, which was originally scheduled to be done in Spring 2023, could wrap up by the end of the year. There is still plenty to be done, however, and delays with materials or weather could quickly end the project’s chances of finishing early, he said.

If the project does get delayed, it will likely be due to materials, Faggard said. Supply chain issues are causing long lead times from when materials are ordered to when they’re delivered, he said. Contractors are doing what they can to avoid delays, but it could happen as the project moves forward.

Additionally, the city’s Public Works department is gearing up for a busy paving season. Public Works Director David Hodge said crews are performing maintenance on paving equipment to prepare for paving to begin.

The city is expected to award contract bids for asphalt and paving in the coming weeks as well.

Paving is weather dependent, with ground temperatures needing to be above 50 degrees to make sure the material adheres properly. With warmer weather expected, paving could be underway by April.