Last fall, the City of Meridian rolled out the first season of our first ever podcast series, myMERIDIAN. That first season, a collection of episodes called “City 101”, offered listeners a behind-the-scenes look at how our local government functions by featuring interviews with the leaders of the various departments in the City of Meridian. Since the podcast’s debut in September 2022, “City 101” episodes have been downloaded more than 3,000 times. I know, based on these numbers and the conversations I’ve had with citizens, that our residents remain curious about the way local government functions and are eager to learn even more. As I mentioned during our announcement of the first season, one of my priorities as Mayor is to make sure that we’re always increasing accessibility to government so we can empower our residents with knowledge and equip them with the tools they need to be informed citizens. That’s why I’m excited to announce the launch of our second season.

If you’ve ever looked at your property tax bill and wondered what all those different listed taxing districts are and how they use your property taxes to provide services, the next season of the myMeridian podcast is for you! Starting today and weekly through the next few months, we will release our collection of “Community Partners 101” episodes. In these episodes, you’ll have the chance to hear me interview leaders – both elected and appointed – who are in charge of the various public agencies providing local government services in Meridian. From the school district to the library district, to the county prosecutor and more, each episode will offer you the chance to gain some insights into the operations and achievements of these partner organizations operating in Meridian.  Each of these taxing entities are helping us meet our vision to be the west’s premier community in which to live, work and raise a family.

Season two’s first episode, now available, features Superintendent Derek Bub and Board of Trustee Chair Lori Frasure from the West Ada School District. Every Monday for the next few weeks, you can expect a new episode to release on our webpage, Spotify, and on Apple Podcasts. I hope you find the myMERIDAN “Community Partners 101” episodes to be useful and informative. Next year, we hope to bring you more episodes from even more parts of our community, but for now, I hope these new episodes offer you plenty to learn and think about in #MyMeridian!