Mayor says Meridian needs more money for police, fire. Will taxpayers help?
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- Meridian Mayor Simison proposes a $5M public-safety levy to offset rising city expenses.
- Levy funds would retain firefighters, boost police wages, and create in-house prosecution.
- Proposal needs City Council backing to reach the November ballot, then 60% voter approval.
In his annual State of the City speech Wednesday, Meridian Mayor Robert Simison cited revenue challenges in the growing city and announced his intention to put a public-safety levy on the November ballot.
The mayor said the budget he presented to the City Council in May for fiscal year 2026 was “lean” at a time when the city faces flattening sales and liquor tax revenues, declining building-permit revenue, and “legislative changes” including the 2021 state law capping city budget growth, which Simison has criticized.
Simison said the budget — along with a directive to reduce or maintain spending on discretionary expenses — would help keep the city’s status “stable.” But it wouldn’t be able to keep up with demand for public safety services as Meridian’s population swells and expenses rise, he said. The city added over 4,500 new residents last year, he said.
Simison hopes voters can decide to pick up the slack. If adopted, the proposed levy would increase the city’s property tax revenue by just over $5 million — at an expected annual cost to taxpayers of $20.11 per $100,000 of assessed property value, according to city spokesperson Trevor Smith.
It would start on Oct. 1, 2026 and continue until voters decided to modify or do away with it, Smith told the Idaho Statesman by phone. It would be the first time the city has asked voters for a levy in over 20 years, Smith said. Because it would be a permanent tax increase, state law requires a 60% majority to pass, not the simple majority required for temporary levies.
According to a news release the city sent after Simison’s address, the purpose of the levy would be to: retain and recruit police officers, fully fund 13 firefighters hired through a federal grant set to expire in 2027, and establish in-house prosecution services — all things the mayor said could not fit in the city’s budget.
The proposed FY 2026 budget would grow by the full 3% allowed under the 2021 law, Simison said, but it still “does not include any new police officers, firefighters, parks personnel or administrative support staff as we are focused on staying in our means while also taking care of our current employees.”
Simison said the levy would help the city cover the roughly $3.2 million cost of retaining 13 firefighters hired through a 2023 Department of Homeland Security grant.
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The money also would help the city fund wage increases needed to keep the city’s police department competitive, the mayor said. The average hourly pay for a Meridian Police Department employee is $45.83 an hour, according to salary data compiled by the Idaho Statesman in December. That’s over $95,000 a year.
Simison also said the levy would allow the city to establish in-house prosecution services and not contract with the Boise City Attorney’s Office — an arrangement that’s been in place for a “couple of decades.” In fiscal year 2025, Meridian is paying Boise nearly $810,000 for those services, Smith said in a text message to the Statesman. That’s expected to jump to nearly $830,000 in the next fiscal year.
Meridian’s caseload is growing, he said. “Having people 100% dedicated to Meridian, working with our officers, and ensuring the crimes our officers are enforcing are being prosecuted is an important step as our community grows,” Simison said.
To go before voters, the levy would first need to be approved by the City Council. The council is scheduled to considered it in public hearings at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jun 17, and Tuesday, June 24, at Meridian City Hall. The public would have the opportunity to weigh in.
The proposed FY 2026 budget needs City Council approval, too, and is expected to be considered in a public hearing scheduled for Aug. 19.
This story was originally published June 5, 2025 at 12:07 PM.
