Household garbage as well as trash is a contracted service provided by the City of Meridian through Waste Management.

I JUST MOVED INTO A HOUSE AND THE POWER COMPANY SAYS I NEED THE ELECTRICAL INSPECTOR TO COME OUT AND GIVE ME AN INSPECTION. WHEN CAN HE COME?

If the power company sees something at your residence that they think needs inspecting or if the power at that location has been off for 12 months, they will refer you to the Inspection Division. However, City of Meridian Inspectors only inspect after permits have been issued. You need to hire an electrician that is licensed and bonded in the City of Meridian to look at your house and purchase the permit. When the electrician has completed the job, he will call for an inspection. The Electrical Inspector will come out and look at the job, and if approved, will call the Inspection Division office and the approval will be faxed to the appropriate power company.

THE TELEPHONE COMPANY SAYS MY ADDRESS IS NOT IN THEIR SYSTEM AND THEY NEED A 911 ADDRESS BEFORE I CAN GET SERVICE. CAN YOU HELP ME?

MY NEIGHBOR'S YARD IS OVERGROWN. CAN THE CITY COME OUT AND CUT IT?

Yes, if you meet all of the following conditions:
1. You own the house.
2. It is your primary place of residence.
3. You are not paying anyone to help you.
4. The value of work is under a certain amount.
5. It is structural work only. Plumbing, electrical and mechanical work must be done by licensed/bonded contractors, who will get their own permits.
6. A homeowner's permit is purchased from the city.
7. All work must be inspected and meet applicable codes.

CAN I WORK IN THE CITY OF MERIDIAN UNDER MY LICENSE FROM ANOTHER TOWN OR STATE?

A rezoning is a change from one zoning district to another. Rezonings are requests that are primarily intended to change the permissible uses for a property or properties. Applications and information packets including review schedule and submittal review fees are available at the Planning Division (601-485-1910) or this web site. Planning Commission meets monthly on the fourth Tuesday of each month except December. City Council approves, denies or remands applications. Estimated time to complete the rezoning review process is 45-60 days.The Official Zoning Map is located in the City clerk's office and an official copy in the Inspections office at Community Development Department, 723 23rd Ave. The zoning ordinance may be accessed on the City's web site through the Municipal Code link..

WHERE CAN COPIES OF CURRENT ZONING MAPS BE PURCHASED?

See Engineering Department on the 2nd floor of the Public Works Building at 311 27th Ave.

DO I NEED A PERMIT TO DO WORK IN CITY RIGHT-OF-WAY ABUTTING MY PROPERTY?

WHAT PART DOES CULTURAL AFFAIRS PLAY IN CITY OF MERIDIAN GOVERNMENT?

HOW CAN I FIND OUT WHAT EVENTS ARE ON THE EVENTS CALENDAR AND SUBMIT MY EVENT OR GET ADVICE ABOUT EVENTS AND GRANTS?

HOW MANY PEOPLE TRAVEL THROUGH UNION STATION EVERY YEAR?

Applications are available between December and February. You must be the homeowner in order to receive assistance. House lists are maintained throughout the year as people call in or come by. World Changers representatives will meet with City staff in March and April to choose the houses to be worked on the following summer. Call 601-485-1910.

PUBLIC WORKS

You need to call Mississippi Power at 1-800-532-1502

There is no camping allowed at Bonita. The park hours are from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

The City of Meridian can only cut down and trim trees that are on the city right-of-way that have been determined to be a hazard.

Limbs can be up to no longer than 5 feet in length and 8 inches in diameter. They can weigh no more than 60 pounds.

No. The owner may have allowed someone to borrow the vehicle or it could have been stolen.

Yes. State law says if the two ever had a relationship, even if they have parted ways, the charge can be brought. Examples could be ex-spouses, former boyfriend and girlfriend or the existence of a child biologically theirs.

State statute says the item has to have a value of $500 or more for the theft to be a felony.

If the officer believes a crime is being committed, when the officer knows for certain a wanted individual is in the house or with a duly sworn search warrant, the officer may enter a house without the occupants' permission.

In order for the officer to write such a citation, he has to witness the infraction himself.

No city ordinance has ever been written dealing with cats; however, all domesticated animals in the city are supposed to have rabies vaccination tags on collars around their necks. If a cat is known to be at large with no known owner, animal control can set a trap to capture the animal.

No. By law, only the Mississippi Highway Patrol is authorized to do this.

An expired tag is a MOVING violation. If there is no driver and the vehicle is not moving, no ticket can be issued.

The city ordinance states that the speed limit is 30 miles per hour unless otherwise posted.

No. State law says that only vehicles designated as emergency response vehicles may use sirens.

As funds are available, we provide smoke detectors free of charge to individuals based on need. For more information, call 601-485-1824.

Meridian firefighters are trained in basic first aid and CPR and some are trained emergency medical technicians. The trucks are equipped with first aid and lifesaving equipment. Fire stations are located throughout the city and can usually get to an emergency scene first to begin to administer aid until an ambulance arrives.

Burn permits are available for $5 each. Before a permit is issued, an inspection to the site is made to determine if the site is safe and the products to be burned will not be hazardous to the environment. For more information, call a fire inspector at 601-485-1824.

The City of Meridian Fire Department is rated every four years by the Mississippi State Rating Bureau. The scale is from 1 to 10, with 1 being the best and 10 the lowest. Meridian is rated a Class 4 department. Numerous components are weighed in determining the rating. Fire prevention programs, building inspections, water supply, the number and location of stations, the level of training, manpower and number and types of fire apparatus are just a few of the items considered. By the way, only one city is the state is rated a 3 and none are rated 2 or 1. Your homeowner's fire insurance rates are based on the fire rating of the city.

Our firefighters are trained at the Mississippi Fire Academy , the National Fire Academy and various other sites throughout the country. However, we now do the majority of our training at the Meridian Public Safety Training Facility on Sandflat Road . We have a state-of-the-art burn tower that gives our firefighters the opportunity to do live fire training in a controlled environment.

Our firefighters are trained in emergency medical services, firefighting, hazardous materials response, incident command, confined space rescue, rope rescue, rapid intervention training and many other specialized areas.

The city currently has nine sirens located throughout the city to notify citizens in the event of tornado warnings or other disasters. The sirens are tested monthly on the first Monday of the month at noon.

A lot of people think we are the same but City Hall houses city functions such as the mayor's office, administrative offices, water billing, finance and city records, community development, personnel, Civil Service and the clerk of council, while countywide functions such as taxes, courts, vehicle tags and marriage licenses are handled at the courthouse.

No. This is a common misconception. Finance and Records, among its many duties, handles the city's finances. We are not a finance company.

No. People who do not live inside the city limits cannot vote in city elections no matter where they work. All voter cards have headings for both city and county elections. If the voter lives in the city, the card will tell him or her where to vote in city elections and where to vote in county elections. If the voter does not live inside the city, the "city" heading will have no information under it.

When a person moves out of the city and no longer needs to have a water deposit, Water Billing will do a final reading and send the customer a final bill in the mail. The customer will either get A refund check or the final bill will indicate how much is owed over and above the deposit and that difference must be paid as a final payment.

This is because one has nothing to do with the other. The city clerk's office must follow state law regarding bad checks, regardless of whether they involve water or any other service for which a check was written. Water Billing, however, has its own rules regarding how much time can elapse before water service is cut off due to non-payment.

No. This facility is an adult recreation center. Anyone 21 years of age or older is welcome to participate in classes there. In fact, we have changed the name of the center to the Meridian Activity Center to reflect the fact that programs are available for all ages.

We do not reserve the entire playground; however, you can reserve the picnic pavilion and use the playground along with the general public. The pavilion is great for parties and does include restrooms, which are also open to the general public.

Most of the athletic leagues are run by volunteer organizations such as the Optimist Club, parent associations, etc. The Parks and Recreation Department serves as facilitator. Contact us at 601-485-1802 and we can get you the contact names for the persons actually running the programs.