When Meridian homeowners open their property tax bills in November, they’ll see an increase of roughly $20 for every $100,000 worth of assessed property value as the city’s public-safety levy takes effect.
The $5 million levy was intended to boost public safety measures in the fast-growing city, including by raising police salaries and retaining more than a dozen firefighters hired under a federal grant. But one of the services voters agreed to fund — the formation of an in-house prosecution unit — isn’t ready to come online. And, thanks to new estimates increasing the price tag of the unit by hundreds of thousands of dollars, it likely won’t be for at least another year.
According to Meridian City Attorney Bill Nary, recent changes to Ada County’s court calendar forced the city to reevaluate how many attorneys it would need to stand up the new office — and end its prosecution contract with Boise after more than two decades…