The Meridian City Council will consider allocating more funding for demolition after learning the amount currently budgeted will not cover the bill.

In a work session Tuesday, Community Development Director Craig Hitt said the city is currently advertising for bids from contractors to demolish 40 structures throughout town. The structures were condemned by the council in a public hearing on Nov. 21, 2023, following repeated attempts by the city’s code enforcement staff to address the blighted properties with the property owners.

Hitt said bids were originally set to be opened Tuesday, but questions from contractors pushed the opening date back to Feb. 8. However, he said, in reviewing the numbers, it does not look like there will be enough money in the budget to take down all 40 buildings.

Community Development was allocated $200,000 in this year’s budget for demolition and maintenance on condemned properties, Hitt said. Of that, $50,000 has been set aside for grass cutting, leaving the department with $150,000 to spend on demolition costs.

A previous project to demolish 27 structures was awarded in December 2022 to Cullum Construction at a cost of $148,239, or roughly $5,500 per home, Hitt said. Similar pricing will put the current project well over the $150,000 limit.

Councilman George Thomas said the council will need to decide whether it wants to pick which structures to knock down with the current funding or find more money to cover the cost of demolishing all 40 on the list.

In other business, Councilman Dwayne Davis said he wants the council to consider allocating an additional $150,000 to Community Development to purchase more Christmas decorations for the area around city hall and elsewhere in the city. He said he had seen examples of some of the newer decorations available while attending two recent conferences and was impressed by the selection.

By allocating the funding and approving the purchase now, Davis said he hoped the city could save some money as prices are lower than they will be closer to the holiday season.

Hitt said his department currently has about $15,000 in its budget for Christmas-related expenses.

The City Council is also set to review the city’s curfew ordinance after Councilwoman Ty Bell Lindsey called for enhanced penalties for those violating the law.

The current ordinance restricts those under 18 from being out from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and midnight to 6 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Parents of children caught violating the curfew will first be given a warning, with fines starting at $25 for the second offense and doubling for each offense after.

Lindsey said curfew is widely disregarded and the current penalties do not do enough to deter residents from breaking the law.

Police Chief Deborah Naylor Young on Tuesday provided the council with recommendations from Municipal Judge Dustin Markham about how the ordinance could be strengthened. City Attorney Will Simmons previously suggested asking Markham to share his thoughts as he has the most direct contact with curfew violators.

Upon Simmons’ recommendation, the council agreed to table the matter until they have time to throughly review Markham’s recommendations.