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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-02-24 Work Session Meridian City Council Work Session February 24, 2026. A Meeting of the Meridian City Council was called to order at 4.32 p.m. Tuesday, February 24, 2026, by Mayor Robert Simison. Members Present: Robert Simison, Luke Cavener, Liz Strader, John Overton, Doug Taylor, Anne Little Roberts and Brian Whitlock. Other Present: Tina Lomeli, Bill Nary, Caleb Hood, Mark Ford and Steve Taulbee. ROLL-CALL ATTENDANCE _X_ Liz Strader X Brian Whitlock _X_Anne Little Roberts X John Overton _X_ Doug Taylor _X_Luke Cavener X Mayor Robert E. Simison Simison: Council, we will call the meeting to order. For the record it is February 24th, 2026, at 4.32 p.m. We will begin this afternoon's work session with roll call attendance. ADOPTION OF AGENDA Simison: Next item up is adoption of the agenda. Overton: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Overton. Overton: No changes to the agenda, I move we approve as published. Little Roberts: Second. Simison: Have a motion and a second to adopt the agenda as published. Is there any discussion? If not, all in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed nay? The ayes have it and the agenda is agreed to. MOTION CARRIED: ALLAYES. CONSENT AGENDA [Action Item] 1. Approve Minutes of the February 10, 2026 City Council Work Session 2. Approve Minutes of the February 10, 2026 City Council Regular Meeting Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 2 of 23 3. Bountiful Commons Subdivision Lot 6 Water Main Easement No. 1 (ESMT-2026-0013) 4. Burnside Ridge Estates No. 1 Water Main Easement "A" (ESMT-2026- 0021) 5. Burnside Ridge Estates No. 1 Sanitary Sewer Easement "A", "B" and "C" (ESMT-2026-0022) 6. McDermott Village Water Main Easement No. 4 (ESMT-2026-0030) 7. McDermott Village Water Main Easement No. 5 (ESMT-2026-0031) 8. McDermott Village Water Main Easement No. 6 (ESMT-2026-0146) 9. Final Plat for Mogul Industrial Park Subdivision No. 2 (FP-2025-0033) By The Land Group, generally located at the northwest corner of Black Cat Rd. and 1-84 10. Final Order for Apex Northwest Subdivision No. 7 (FP-2025-0034) by Brighton Corporation, located at near the northwest corner of S. Locust Grove Rd. and E. Lake Hazel Rd. 11. Development Agreement (Apex Cadence H-2024-0061) Between City of Meridian and SCS Investments LLC, SCSH Properties LLC, and The David & Kristin Turnbull Family Trust Dated August 1, 2006 for Property Located at 6575 S. Locust Grove Rd. 12. Development Agreement (Hill's Century Farm Townhomes H-2024- 0072) Between Brighton Land Holdings LLC, DWT Investments LLC, and Watson Land Holdings LLC for Property Generally Located at the Corner of S. Tavistock Ave. and E. Hill Park St. 13. Resolution No. 26-2569: A Resolution Vacating the North 16.6 Feet of a 26.6-Foot-Wide Public Utility, Drainage, and Irrigation (PUDI) Easement in a Portion of Lot 1, Block 2 of Meridian Place Subdivision No. 1, Being More Particularly Described in Exhibit "A"; and Providing an Effective Date 14. City of Meridian Financial Report - January 2026 Simison: Next up is the Consent Agenda. Overton: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Overton. Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 3 of 23 Overton: There are no changes to the Consent Agenda. I move that we approve the Consent Agenda. For the Mayor to sign and the Clerk to attest. Little Roberts: Second. Simison: Have a motion and a second to approve the Consent Agenda. Is there any discussion? If not, all in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed nay? The ayes have it and the Consent Agenda is agreed to. MOTION CARRIED: ALLAYES. ITEMS MOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA [Action Item] Simison: There are no items moved from the Consent Agenda. DEPARTMENT REPORTS [Action Item] 15. Destination Downtown Discussion Simison: So, we will go on to Department Reports. First item up is Item 15, Destination Downtown discussion and turn this over to Chris. Or Mr. Danley. However you would like to be recognized. Danley: My kids just call me wallet. All right. Mr. Mayor, Council Members. Thank you for having us back. Appreciate it. Appreciate it. Thank you. Okay. And I think Owen Ronchelli is online just to confirm. Yeah. I think so. Okay. Lomeli: Sorry, I don't see Owen online yet. There is a Tom LeClaire. Would that be -- Danley: No. Lomeli: No. Danley: Bear with me just a quick second. Sorry. He should have been on here. Okay. Okay. First and foremost, I think before I jump into the parking discussion I just want to take a quick step back and say a little bit of gratitude -- express some gratitude to you all, because I know last month I was -- you didn't want me here as you were discussing the overlay. It was bad. It was nasty, sick, who knows what -- kids again bringing it home from school. But I know that you all took a bold step with overlay discussion and that is moving forward and just wanted to say thank you for that. It's a -- it's not minimal exercise there and the commitment on behalf of the city is one that's certainly appreciated. So, thank you for that. But today we are going to talk and revisit parking. Do I have -- is this okay or -- I feel like there is a lot of feedback. No? Okay. don't want to yell at you all either, so -- okay. So, we are going to talk about parking. We are going to revisit this at the request of -- of Council. We last discussed this several months ago, but I know that this is one of those that has some -- some -- Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 4 of 23 certainly some complexity to it. It also has some commitments, obviously, for the city staff, budgeting, all of prioritization and that sort of thing. So, that's what we wanted to revisit here today and, then, be able to try to answer any questions. So, I think I have touched on some of these and hopefully we get some potential action steps -- whatever that may end up looking like. I don't know that -- we are not necessarily trying to figure out every detail right now today. As you know there is -- going through, you know, you all, to go through staff, to go through MDC staff and all of those types of things, but, nevertheless, being able to advance this discussion and get us closer to where we need to be. So, I'm going to reset the table just a little bit as a reminder. Not too far back, but at least just some things. I want to start off by -- by letting you know and reminding you that this was one of -- I think this was the only area within Destination Downtown that had its own subgroup. It had its own group of stakeholders that was getting together regularly -- four different times to discuss this particular topic. So, this one was scrutinized and there was a lot of participation in it -- quite a bit from a variety of folks with vested interests on the discussion of parking and so it definitely had -- had a lot more energy. There were six different working papers that were provided by the Rick Williams Associates team on the discussion of parking. Six working papers. Talk about fun; right? So, that really did run the gamut of things from best practices all the way to the specifics of what is happening in downtown Meridian, of course, and, then, getting into the -- the recommendations. Just as also a reminder the -- the team went through your -- your code audit. I think Owen should be joining us now by the way. Went through your code and, again, kind of combed out what made sense, what was maybe some questionable things and, then, some -- based some recommendations there and, then, really got after it and came and spent a lot of time in Meridian on the ground for several days to really just get a sense of what is happening, right, and -- and -- and purposefully at one of the busiest times of the year and there is a science to this. We good? Lomeli: Owen is online now. Danley: All right. Great. Thank you. Okay. Parking goals. So, that subgroup, as I mentioned, got together, worked hard and with the leadership of Owen and Pete and some others had a whole series of goals that were created and you can see what those are on the screen in front of you. But it wasn't just about making sure that everything is -- that there is a parking spot at all times waiting for somebody. It's about making sure that people are welcomed, that it is convenient when as much as possible. That it's obvious through -- in some cases just signage and knowing what the regulations are and what they aren't, where to go, things like that visible and, then, consensus based. So, not just some one-size-fits-all type of an approach that was -- was pulled out from some other city somewhere else. The recommendations, while maybe borrowing some from best practices, were tailored to your needs and also, again, with the -- good oversight and participation from that subcommittee. There is also guiding principles and this is going to come back in a moment as you will see. But this is really, again, sort of the North Star that it is about priority users; right? It's about making sure people who want to shop come in and -- and patron the businesses that we have in downtown and participate in the economic exchange jobs, all the different reasons they want to come Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 5 of 23 into town we -- we provide for the -- the -- that particular group -- that the management is. That's a really key component of parking that if it's just left to its own accord and its own devices, then, you know, it's not going to end up being the most efficient system in the world. On a side note I'm super interested to go out to the mall as you all have seen in the news and see what human behavior does and see who participates in paying 250 an hour to pay -- or to -- to park directly in front of, you know, pick your store versus ten stalls over and says, you know what, we will just walk a little bit farther, because, boy, do we hear that in downtown; right? It's never available and it's like, no, there is one right there. I -- I digress. But point being is that there is a psychology to parking as much as a physical element to it and, then, some of the other guiding principles, again, as you can see. The subgroup, then, really got a chance to see the data. The proof in the pudding; right? And you have heard us say this before, but I think it's worth repeating. will get into some of the findings, but just a reminder what was inventoried. All of these stalls, all of that geographic area was -- was done by foot by a team of people over several days and hours and peak parking times and so forth. That inventory of what the different stalls and where they were comprised, weekday, weekend and what the utilization rates were, because ultimately that's really what it boils down to is how much are these stalls being used and you can see a little bit of a preview from what I'm about to say, but even in the graphics where there is green and where there is red. Typically we know what that means. So, what did they find? They found that there is lots of available parking, but they also found that, yes, in certain blocks and certain block faces at certain times of the day it might be busier than in others. But by and large overall there is a -- a pretty significant amount of parking that is available and not always utilized. So, what were the recommendations based on? They were based on a couple of these -- this second and third bullet, not radical actions. Not a parking garage. Not metering. Not expensive things that have an additional, you know, economic exchange for the stall and the space. A real estate transaction temporarily; right? That's what that all boils down to. Things that you would have to maintain as well. What it did recommend -- organization and management and, basically, some clarifying things, some proactive steps that in some cases are fairly low hanging fruit. Others, yes, a little more difficult, but overall nothing to the level of complexity that you might see in other places because of the availability of the parking that's there and, then, I'm not going to touch on too much more of this. I think I have hit on some of this, but, ultimately, it is this table that boils down all of the recommendations based on those guiding principles, based on the objectives and goals and, then, really gives you a sense of the timing -- the recommended timing. The -- the rough cost estimate, at least kind of broadly speaking, low to high or higher. The degree of effectiveness. So, obviously, some of them are going to be more effective than others, of course, and -- and so forth. So, I'm going to break that table down a little bit, but I mean this is when I'm going to have Owen step in at the conclusion of each of these slide and be able to just kind of walk you through a little more detail and what exactly does that mean. So, the next three slides I just took that big table that's there on the right and just broke it down kind of section by section, if you will. So, what are we looking at? I'm -- first of all, the ones that are on your screen are the near term -- the near term recommendations. So, these are the ones that the team and the subgroup decided these are the ones that you all should consider doing first; right? Then I'm just going to come back in a little bit and you Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 6 of 23 will see the short term, which is, then, the next -- next timetable to intermediate and, then, long term. But I'm not going to hit all of these, I'm just going to hit mostly the -- the near term and a little bit of a short term. So, what does it say? Formalized guiding principles, define parking management, district boundaries, and, then, these two. So, establish an interagency communication protocols and, then, convene the parking subcommittee. So, Owen, this is when I introduce you. The big reveal. Just if you would remind everybody who you are, if you wouldn't mind, and, then, if you can, Owen, touch on a little bit about what is it -- what's required for each of these four on this screen anyway to actually be implemented. Ronchelli: Sure. Yes. Owen Ronchelli with Rick Williams Consulting and we were a part of the data collection process and that -- and the strategy development and also helping -- working with the stakeholder advisory group to come up with those -- the guiding principles and a few other things and so these things were -- were vetted principles that we kind of go through. It's about how -- it's your check and balance system when it comes to parking management and it's about, you know, if they are -- it -- it basically says who do we want to prioritize as a user. That's not to say that not everybody who comes downtown is -- is -- should be a priority, but it's -- if we are limited on the amount of space who do we want to give that space to first and those guiding principles are kind of the foundational elements that we see are -- are super important when you go into any sort of management practice and so I think Chris said that, well, it's -- it's a matter of setting -- these are kind of your cornerstone elements that are needed to launch future parking management and to kind of get your arms around what is needed for -- for setting the stage for future strategy implementation. So, the first one is, you know, formalizing those guiding principles. So, it's kind of adopting what we published in the report for those guiding principles as kind of a baseline element. Then it's managing the boundaries. It's creating a boundary, which is part of the study area and so it's -- we -- we have identified this area as where we want to focus our efforts going forward and so the strategies that we are going to implement are going to be focused on these areas and maybe not the whole -- whole thing, but maybe subsections within it and we kind of think about it like concentric circles, that downtown core is where we want to focus on. That's going to have the highest level of management and, then, stretching further out you will see less management that's required out there and -- and so on and so forth. But we need to put a boundary around it to begin with so we know who we are working with. And, then, finally, one of the things that we found a little interesting was the dynamic between some of the interagency protocols and -- and if there is changes that need to be made for signage or striping who makes those calls. You know, is it -- is it the city? Is it the county? Is it the -- there is another agency involved that's escaping me right now that's also a player in this as well. And so for -- for us we thought it really important to try to understand roles and responsibilities when it comes to that and we will certainly need your help when it comes to that. And, then, finally, just maintaining that -- that -- that subcommittee. They don't have to meet often, but I think that it was a great first step and I think that there -- we really raise their parking IQ and those are really good stakeholders that have a foundation in that downtown, in that management zone, and if we can, you know, convene them once, Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 7 of 23 twice a year, three times a year to have these conversations to keep it rooted, to keep the stakeholders involved, we think it's a really good idea. Danley: What Owen just said is who the heck is ACHD? Ronchelli: Thank you. Thank you. Danley: Don't worry I got you. We talked about the same thing at P&Z in Boise. But it is a complexity and they are a partner, obviously, and -- and that's what we are getting at with the interagency element. And, then, parking IQ. How many of you -- where is your parking IQ? I'm not going to figure out where mine is on -- I'm not going to put it positive either. But, yeah, that's a group that has some momentum at least to an extent, you know, and -- and potentially could be brought back and be instrumental on things like the very first thing, guiding principles. So, next section. Only going to talk one thing here. So, this is just enhancing the information websites. This is just about information exchange; right? Owen, you want to touch on this? Ronchelli: Sure. I think that this is a -- a really important one, because I think it -- what it does is it -- it publicly states your intentions and priorities for your on-street system or your off-street system, too. You know, those combined. And I think it's -- what I think it does is it -- it telegraphs how you would like downtown to be used. I think it communicates well to your business owners, to your visitors who are coming downtown, to employees and, then, to outsiders as well and this says like when you come downtown this is -- this is what we hope you get to -- we hope that you are going to find convenient, well marked, well signed parking that's available to you within a convenient distance of where you want to be and this is how you should use the system and, again, think it should be front and -- and center. As a matter of fact we are working with other communities, too, and just about -- it's about good communication and that's it. And, honestly, if you were to boil all of this information -- all of these strategies down right now it would be focusing on making it clear, convenient and very accessible to visitors, especially folks who are unfamiliar with downtown. Those are the ones who need the most help. We want to be focused on those folks, because they are the ones coming into town. They are the ones spending their money and enjoying their time when they are in Meridian. Danley: Great. And, then, the last section here -- so, these are just listed here. So, time restrictions, making sure that all of those time restrictions that are on those signs are accurate, that they are agreeable and correct and they are placed in the right spots, that sort of thing. And, then, a few other -- reducing the number of no limit stalls, so that that -- again, that's a management of the real estate that we have out there and, again, the -- the consistency anything to add on that -- on those, Owen? Ronchelli: Only that it contributes to that kind of -- that good communication clarity, easy to understand, all the -- the signs are standardized so they look the same, they feel the same, so when you go from one block face to another it doesn't feel like it's -- there is any sort of disconnect, that this is all city authorized parking. You know how Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 8 of 23 long you can stay there, that type of thing. So, it's -- it's just consistency and -- and making sure it's -- it's clear to -- to users. Danley: I'm -- I'm thinking about those good old Internet memes where you see the -- from 7:38 to 8:14 it's this speed and, then, from 9:12 to whatever it's that speed and you see the complicated message that comes about and oftentimes it ends up, you know, getting lost and so the whole point is we don't want residents or -- or employees or anybody to feel like when they come into downtown that somebody's just waiting for a citation to be given; right? We want it to be inviting and clear as much as possible and the relationship with ACHD to ensure that -- that signage is in the right spot and so on and so forth. So, that's really what these near term, you know, recommendations consist of. So, I'm going to real quick just touch on -- on these, but I'm not going to go into all of the level of detail like we just did. But what I'm wondering -- I thought I would bring up this is that if you, as a -- as a Council, as a body, are looking at, well, you know, what do we generally agree with are the -- the initial recommendations, the things that we want to at least sort of, you know, bless so to speak, on moving forward for staff and -- and -- and the committee to get back together, that sort of thing, do we want to look at the next rung of the ladder, which would be the -- the short term, for example, and say, hey, what are those should maybe we think about moving up or not; right? So, just food for thought. I just thought I would -- instead of going for the one that is the most complicated, most expensive, but also recommended as a last step, that doesn't seem to me to make much sense in this meeting today, as opposed to what are at least some of those recommendations that are closer to becoming reality and so that's what these are and I'm -- again, I'm not going to go into every single one of them, but I just wanted to bring those to your attention that there is the next rung on the -- in the plan and that's what these consist of and all of this I should just say, you know, certainly is up for discussion. It's -- it's -- you know, so much of it ends up on your decision desk, so to speak, right, because it even is your staff budgeting and so forth. But just, again, sort of food for thought. So, key considerations. Again timing. The capacity of the city and the staff. What does that look like? You know what that looks like. The department heads know what that looks like far better than we do certainly, especially at this point compared to when these were even made. The order of strategies and -- and maybe even lead agency if you disagree with that. But, ultimately, at this point we would just stand -- Owen told me he would answer all your questions, but we would stand for questions. Want to clarify anything we can go back into some of the specific recommendations should you want to do that, but, really, at this point we turn it over to you and, you know, whatever -- whatever your discussion yields and ultimately through staff and we just would like to try to make sure we -- it's your downtown as much as it is MDC's, of course, and so parking is an important component to it and try to advance this particular topic. We know it's an important one. So, with that stand for questions. Simison: Thank you. Chris, I'm just going to ask maybe a macro question. If you want to -- I think go back to your very first slide. Danley: Yep. On its way. I think that's it. Unless you want the -- the actual -- that one. Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 9 of 23 Simison: No. That's all right. It was the one with your -- basically the inventory that you guys said. I -- I guess my question is -- Danley: Oh. The inventory. Okay. I will get there. Simison: The way you kind of start off with this doesn't really seem like we have a problem. I'm not going to say you can't improve what we have. You know, signage -- there is always ways to improve. How -- how much of a problem is there, maybe if you compare our downtown parking statistics to other communities downtown parking statistics. You know, we go through periods where we hear about challenges, where there is a business in a place and there is enforcement and -- well, I can't get my hair done in two hours. It takes me four hours and we change this. Or, you know, around the post office, but even the post office has gotten better now that they have gone to an off-site parking location. We know Cole Valley is going to relocate and that's where some of these reds are. So, I guess how much -- what's the level of effort to address all of this? Or is there really a level of effort should be done on this much to -- to get to where the problems may really truly be? Danley: Great question. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I'm going to have Owen answer this in -- in just a second, but before I turn it over to him my response to that is going to be a few fold. First and foremost from what I know, my parking IQ, if we will call it that, is that this is a little like surfing. If I wait to the top of the wave I'm not going to catch it. So, I'm trying to prevent from losing that wave and getting out in front of it. As development continues to occur, whether it's in downtown or even surrounding it, and more and more appeal of downtown continues to grow, this issue will only continue to manifest and further and further. So, if we don't take proactive actions, then, I'm -- I don't want us to get on top of that wave as a -- as opposed to in front of it. That's part of my first answer. Secondly, I think that even -- even as described and as you noted, Mayor, that we might not have some robust parking issue at the moment. However, if we can make it even better by clarifying the message, allowing staff's job to maybe be a little bit easier, because the enforcement component is easier because the clarity is there; right? There is lots of advantages to even some of the more fundamental things. Again signage and -- and just ensuring consistency, going beyond just the physical stall. Sometimes some of it can be operational, even behavioral benefits to the businesses and seasonality and those types of things. So, I think there is a lot of components to it. You are -- you are correct, again, you don't have some massive problem, but there are hot spots and we know that the -- the utilization of parking is going to grow, because Meridian has a growing robust downtown that's only going to become more appealing. We know the energy with the buildings across the street and it's only going to, you know, really increase. So, Owen, did you have anything you want to add to that? Simison: Owen, before you do -- Danley- Oops. Sorry. Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 10 of 23 Simison: Because I think the part of -- you -- you kind of hit to where I was going towards -- Danley: Yeah. Simison: -- or should we be more -- more focused on making sure the wave doesn't crash over us as development occurs. Are we putting more of our time and resources into how to address what might be coming in areas, compared to looking at the larger component? And, so, Owen, you can use that as part of your -- Ronchelli: Sure. Sure. Thank you, Mayor. I -- I like the -- the wave analogy. What -- what I like to say is that parking management it is on a big arc and so there is all degrees of parking management and -- and it can -- it can be very broad and robust, but think where I would say, yes, I would -- the quick answer is I would say you don't have a parking problem. However, there are areas of constraint on certain block faces at certain times of the day. Your evening hours, especially on the -- the weekends, they cook. I mean you -- a lot of people want to come downtown and hang out. There is a -- there is lots of good restaurants and places to enjoy themselves and -- and that was outside of the data collection hours, but that's when we noticed the -- the highest impact around the noontime hour, but, then, also in the evening hours, too. And I would say that you are at a base level of management that we would like to see, you know, that -- that's a -- we think that this is an easy first step, meaning that it's -- it's more about creating order and clarity and I -- and I do think that you should be cognizant of what's coming down the pike and knowing how you want to position yourself when some of these projects come online and I think you can do it in a way where it can be advantageous to the city as well, knowing that some of these bigger developments will have excess parking during the work day there is an opportunity for shared use in some of these facilities that will be underutilized during the day, because people are leaving, assuming it's a residential development, they will be leaving during the day. Some of those spaces could be used by employees -- for downtown, employees a small number of them, but that is a great way of saving money, using resources that are available to you and you can, you know, enter into these partnerships between public and private operators and so we feel that that's a very cost-effective way to manage parking when -- so you are not taking up those on-street spaces by employees over long periods that are never going to turn over. So, I think that there is lots of opportunity here, but this is what I would consider, you know, your first couple of steps into that -- that parking management arc that I'm talking about. Simison: Council, questions, comments? Councilman Taylor. Taylor: Thank you, Mayor. Chris, thanks for being back here so many times and for your work. I think it's helpful to -- to kind of be spurring us to think about this sort of from a big picture, but also identifying where sort of the smarter areas to start with this. I do agree that we -- sort of having an ongoing active intentional effort here over the coming years would -- is -- is helpful. So, I do have a couple of quick questions and forgive me if I have read this in your previous -- many of the subcommittee working papers you Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 11 of 23 have put forward there is -- there was a lot there. When I initially looked at this I was overwhelmed. Just this is -- Danley: Parking plan itself you mean or -- Taylor: Yeah. Danley: Oh, it's a lot. Taylor: That and, then, you throw in the whole Destination Downtown plan. It's -- it's a lot to consider in what comes first, what -- what should be the order of operation. So, appreciate how you have recommended laying that out. With the parking subcommittee are you recommending that the city have a subcommittee that meets regularly with our partner agencies -- MDC; right? How often would you recommend that group meet? Is that -- did I hear you say like twice a year maybe or -- is it a quarterly meeting? What would you -- because we have a transportation committee, we have others that do meet, but how -- tell me what would be an effective use of our time with that. Not to -- don't think we need to meet too much, but give me a sense what you are actually recommending with that subcommittee and how that would work. Danley: Mr. Mayor and -- and Councilman Taylor, I think I'm going to have Owen answer that. My -- I want to make sure our answers don't differentiate too much. Owen, what are your thoughts on that? Ronchelli: Well, I -- I think it will -- I almost call these like an -- it's almost an ad hoc group, meaning that, you know, you could do -- I would start with two to three times a year at least initially. But if you plan on trying to implement some of these strategies think that you could do far more frequently, because there is -- there is fodder to discuss and say like, well, where should we do the signage? What should the signage look like? That type of thing. Or, you know, if we are going to do a half time person out here, whether they are a greeter or an enforcement officer, you know, what does that person look like? How do we address them, you know, that type of thing. I -- I think it could be more frequent. It could be -- if you decide that you want to take this on and -- and you want to ramp up, this could be every other month. But I would say to begin with maybe two to three times a year and -- because what you want to do is you want to be them -- you want them to be familiar with themselves. You want them to keep up that parking IQ. And, then, the hope would be is that you are doing periodic data collection efforts that you can bring back data for them to -- to review and digest and say, hey, do we need to do something different or are we on the right track? And so it's kind of a check and balance sort of thing and -- and that's a good group to do it with. Danley: Plus there is buy in. I would just add that, you know, having a committee that has some skin in the game -- frankly, it means that it's not all up to you all; right? I don't think you want to get into that level of detail all the time and this would be a group that knows downtown, has various interests, economic, residential, whatever those might be, you know, and -- and knows this particular part of Meridian like the back of their Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 12 of 23 hand or maybe you even have a Council Member that's dedicated to be on that committee as well; right? I don't mean -- whatever the -- whatever the construction of it is, but -- yeah. Taylor: Mr. Mayor, follow up? Simison: Councilman Taylor. Taylor: So, clearly whatever the parking strategies we want to pursue as a city need to be led by the city. I see on here a website signage, things like that. Are you recommending that in any way -- and, again, forgive me if I have just forgotten. Certainly the city would bear some of these costs. Or would we -- are you suggesting maybe the city -- they take the lead, they bear the cost of main -- you know, for example, a website, is that a city website? Is that a website created independently? Maybe it's connected with MDC. Because here we have, you know, the uniqueness of ACHD who manages the roads. We have got to work with them. You have MDC, which has a big footprint in downtown. The City Council. How do you recommend those entities work in terms of -- I think the city is the lead, but who helps pay for it? Who helps manage it? Because I can see all these different entities being part of a subcommittee or a working group that meets regularly, which I actually would be a proponent of that. I think that helps to kind of have a -- people meeting and working, but can you break down sort of your -- your thinking or suggestions on lead agencies, cost, how that's borne out? Do we have to just come up with cost-sharing agreements? What -- what's your thought? Danley: Mr. Mayor and Councilman Taylor, I think that my answer is going to be -- I'm going to commit all of MDC's budget -- no? Okay. Taylor: Okay. Danley: No? I mean I don't know if you have an answer that you want to add, Ashley, but this is one of those where I would agree that there is clearly a partnership role to be played when it comes to the downtown parking element of things and so -- go ahead. Squyres: Good evening. Nice to see you all. Sorry, I'm a little hoarse today. In the past MDC has had committees for parking. We have been the one who has taken the lead, particularly when it comes to costs and also website. Also the branding, for example, and signage as well. We have taken that on. I would imagine we would at least be an equal partner to the city moving forward. That is something that we could still take on to relieve the staff, just knowing that staff is overloaded in a lot of instances as well. I'm sure that would be a really healthy discussion to have with our board. But that is how we have handled it in the past. Taylor: Thank you. Actually, Mr. Mayor, just one more follow-up question for Chris. Simison: Councilman Taylor. Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 13 of 23 Taylor: So, again, I -- I appreciate the -- the red outlines of what seems to be things to tackle now and I -- looking at it I don't necessarily think I disagree with any of it and, then, I look at sort of the next evolution, which is some of the short term things to look at. And, of course, it's laid out such and -- it seems like some of the immediate stuff is easily attainable. It seems like it makes some sense. But I also look at this matrix and I see the other things that are maybe more often the horizon, maybe more cost prohibitive. Some of those things I'm not sure I agree with period; right? So, I guess the question would be -- when you are looking for the feedback from the city I think we as a city could take some of your things here and say let's start working on those things. There is things in your recommendation that I don't know that I would support. I don't know whether the rest of the Council would support. When we are giving feedback to -- to you on this and there is things where we are just like that's too much hypothetical or in the future too cost prohibitive, do you want us to weigh in and say I don't -- I think you should take that out of your matrix or is there -- I'm just trying to figure out how we would actually give you specific feedback that it's acceptable. I like that it's still there. Like we should be thinking about it. It's okay that it's an option. But we just might not agree on it. it might be too much in the -- in the distant future. How -- how would you like us to provide this specific feedback on some of that? Danley: Yeah. Great question. So, Mr. Mayor and Councilman Taylor, absolutely, this is -- number one this whole document it's a -- it's a plan and it is sort of illustrative of a recommended approach; right? But it also -- is also draft. But at the end of the day a good amount of this is in your court to implement how you want to see fit or how you see fit. So, my answer to that question would be I don't think that we necessarily need to go in and make wholesale changes to things, because this -- how this looks now isn't necessarily how the action that you are going to take in two, three, five, right, years from now is going to be. My one thing I will tell you, though, is that I think that it makes sense that this -- agreeing to this is -- is a commitment; right? So, if there are some things in here that are in your mind sort of dead on arrival and you as a group really feel strongly about that, particularly if it's something that the City of Meridian is being asked to potentially implement, well, then, that's a nonstarter and there is no real sense in it being, you know, in -- in the document, even if it's more for illustrative purposes. So, that would be the one thing I would say is probably the caveat is just if there is something in here that you feel incredibly strongly about that just shouldn't be in here, then, there is no sense in -- in moving that forward. I know that when I was here last time -- I just want to clarify something if I can. I know one of the subjects that came up was the residential parking permit discussion and I know that that was a bit of concern. just wanted to make sure to remind you all, though, that in the recommendations -- in the body of that report it does go on to say that this isn't just going to be a 51 to 49 vote of the residents, it is something that has to be agreed upon by the neighborhood. So, it's not something that's forced on them. It is something that they adopt because they are trying to preserve their own sort of on-street parking if you will, because of maybe the encroachment that might -- they might be feeling. So, that might be just one of the things I know given the last conversation that we had might be one of the things that was of concern. I don't know if -- Owen, if you have anything to add on any of that you are certainly welcome to. Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 14 of 23 Ronchelli: Sure. I will -- I will -- I will jump in at the end and, then, I will go back to earlier. But, yeah, as far as the residential parking permit program, this is something that residents would initiate themselves. It's -- it's pure -- that -- the strategy that's recommended in here is just to create a policy and it -- it is not something that would ever get implemented. As a matter of fact, there is -- there are a number of communities out there that have a policy on the books for how you would go about creating one, but they have never done it. I mean it's -- but the tool is there. It's -- it's -- it's to say that if the time -- when the time comes or if the time comes there is a tool that residents can say, hey, in my neighborhood we are getting a lot of employees who are coming and parking in front of our house and I can't even get into my own driveway. That is when they go and start talking to their neighbors and say, hey, would you be willing to consider a -- a parking permit program? And, then, they would come to the city and say, hey, we have got an issue and we know that you have a policy on the books, we would love to try to implement something like that here, how do we go about doing it? And, then, that's how they would take it from there. In terms of -- in terms of strategies and this -- this whole -- this -- this list of things and when they are to be implemented and if there are nonstarters in here, the way that I would, you know, look at this is all of these things are tools that can be used and applied and -- and some -- some are -- you are -- you are not ready for, some -- some of you might disagree with and -- and that's fine and I think direction from Council can say, hey, these are some of the things that we want to prioritize, what would be -- and, then, you -- you talk to staff about it and say what are some of the things that we -- that you think that you can implement here? These are the things that Council is thinking that we would want to prioritize to begin with and -- and you -- and you go from there and you can -- it's a pick and choose. Some work well together. If you look at that -- that far right column over there it says correlated strategy implementation. Those are the things that some of them pair well together and -- so that's kind of a -- a cheat code, so to speak, about how you would -- if you implement one they go well together or they can -- they can improve their effectiveness if you implement a couple of them at the same time. Danley: And I would just put a bow on that, because I would suggest that, for example, comprehensive plans do the same thing. We have a comprehensive plan that -- that is a robust document. It's a guiding document that is to last ten to 15 years and we have long-term goals just as much as near-term goals and at first when we put those long- term goals on we are committed, we are thinking, yeah, that's something that we want to work on, but it's not going to be our top priority. But, then, ten years later the comp plan needs to be updated and it is and, then, that thing might move forward, it might even move out. You know, it's -- so, it's just it -- it is the kind of things that are iterative in that regard. Overton: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Overton. Overton: Chris, Ashley, Owen, I want to thank you all of MDC for the work you have put in on this. I know I was kind of critical at the beginning. Mentioned how long this has Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 15 of 23 been going on. Shoot, it had to be between ten and 15 years ago Ashley and I sat on parking subcommittees as we looked at some of these exact same issues, which came first the parking garage or the downtown businesses that requested that we needed more parking and here we sit now and the map that is mostly all green, it is great that it shows us that we have that much available parking, but I think our goal is to turn it red to show that downtown is successful. I mean I hate to say it, but that's our goal; right? To see downtown become very successful in how it brings people down for the restaurants and the businesses. A lot of what you have stated here is -- is great stuff. I mean it's -- it's -- you are -- you are walking on paths that we have walked on before and doing it in a much more formal fashion. We have needed consistency in our parking program, what our signs say, what areas we put them into the downtown, but we have to do it in such a way -- and remember that we are -- if we are only focused on people coming to visit the restaurants and stores we can't forget the employees of those downtown businesses and restaurants and where they have got to park and so I think it's imperative that we have a very active focus group on parking that brings all those elements in from employers that employ people in daytime to employers that employ people at night, so that we know what the effects are on both the -- the businesses and their employees, as well as on their customers and there is another part of this that -- that's always been out there and kind of ringing in my ears and that has to do with funding and enforcement, because right now we use code enforcement officers to handle parking. But if you look at a job description of a code enforcement officer that's just one of a long list of things they are in charge of and the more we look at expanding this and -- and the expectation that our enforcement is going to be much more consistent and -- by the hour we are going to need to look at biting a bigger bullet on what that's going to cost in personnel wages to do parking enforcement right. Nothing worries me more than getting a great policy in place, putting the signs up, getting everything done and, then, disappointing those downtown residents, businesses and -- and everyone else because we don't have the manpower to enforce it consistently and I think we need to make sure that as we do this we are always thinking about how that aspect as we get busier and bigger is going to be adopted by our city, how we are going to embrace it, because, eventually, we are going to need our own parking enforcement section. Danley: And -- and, Mr. Mayor and -- and Councilman Overton, I'm -- I'm an Anaheim Angels fan. Anytime you want tickets they are abundant. You know why? They are not a good team; right? Point being is you stated that beautifully and thank you for contributing that, because you are absolutely right, we don't necessarily want the map to constantly be green everywhere at every time and, in fact -- Owen, I need you to step in on, because I can't remember the statistic, but I know if you look at this graphic, that yellow line that shows the efficiency -- the efficient supply between 70 and 84 percent -- somewhere in there -- I think it's 80'ish percent, give or take, this parking plan -- the parking study talks about that very thing, that that is actually the measure of a healthy supply of parking. It's not over parked, it's not under parked, but it addresses the needs in a healthy way. Owen, I think -- I don't know if you have anything to add on that. Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 16 of 23 Ronchelli: Sure. Yeah. I mean that's exactly right. It's -- you know, you are -- and -- and, Council -- Councilman Overton said it -- said it well it's like we -- you know, you kind of want a parking problem, you know, that's -- that's the -- that is -- that is a sign of a bustling, busy, active, vibrant downtown and the sweet spot is kind of between that 70 and 84 percent -- it's that orange color is kind of what you want. So, parking is available. There is like -- if you were to look at a particular block face that means like if you have ten spaces three of them are available. That's -- that's kind of a sweet spot that you kind of want and, yeah, you use these -- these occupancy thresholds to determine, you know, do we need to go further with our strategy, do we need to back off, that type of thing to determine like the -- how -- how we really want our downtown to perform and so, yes, there is going to be peaks and valleys for sure, but I would say that businesses will also want to locate in areas that are busy and bustling and so the more that you can do that -- we used to take pedestrian counts on corners, need to stand by with a little clicker and you would count people and now they have got technology that will do that for you. But we -- we would go out and -- and we would have these counts and that's a great way of promoting how many people are walking on a sidewalk and businesses love that information, because that's exactly where they want to locate is where all those people are crossing the street and walking down the sidewalk and yellow and orange will get you there. Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: Thanks, Mr. Mayor. I mean the good news is -- like based on the study it -- it's not -- it's important, but it's not an urgent like burning situation. So, we have time. I guess if I look at your list of kind of immediate action items, you know, one of the things that's kind of coming up for me is a little bit of a chicken and an egg thing. It's like does it make more sense to formalize these guiding principles and like define these boundaries and, then, ask this parking subcommittee to keep meeting or does it make more sense to like formalize a subcommittee within our Transportation Commission, add stakeholders to that and, then, have that group come back with their agreement, disagreement or maybe more immediate recommendations? Because like I would like for that group to have a lot of buy-in on the guiding principles. I would like for that group to help weigh in on the boundaries. It -- it feels to me like maybe the -- the logical first step is sort of setting up -- setting up a -- a parking committee that could be a subcommittee within our transportation group with additional stakeholders. That's kind of what I'm thinking. But I -- you know, I'm open. I'm just kind of kicking around in my head how do we get this off the ground in a way that's sustainable. We have already the infrastructure in place with our Transportation Commission that they come to us regularly, for example, with our five-year work plan with ACHD and other things. So, I'm just kind of wondering if we can fold that in under that group's leadership or does this truly need to be a separate group? And I would love your opinion on that. Danley: Yeah. Mr. Mayor and Councilman Strader. So, I think that Owen mentioned, you know -- and kind of the -- the -- the term of the evening, the parking IQ. I will just lean on that and I -- I guess my recommendation would be that the group who talks about this issue needs to understand the parking dynamics in downtown. That's not to Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 17 of 23 suggest that the folks that are on your Transportation Committee or Commission, I can't remember what the term is, aren't necessarily that, but it is to say that the folks who were involved in this were most definitely brought up to speed or knew this subject and have buy-in and a knowledge base that's really found -- foundational and has momentum. So, whatever the ultimate decision is I -- I think to me I would land -- recommending, anyway, that as many of those folks who were on that -- that group and want to participate, again, that can be brought back in I -- I would lean on that. Now, if they are a subcommittee that has additional appointed members or something like that, that -- that's up for you all, you know, to hash out and to decide, but it seems to me like there is a lot of knowledge, there is a lot of consideration and buy-in that that group had with regards to these recommendations, looking at the working papers and the -- the -- the large amount of documentation that went into it and so it -- it just seems like that would be a place and a group of people who care about this issue who want to, you know, roll up their sleeves and get after it and I think would have the topic certainly in the palm of their hand in terms of knowledge and -- and interest. Little Roberts: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Little Roberts. Little Roberts: Mr. Mayor. Chris, thank you so much. This is great information. I was heavily involved when -- years ago -- not to give anybody nightmares again -- when we did the split corridor and the website -- and I think ACHD did it -- Ashley, correct me if I'm wrong -- but that thing was a lifesaver and I know from your inventory it definitely looks like we are more blessed than I realized we were with parking, but we still have a perception of a parking problem and I think that having a website and having things marked would really help with that, because we had 42 businesses that it was our goal to make sure they didn't go out of business during the split corridor and we only lost one and having signage, which was all temporary, as well as the website, was huge in that. So, I'm very encouraged about having a website that -- and I guess my question would be is has the Chamber -- because at that point of the split corridor we had a Downtown Business Association, but that's been folded into the Chamber. Has the Chamber and that group been involved with this at all? Danley: So, Mr. Mayor and Councilman Little Roberts, I -- Owen, I don't recall the composition of the subgroup. Did we have anybody from -- we did? Yeah. Ronchelli: There was a Chamber member. Yeah. Danley: It was Shaun I think or -- yeah. Okay. So -- so, we did have representation on the Chamber and it -- and, again, I think to the question earlier from Commissioner -- or Councilman Taylor about, you know, partnership, obviously, your Chamber has a vested interest in the economic activities of downtown and so, again, there is another partner that is pulling that same rope in your direction and, then, one more thing if I can -- I think because it's related to the -- the question that Commissioner -- Commissioner -- Councilman Strader had as well, which is where do we start and I think if nothing else I Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 18 of 23 think what we have really taken out of this -- and I think Owen would -- would probably agree -- give him a chance in a moment -- but it really comes down to that first step being about those -- what is the guiding -- what are those guiding principles? Do we agree with them? What does the organizational element of this look like? What is the -- is the messaging clear? Is it accurate? Is it -- is it seen? You know, is it known. Is -- in other words, is -- and is everybody on the same page and just making sure that that first step is probably one of the most important ones, because that's where you find you will get some cleanup, right, and recognizing, oh, man this is off a little bit over here or that or perception issues that might exist and maybe even among staff about how this block versus that block, you know, is handled or what have you or even among the business community and they might not even know certain regulations that are in place or not in place and -- and so just taking that first step at organizing and making that message clear and getting a -- a vested interest in their -- you know, altogether is a major step forward. The rest of it I think will be -- again sort of iterative as we go. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: What kind of city representation did you have on your parking subcommittee to date? Danley: Owen, do you remember who was all from the city? I think you had some staff. don't remember if there was any -- I don't think any of the Council Members were there, though. Ronchelli: I -- I -- I -- Donley: Maybe they were. Ask Ashley about this question. Sorry. Ronchelli: Okay. Great. Danley: Sorry. Squyres: Council Woman Strader, we had Councilman Overton at that time. Also Council Woman Perreault and Caleb and Brian from Planning and Development. Danley: Thank you. Strader: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Council Woman Strader. Strader: Yeah. I guess kind of where I'm going with it is -- I'm trying to think about how we would go about making this parking subcommittee kind of a permanent feature of our city's like commissions. Like that -- that's kind of where I have been going with it. I Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 19 of 23 think there is a level of ownership that the city needs to take in all of these decisions and especially where it looks like we are going to be funding at least half if not more of all of these different strategies. That's kind of where I'm going with it of where should this live organizationally? Who should they report to and how often? That -- that's just kind of where I'm stuck right now. But I think that's really important, because I -- I think that's the infrastructure that we need to finalize in order to actually start taking action steps and be comfortable with, okay, these are the permanent members of this committee. We feel like we have representation from different constituent groups that's adequate and that we have a level of control as a city over what that organization looks like and how often they report to us. That -- that's -- I -- I don't mean I have the right answers, I don't know that it has to be within the Transportation Commission, that's just kind of where I started logically. But it feels like that's kind of where it needs to go. There needs to be some kind of a more permanent structure to this group that -- that could, you know, kind of walk through this with us, because this is clearly not -- this is not an hour long conversation, it -- it -- it's setting up the infrastructure and the governance for an ongoing conversation that's going to evolve over the next ten plus years. Simison: Maybe just to help piggyback on some of that. I'm not going to say this is the answer, but, you know, we have a UDC focus group. We -- we -- we regularly have outside groups that are not formal commissions that bring forward recommendations for consideration by Planning and Zoning and Council. So, I think that we can address the mechanism and that -- that focus group could have parts of the Transportation Commission incorporated into it. So, I -- I think we can find that mechanism without too much of a problem. But your larger comment I think is -- and I appreciate what Ashley said earlier, but this is a city issue moving forward. You know, the Urban Renewal District expires in ten months and, you know, most of the properties in downtown are not going to be under an umbrella of a -- an urban URD. So, I do think these are -- I mean our direction. However, we also have a -- a partner in ACHD that has to be brought into this conversation. I know that there -- I don't know off the top of my head what agreements currently exist about what rights and authorities we have to make decisions ourselves that ACHD has given to us, especially in a right of way and those -- those may need to be reevaluated and reconstituted. So, there is -- there is work to be done one way or the other on all these issues, even just to set up the framework for however that's going to exist. Taylor: Yeah. Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Taylor. Taylor: I think this is all really helpful discussion and both Councilman Overton and Council Woman Strader helped me kind of refine what I was thinking when I was initially asking about a subcommittee or group or what that looks like. I agree that we need some kind of entity that exists outside of this body here to spend a little more time, but not just to kick it off, it seems like it needs to be an advisory body to us to -- what do we need to do now to get started, what's the structure organization and, then, as we move Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 20 of 23 along what's the next step and, then, what's the next step and as we see projects, right, which we hope across the road is successful, how does that change things? We are going to need this continual advising of the city. I also agree with the Mayor that we have to own this now as a city; right? So, we need to sort of decide how this is going to work best for us and include MDC, ACHD, others as -- as partners, stakeholders in downtown, the -- the Chamber of Commerce I think all need to be part of the conversation, whatever that looks like, if it's a subcommittee of the Transportation or if it's an advisory, I don't -- I'm not sure that I particularly have an opinion, but I'm -- I agree with the Mayor it doesn't seem like it's terribly hard to setup. But I do want them to grapple with this and, then, advise us on -- on how to do that. But I do think it needs to be sort of a -- something that we set up that doesn't have an expiration date that it's going to always be there and meeting regularly to advise us, because this is an evolving issue, especially as the downtown evolves. Overton: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Overton. Overton: Just a quick one to tap right on to what Councilman Taylor just said. When we did it this last time we had two Council Members and we had two members from planning and what struck me as what was missing was what we had ten, 15 years ago, which was -- we need a representative from the Police Department that represents the code enforcement, the enforcement side, what our capabilities are, so as we are moving forward and discussing what we are doing we also understand what our limitations are and what we are dealing with to handle these situations. Otherwise, we can end up saying we want to do something and, then, not realizing that committee doesn't have the manpower to make it happen. So, I would rather see maybe one City Council Member on that and a member from the Police Department representing our enforcement ability for parking moving forward. Simison: Council, any other comments at this time on this item? Okay. Thank you, Chris. Danley: Thank you. Simison: Ashley. Dan, for being here. Caleb. Dave. I'm sure you each heard different things that you liked and disliked in this conversation. So, we look forward to those next conversations on this, so -- Danley: Right. Thank you all. Simison: Thank you. And you, too, Owen. Appreciate you being online. Ronchelli: Yeah. Thank you very much. Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 21 of 23 16. 2026-2030 Strategic Plan Adoption Discussion Simison: Okay. Council, with that we will move on to Item 16, which is the 2026-2030 street plan -- it says adoption discussion, but it's really review of the items that were last presented. I don't think we are talking adoption. Mr. Miles. Miles: Good evening, everyone. Slideshow up. Again, as the Mayor alluded to, this is really more informal discussion, feedback from you all, run through quick slides. Many of them have not changed from three weeks ago. Still the same intent. You will see there are still the focus areas up there, but primarily what we are focused on today are the goals. But we will run through -- Simison: The -- in -- in -- in the essence of time can we just go to the proposed changes that were recommended, unless people want to go and talk back about other things. At least go to those items, because those were the highlight items. My understanding is there was no feedback, additional comments from Council, unless something came in after you and I met yesterday. Miles: Mr. Mayor, that's correct. Simison: So, we can at least start here and, then, we can talk about anything else that people would like to talk about on that, so they can prepare. Miles: What's highlighted there are the two changes that we heard from the last discussion back in the business economic vitality section, two minor changes really. Number 2 was taking out that concept of sort of making miracles and making memories. So, we adjusted the words there. And, then, in number four there was the conversation about the heart of healthcare or a hub or driving forces is the words that are on the paper right now. I think it's open for discussion and feedback from you all on how that resonates with you, as well as all the other goals. I'm happy to talk about those as well. Simison: So, Council, any thoughts on these changes pro or con? Whitlock: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Mr. Healthcare Whitlock. Whitlock: I'm -- I'm going to flip back to where we were before the last conversation and that -- I think Councilman Taylor was the one that recommended heart of healthcare and last dis -- yes, you were. In last discussion I think Council Woman Strader liked the -- the imagery of that. Driving force doesn't really work for me, but I would just toss that back out and just say I -- I mean we are Meridian. We are the center of the Treasure Valley. It's the heart of a lot of things in the valley. You got to go right through us to get anywhere else and why not be the heart of -- of healthcare. So, I would just throw that -- open that back up for consideration. Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 22 of 23 Simison: Okay. I would concur with that. This is -- those were almost my exact words to Dave directly when I saw this, but I thought that was where there was a general alignment was more around heart than anything else. Dissenters? Whitlock: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Taylor. Taylor: I don't particularly have super strong feelings about it. I don't recall myself advocating for the heart of healthcare, but good communications, professional like Mr. Whitlock, I'm going to lean on his expertise. I liked driving force. But I don't know that I have super strong feelings. The point of it is we want to position the City of Meridian as a focal point, right, for a place where people have good jobs, but also this forward thinking innovative approach. So, I -- I like the -- the suggestions. I'm not going to stand in the way of anything going back to where it was. Simison: So, you like the number two change as well? I -- I'm -- I see a majority head nods on that -- those items. Miles: Mr. Mayor, Council, any other feedback on any of the others? Again, I hadn't had responses back from you via e-mail. This is intended to be open discussion. I know we are a little backed up again some time, but we are here for you. Happy to have that discussion. Simison: Seeing no one looking more, I think that we can finalize these and -- well, you take it from here. Miles: Yep. So, the intention would be come back next week, hopefully adopt these focus areas and the goals and certainly to work from the departments will continue on and tactics through the month of March and we will evaluate with the Mayor and Council President as to what cadence and report out looks like beyond that, certainly with feedback and appreciate the work. Really appreciate having you all in the room to go over the work goals with our consultant and thought it was a good -- good exercise and good product and good outcome. Simison: And, Council, you should be engaging with your departments as liaison on the tactics as they are developed, so be on the lookout for those conversations in March, potentially into April, and we will see how they go. I have -- I have tried to give everyone a draft going into the month of March, so that we can move this as quickly as we can, but want to make sure we get the right stuff, too, and engagement from you all on those items, so -- okay. Miles: Thank you all. Simison: Thanks, Dave. Thanks, Lee. Okay. With that we are at the end of our agenda. Meridian City Council Work Session February 24,2026 Page 23 of 23 Overton: Mr. Mayor? Simison: Councilman Overton. Overton: Move that we adjourn the workshop. Little Roberts: Second. Simison: Motion and second to adjourn the workshop. All in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed nay? The ayes have it. We are adjourned. MOTION CARRIED: ALLAYES. MEETING ADJOURNED AT 5:39 P.M. (AUDIO RECORDING ON FILE OF THESE PROCEEDINGS) 3 / 10 2026 MAYOR ROBERT SIMISON DATE APPROVED ATTEST: CHRIS JOHNSON - CITY CLERK