When Meridian’s new mayor and City Council members are sworn into office July 1, they will inherit an abundance of ongoing projects throughout the city.

 

At Meridian Police Department, work is nearing completion on a Real Time Crime Center, which will provide 24/7 monitoring of camera networks being installed in parks, city properties and crime hot spots. The center will also be able to stream live video to responding officers, allowing them to assess a situation before the arrive.

 

Pubic Works has multiple ongoing projects, including a pending bridge replacement on Grand Avenue, pedestrian safety upgrades near Ochsner Rush Health, paving, an in-depth study of North Hills and how it can be altered to increase safety, a slope stabilization project on 14th Avenue and more.

 

Community Development is currently working on a bid package for the demolition of more than 70 structures condemned by the City Council at its most recent meeting, as well as working to develop safety protocols for downtown events and amend ordinances to address how group homes are set up in Meridian.

 

Parks and Recreation, which recently completed a $5 million parks upgrade project, is gearing up for the busy summer season with registration ongoing for youth sports leagues and lifeguards being hired for the pools at Highland Park and Velma Young.

 

The projects are funded through an array of sources, including local, state and federal funding, grants versus appropriations and each carries its own requirements the city must meet to use the funds properly.

 

Private development is also growing in Meridian, with the construction of a new Chick-fil-A near the Lauderdale County Government Center, development of an energy neutral housing development and work on a multi-billion data center campus, among others.

 

Meridian’s mayoral and council seats will be decided in the June 3 general election, but candidates will not have much of a break before taking office if they hope to get up to speed on all that is going on. The new administration will have less than three months to develop a budget funding all of the work before the 2026 fiscal year begins Oct. 1.