The Meridian City Council on Tuesday voted to accept federal funding to go towards mandated repairs to the city’s wastewater system and provided funds for an event recognizing Meridianite Jamal Roberts as he competes on American Idol.

 

Public Works Director David Hodge said the city learned of some federal funding available through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that could be used to pay for projects related to Meridian’s wastewater consent decree. The city in 2019 signed onto a consent decree with the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Justice and Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to overhaul its dilapidated wastewater system after it was found to have violated the Clean Water Act with chronic sewer overflows.

 

The funding, which will come from the Corps of Engineers Mobile District, will be used for two pipeline projects the city is required to do, Hodge said. The Corps will provide $9,960,000, with the city required to match 25%, he said.

 

City Attorney Will Simmons said the council actually approved the agreement several months ago, but the Corps made a few changes requiring the council to vote on it again.

 

“The bottom line is that they’re giving us approximately $10 million, and it’s something that’s on our list that we’re going to have to accomplish for the consent decree,” Simmons said. “So it really makes sense for us to go ahead and approve this, approve this again.”

 

Hodge said the city’s matching funds will come from the consent decree bond.

 

The City Council also earmarked $20,000 to pay costs associated with a celebration recognizing Jamal Roberts as he competes on American Idol. An elementary physical education teacher at Crestwood Elementary School, Roberts has wowed judges throughout the competition with his unique singing voice and has advanced to the Top 8.

 

Councilman Joe Norwood Jr. said the $20,000 is a not-to-exceed limit, and the city’s actual costs could be far less. By allocating more than needed, he said he hopes to provide a financial cushion should unexpected expenses pop up or some things come in over budget.

 

The celebration, which will include a parade followed by a concert on City Hall lawn on May 14, is being organized by a committee of private residents who are working with the city to plan the event. Norwood said it will be up to city officials and committee members to decide how best to spend the money.

 

Due to state law, the city cannot actually give the money to the committee to use, Simmons said, as it is not a non-profit organization.

 

The council voted to pull the funds from a previous allocation of money earmarked for a new animal control building. In March, council members approved $540,000 for the demolition of the current animal control building and construction of a new building in its place. Those funds were added to a previous allocation of $200,000 from the 2024 fiscal year.

 

In other business, the City Council voted to extend a contract with Waggoner Engineering to staff the city’s two freshwater and two wastewater treatment plants through the end of the year. Facing a shortage of skilled operators to run the plants, the council in 2024 agreed to hire Waggoner to both staff the plants while helping the city hire and train the needed personnel to manage the facilities on its own. The extended contract will expire Dec. 31.

 

Council members also authorized a contract for preliminary engineering phase B with Neel-Schaffer Inc. related to the Eighth Street Corridor Improvements project. The grant-funded project is intended to correct the geometry of intersections along Eighth Street, addressing traffic signals placed too close to intersections and more.

 

Neel-Schaffer was also awarded a contract for construction engineering and inspection for pedestrian improvements in the medical district, mainly sidewalks and crosswalks along 18th and 19th streets. The project is also funded through a grant.