Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Meridian

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
R.H. and Jessie Bell HouseR.H. and Jessie Bell House · Photo: Tamanoeconomico · CC BY-SA 4.0
Town Hall · Meridian

How is Meridian run?

Meridian’s city government spent $90.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $699 per resident. Water and other utilities ($11.5 million) are counted separately.

Election Day

Today

General election in Idaho.

Register or check: vote.gov ↗
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$90.7M
year to September 30, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$699
In 2022: $623, less than 52% of 118 similar cities
Long-term debt
Not reported
end of FY2024, reported
City staff, 2025
624
full-time · 22 part-time · March payroll $4.4M
Typical tax bill
$2,452
0.46% of home value · ID 0.49%

What stands out about how Meridian is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Runs its own water & sewer26% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2024).A shared school districtShares Meridian Joint School District 2 with 2 other towns.Split between districts5 State House and 2 U.S. House districts cover Meridian; your street decides yours.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Meridian’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $699 per resident a year, or $1.92 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 32%.

Where the money comes from
Property taxes 31%Interest, fines & other 25%Fees & charges 18%From the state 9%Other taxes & licenses 7%Utility sales 7%From other local governments 3%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $38.3 million; payments to other governments $715,000. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $141.3 million.
Compared with similar places

$623 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities

Meridian’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($623 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 118 Idaho cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $669, and the middle half spent $339–$898. Meridian spent less than 52% of them.

Middle half of the group, $339–$898Median $669Meridian

Includes sewer and trash ($10.1 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
118

Idaho cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Meridian itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 20% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Meridian reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$75.5 million
2023$86.9 million
2024$90.7 million

Per resident: 2022: $623 · 2023: $690 · 2024: $699. Per resident it went from $623 to $699 (up 12%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 121,182 to 129,736.

City staff
624

full-time in March 2025, up from 506 in 2022.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $2,452 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.46% of the home’s value, vs 0.49% across Idaho.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Eagle$3,351
Boise City$2,883
Meridian$2,452
Idaho$2,038
Kuna$1,991
$2,452
typical bill a year
0.46%
effective rate
$531,600
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Meridian’s rate.

Can I afford it? →

The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Tax bills are one input to Meridian’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Meridian →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Meridian

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

Check Meridian’s own website for current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Meridian yet.
Who works for Meridian

One full-time city employee for every 208 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (129,736).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Police180
Fire146
Administration & buildings79
Parks & libraries50 + 22 pt
Sewer & trash50
Water & other utilities32
Courts, inspections & corrections6
Other81
624
full-time
22
part-time
$4.4M
payroll for March 2025
$52.4M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$83,600
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
137
sworn police officers
126
full-time firefighters
Compared, 2022.Meridian had 4.2 full-time staff per 1,000 residents in March 2022. The median for the 102 of the 118 Idaho cities that don’t run their own schools that reported 2022 staff was 4.8: Meridian had fewer than 55% of them. Same group and year as the budget comparison.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Meridian Joint School District 2

Meridian’s K–12 school district, shared with Eagle, Star. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Meridian →
$9,614
per pupil · ID $11,119
38,991
students
$72.5 million
long-term debt

Of the $9,614 per pupil, $5,691 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 19%State 73%Federal 8%

Idaho districts overall: 21% local, 67% state, 12% federal.

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Meridian’s votes are counted by county

Idaho reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Meridian alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Ada County’s results.

President · Ada County’s results267,419 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican53.8%143,759 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat43.4%116,116 votes

Others: 2.8% (7,544 votes).

Most votes in Ada County: Donald J Trump

Idaho: Trump 66.9%, Harris 30.4%

The county’s page

100% of Meridian lies in Ada County. Every 2024 race in Ada County is on the county’s page.

Ada County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.

Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.

Who represents Meridian

From town hall to Washington

Meridian sends 10 representatives to the Idaho House alone.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Local officials aren’t on record yet.
  2. 2
    Idaho HouseMeridian is split between 5 districts
    James PetzkeJeff EhlersJames HoltzclawJoe PalmerJason MonksJohn Vander WoudeDori HealeySteve BerchJosh TannerTed Hill
  3. 3
    Idaho SenateState senator
    Treg BerntJosh KeyserLori Den HartogCodi GallowayScott Grow
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Brad Little
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseSplit between districts
    Russ FulcherMichael K. Simpson
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Idaho
    Mike CrapoJames E. Risch
Find your state legislators by address ↗Find your House district by ZIP code ↗

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Meridian compares with the towns next door

Meridian spent $623 per resident in 2022; the 3 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $412 to $1,489. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

Boise City: $1,489 per resident (2022)Kuna: $421 per resident (2022)Eagle: $412 per resident (2022)Boise CityKunaEagleMeridian
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Eagle$412$3,351
Kuna$421$1,991
Boise City$1,489$2,883
Meridian$623$2,452

Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).

Reach Meridian’s government

Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.

The Handbook →

Questions about Meridian’s government

How much does Meridian spend per resident?

About $699 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $623 was less than 52% of 118 Idaho cities that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Meridian?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,452 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.46% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.49% across Idaho. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the city’s assessor.

Who runs Meridian’s government?

We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Meridian yet.

How did Meridian vote in 2024?

Idaho counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Meridian alone. Ada County, where 100% of Meridian lies, voted Trump 53.8%, Harris 43.4% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Meridian?

624 full-time and 22 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $4.4M (about $52.4M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.

Who represents Meridian in the state legislature?

Meridian is split among 5 State House districts and 5 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Idaho Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Meridian?

The next posted meeting is City Council on Tuesday, November 3, at 4:30 pm, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Meridian’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →