COMMUNITY MINDED 2018 City of Meridian Annual Report Content 05 Mayor’s Letter 06 City Council 08 Police 10 Fire 12 Public Safety & Training 14 Finance & Records 18 Community Development 20 Public Works 22 Parks & Recreation Engineer Battalion send-off u nn al A R e 8 p 1 3 o 0 r 2 t Mayor’s Letter Have you noticed all of the new hotels that toward the bright, shining city that we are have risen in our city in the past few years? Tru becoming. We can see it in the smiling faces by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton are just of people from all races and backgrounds the latest, with more to come, including the gathering to enjoy festivals, concerts, farmers transformation of the Threefoot Building into markets, and other events. We can hear it in a Courtyard by Marriott. Investors are building the beep of cash registers at new shops and these hotels for one reason: More people are restaurants popping up all over downtown visiting Meridian, for business or pleasure, and elsewhere. and bringing money into our town. We’ve got something going on. And it’s getting noticed. I am an optimist by nature, but I’m also a realist. Many good people are working We’ve created beautiful things, from The MAX for the betterment of Meridian, inside city (Mississippi’s Arts + Entertainment Experience) government and out. Reasoning together. to the Mississippi Children’s Museum to Working together. Growing together. such do-it-ourselves community projects as Jeannie’s Place at Planet Playground. That’s We stride into 2019 with confidence and hope. how we have nurtured our manufacturing Meridian is moving toward a future that will base. That’s how we have become a regional uplift us all. Just ask those hotel guests. center for health care, education, and culture. Sometimes I have to remind myself to lift my gaze from the everyday challenges and look Percy Bland, III Mayor of Meridian u nn al A R e 8 p 1 5 o 0 r 2 t City Council u nn al A R e 8 p 1 6 o 0 r 2 t George Thomas Tyrone Johnson Ward 1 Ward 2 Fannie Johnson Kim Houston Weston Lindeman Ward 3 Ward 4 Ward 5 u nn al A R e 8 p 1 7 o 0 r 2 t Police u nn al A R e 8 p 1 8 o 0 r 2 t Six four-legged recruits and a brush with show business this inspiring young lady to be an “officer” of the Meridian helped highlight a year of continuing to protect our city and to Police Department. build strong relationships with the citizens we serve. Effective policing requires more than just responding to 911 calls. The Meridian Police Department added six K-9s this year. Strengthening the bonds between our officers and the 39,000 Two are single-purpose drug dogs assigned to the criminal people we keep safe makes it easier for us to enforce the law interdiction unit. The other four are multipurpose patrol and can even prevent crimes from happening in the first place. dogs trained to find drugs, track people, clear buildings, and apprehend suspects. Each of the four patrol shifts received a Our officers participated in community events, such as a run to patrol dog. increase breast cancer awareness. They taught adults how to respond to emergencies, such as an “active shooter” situation. The story of Meridian’s Kaydence Patton, the 13-year-old They visited with young adults and children to show that police aspiring actress with a congenital heart condition, delighted officers are their allies and friends. people everywhere, including in our department. Thanks to Make-A-Wish, she traveled to California to play an honorary Those kinds of relationships improve both the Meridian Police officer in the ABC police drama “The Rookie.” We also recruited Department and the community. That’s a win for everyone. u nn al A R e 8 p 1 9 o 0 r 2 t Fire Fire prevention, early fire detection, and fire investigation got lots of attention from the Meridian Fire Department this year as part of our mission of minimizing or eliminating threats from all emergency events directed at any citizen’s life or property. We carried out fire inspections throughout the year (1,875 in the first eight months of the fiscal year alone) and presented dozens of fire prevention programs to hundreds of children and adults. Our fire prevention staff participated in the annual College4Kids program at Meridian Community College, among many other events. We installed more than 550 smoke alarms, provided by the State Fire Marshal’s Office and a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant, in more than 115 homes. We also helped Rush Health Systems with fire extinguisher training for 1,366 adults. Two of our fire prevention specialists completed fire investigator certification training this year, doubling the number of fire investigators in our department to four. We also added new fire investigation technical equipment purchased with a federal grant. New grant-supported firefighting equipment was approved as well. u nn al A R e 8 p 1 10 o 0 r 2 t Throughout the year, we attended career fairs and other community events and conducted tours of our fire stations. Those efforts built ties with the community, educating members of the public about how we do our jobs and how they can help prevent or minimize fires and other emergency situations. In October 2018, the department participated in an emergency action plan training exercise with the Army National Guard and Air National Guard. Members of the Meridian Fire Department also participated in two other events that touched our hearts, for different reasons. For literacy day, we read to students at two elementary schools. And in October, four of us participated in the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation Golf Tournament in Starkville, Mississippi. u nn al A R e 8 p 1 11 o 0 r 2 t Public Safety & Training Immediately after an April 14, 2018, tornado injured two people and damaged houses, apartments, and a school, the Department of Public Safety & Training jumped in. We worked closely with other local and state agencies in a wide-ranging response and recovery effort. That teamwork led to the creation of a long-term community-based group called Partners in Recovery. It has worked to help residents repair their homes and stands ready to assist in future emergencies. The multipurpose Meridian-Lauderdale County Public Safety Training Facility, a major asset for the City and County that gets relatively little public attention, hosted 174 classes this year. Here are some highlights: • A new Mississippi Office of Homeland Security force protection task force of 180 officers from across the state learned overland search and executive protection techniques. u nn al A R e 8 p 1 12 o 0 r 2 t • The Homeland Security Office funded National Association of Search and Rescue training for 40 Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks agents. • And $100,000 from Homeland Security funded structural collapse specialist training. • The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency held four classes. • The Mississippi Air National Guard Fire Department funded specialized urban search and rescue training and firefighter rapid intervention team training. • Throughout the year, we continued routine (but crucial) training for law enforcement and fire personnel. Meridian Public Safety & Training received grants totaling $175,000 from the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security to further statewide response training, especially in search and rescue. The department continues as the designated lead agency in Mississippi for NASAR, the National Association of Search and Rescue. u nn al A R e 8 p 1 13 o 0 r 2 t Finance & Records prepare comprehensive annual financial reports that evidence the spirit of transparency and full disclosure.” Finance & Records proudly follows that guideline in order to best serve the citizens of Meridian. The department also received an unmodified opinion for its comprehensive annual financial report, the best possible assessment. It indicates that the auditors found the report to be a fair representation of the City’s financial position. The Utility Billing Division kept busy, completing 63,579 service orders during the year. Of those, 20,274 were customer requests to turn services on or off, 7,069 involved turning off services for delinquent accounts, and 5,598 involved service restoration for accounts that had been delinquent. To increase efficiency and reliability, the division began a For the 22nd consecutive year, the Finance & Records project at the end of April to install new radio-read meters in Department earned the prestigious Certificate of Achievement place of the old meters that require time-consuming visual for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government reading. Through November 26, 2018, the division installed Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada. 4,337 new meters. As the association says on its website, it established the award The Business Affairs/Purchasing Division processed 6,818 to encourage governments “to go beyond the minimum purchase orders and seven bids, including one reverse auction requirements of generally accepted accounting principles to for asphalt mix. u nn al A R e 8 p 1 14 o 0 r 2 t 20 15 1 rt 8 o A p n e n R u l a 20 16 1 rt 8 o A p n e n R u l a Revenues Licenses & Permits $3,095,000 Intergovernmental $15,265,000 Charges for Services $4,147,250 Police Fines & Forfeitures $1,000,000 Miscellaneous $655,000 Balance at Beginning of Year $2,673,473 Amount Necessary to Be Raised by Tax Levy $ 10,037,248 Total General Fund Available Cash & Anticipated Revenues $36,872,971 Water Fund $14,776,700 Lakeview Golf Course $427,188 Concessions $27,510 Union