Meridian City Council - 7/21/26

The City of Meridian held a council meeting on July 21, 2026, which included several procurement and budget-related discussions. The council approved the amended fiscal year 2026 revenues and expenditures totaling approximately $250.36 million and gave tentative approval to the fiscal year 2027 proposed budget of about $224.44 million. They also declared intent to take the foregone amount of $536,339 for the 2027 budget. Additionally, the council reviewed and approved a conditional use permit and development agreement modification for a new 10,000 square foot office building with an animal care facility, including site and operational conditions. A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to a detailed presentation and discussion on the procurement and use of Axon automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) technology by the Meridian Police Department. The presentation covered data ownership, privacy safeguards, security certifications, audit processes, and contract details, including that the department has about 85 months remaining on its contract with Axon. Council members expressed interest in enhanced random auditing functions and public transparency measures for ALPR data use. The meeting concluded with motions to enter executive session.