[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6561433,"mediaKeyId","3290615-3543d6f9bef20df0a6ffdd1b6dac3b16","parentId",3290615,"title","Votes at a glance: Meridian council continues apartment hearing, approves two ordinances","audioSeconds",41,"startMs",2298000,"endMs",2339000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3290615-3543d6f9bef20df0a6ffdd1b6dac3b16&start=2298&end=2339","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3290615-3543d6f9bef20df0a6ffdd1b6dac3b16/thumbnail_2298000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6561433/Meridian/Ada-County/Idaho/Votes-at-a-glance-Meridian-council-continues-apartment-hearing-approves-two-ordinances","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6561433-c1ab057728e040e29a329634cc73c728/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445576&Signature=MUojzTVup024F0E40wOYfmiLDIid1I5w-cs5xmJcjYejMC8CYN~K8Vn~Do5kvxn23kF0BBzPy07DVqKlC-f6~5k02IGUjQKkcRkcEQ9NDRKVUnxHXJ8AYslA~QxEKUM8n0Z1CbV-hVvGips1Oi9zebHP9zbrzrgtWCnOEMxNhmrdSUMJ5aUMHcdqVG6FS3GDN0iE4HjZO9K4atZ1JyKeNH0-LAeq20bRfSbh1OTZYbYsC3--ECsJYYEqAmKGMjZxhlc6dAYBUGerVDxYKX1Zj8vL-epHotxamMjKrQOFOMJU1kWF4itNiEKOAdGrxA7xMPZV0gXPZBKPlxEs0wHXUw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Meridian","date","2025-05-13T23:59:08Z","article","Meridian — The Meridian City Council on May 13 took several procedural and legislative actions: it continued a public hearing on an apartment development to June 3, approved an ordinance rezoning 14.901 acres, and adopted a new parks and recreation code.

Item 15 — continuance of public hearing (H2025-0009): Council voted to continue the public hearing on the Senate Appointment Apartments application (H2025-0009) to the June 3 meeting after the applicant and staff said they were finalizing technical details, including an updated Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) letter about deceleration-lane distance. An applicant representative who appeared online said the ITD letter updated the required deceleration distance along Eagle from roughly 270 to 340 feet and staff said the revised text had not yet been incorporated into the staff report; the applicant said they expect to be ready for June 3. Council moved and seconded the continuance and the motion passed by voice vote.

Item 16 — Ordinance 25-2082 (rezoning): The council approved Ordinance 25-2082, which rezones 14.901 acres of land from R-8 to R-15 in Meridian City Code. The clerk read the ordinance title and Councilman Taylor moved approval; a second was made and the council voted by roll call with all present members recorded as “aye.” The ordinance directs city staff to update official zoning maps and to file copies with Ada County and the Idaho State Tax Commission as required.

Item 17 — Ordinance 25-2083 (parks and recreation code rewrite): The council approved Ordinance 25-2083, which repeals the city’s existing Title 13 (parks and recreation regulations) and adopts a new Title 5 covering parks, recreation and forestry. Councilman Taylor moved approval; the motion carried on a roll-call vote of all ayes.

Other routine business: The council adopted the meeting agenda and approved a consent agenda earlier in the evening; no items were removed from consent.

Votes at a glance (selected items):
- Item 15 — Continue public hearing for H2025-0009 (Senate Appointment Apartments) to June 3, 2025: outcome — continued (voice vote).
- Item 16 — Ordinance 25-2082 (rezoning 14.901 acres R-8 to R-15): outcome — approved (roll-call, all ayes).
- Item 17 — Ordinance 25-2083 (replace Title 13 with new parks/recreation/forestry Title 5): outcome — approved (roll-call, all ayes).

Council and staff indicated the continuance was requested to allow staff and applicant to finalize technical materials and to avoid presenting the community with incomplete information. The ordinances were adopted without substantive debate on the council floor during the May 13 meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Meridian City Council - 5/13/25","oneSentenceSummary","At its May 13 meeting the Meridian City Council continued a public hearing on a proposed apartment project to June 3 and approved two ordinances: a rezoning of 14.901 acres and a rewrite of the city’s parks and recreation code.","taxTitle","Meridian, Ada County, Idaho","taxId",2628,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6561438,"Meridian approves $1.87 million budget amendment to replace aging ladder truck",1680,190000,1870000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3290615-3543d6f9bef20df0a6ffdd1b6dac3b16&start=190&end=1870","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3290615-3543d6f9bef20df0a6ffdd1b6dac3b16/thumbnail_190000.jpg","/articles/6561438/Meridian/Ada-County/Idaho/Meridian-approves-187-million-budget-amendment-to-replace-aging-ladder-truck","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6561438-e3c129d454c10631c12ba5841bdbe713/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445576&Signature=XSGc-k8Rl6jq5UPNBTEwGn9ZKu9gyNVyE2lCC30lng4XYXxGl8eASJLmneO~uKs31s1VqPhUM-Fj8bsErBKJ7v~YMXUGNeh1Ya4lUF8iyHv5ROhuEg~7zvQW92kAKkGbcxVztSVrvpKt2Y5K5f-T2cvZUUnVpy0Lm-ChCXvG0AiYfG9W0HVdLGvv~pY2AUTOaPD0s-khiga6W2VtLlYhT4s1AkuDmAX6aVONJNrOhC05EAncRBb8hy8WPkQ-agpM2fX1IGf1q17vWdXwDoClkRBWdk8WKz413wnM1zmH-5Q5h2UF7gtFGm~he7w~7Ly9xfqMZi3O41Fd8sgU13NKLw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Meridian — The Meridian City Council on May 13 approved a $1,870,000 budget amendment to buy a replacement ladder truck for the Meridian Fire Department after staff described repeated mechanical failures and extended out-of-service time for the department’s reserve apparatus.

Division Chief of Logistics Josh Jansen framed the request to the council, saying the apparatus known in the department as Truck 36 has “exceeded its service life” and had become unreliable despite repeated repairs. Jansen said vendors that service the vehicle advised that future repairs would be temporary and would not restore long-term reliability. “Starfleet said any future repairs would be temporary at best and would not restore liability, reliability, or extend the overall lifespan meaningfully,” Jansen said, and he reported vendor estimates that a full engine rebuild would cost roughly $45,000.

City staff and the fire department presented cost and operational data to justify an immediate purchase rather than further repairs or restoration. From fiscal 2018 through 2025 the vehicle incurred about $208,000 in repair costs, Jansen said; roughly $120,000 of that was in the most recent three-year period. He told the council the reserve ladder truck had been out of service for 197 days in the last 12 months and that on seven occasions when it was pressed into frontline use it became unusable.

Why this matters: the department said those failures cut ladder-truck availability by about 50 percent when frontline units are taken out of service for maintenance or repair. Council members stressed the public-safety implications and the time cost to logistics staff of repeatedly moving and repairing the vehicle.

Alternatives and vendor options discussed included a frame-off restoration quoted at about $1,000,000 with an 18-month timeline that would leave the city without a reserve ladder for roughly a year and a half; buying a newly built truck of the same specification (a multi-year build with a higher price); or purchasing a Pierce “stock unit” that would be available much sooner. Jansen said the stock unit would cut the vendor build time from about 56 months to roughly four to six months and carry a substantial price reduction compared with a custom build. He noted one such stock unit was immediately available from the Pierce dealer.

Council members asked how the proposed truck would differ from Meridian’s existing ladder trucks. Jansen and other department leaders said the recommended stock unit is a “straight stick” aerial without a basket and with one fewer axle; they characterized that configuration as more maneuverable in tight areas and advantageous for certain rescue operations. Councilman Taylor asked whether the absence of a bucket would reduce rescue capability; multiple staff and council members responded that trained crews could perform the department’s expected rescues and that the straight-stick design offered rescue advantages in some scenarios.

Funding and budget process: Council members discussed the timing of the purchase. Councilman Schaer said he would have preferred to wait for the regular budget cycle but called the situation “pressing and urgent.” Staff indicated the amendment as written would use public-safety funds; finance staff later clarified that the city maintains a capital-improvement fund and that the specific fund used can be determined by council direction.

Council action: Councilman Schaer moved to approve the fiscal-year 2025 budget amendment in the amount of $1,870,000 to replace the ladder truck; a second was made and a roll-call vote approved the amendment. The council chair recorded the vote as all ayes and the motion carried.

Next steps: Staff said they can return with operational plans for how the new unit fits into the department’s response model and training schedule. The department also said it could sign to secure the stock unit quickly if the council directed staff to do so.

Sources and quotations in this article come from the May 13, 2025 Meridian City Council meeting transcript and the staff presentation to council.","The Meridian City Council approved a $1,870,000 fiscal-year 2025 budget amendment to buy a replacement ladder truck after the department reported repeated mechanical failures and lengthy downtime for its reserve apparatus.","actionData","errors"]

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Votes at a glance: Meridian council continues apartment hearing, approves two ordinances

Meridian approves $1.87 million budget amendment to replace aging ladder truck