David D. Ogden, Mayor
Wendy McLaughlin, Clerk–Treasurer Shelley Jones, Deputy Clerk-Treasurer
- Zane Baler, Public Works Director
Phone: (208) 356 7561 Fax: (208) 359 2654
Office Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
FEBRUARY 2018
Calendar:
SUGAR CITY
IDAHO
City of Sugar City
P.O. Box 56 10 East Center Sugar City, Idaho 83448
Support our local businesses
February 1st- 7 p.m.
Planning & Zoning Meeting
February 8th- 6:30 p.m. City Council Meeting
February 14th
Valentine’s Day
February 15th- 7 p.m.
Planning & Zoning
Meeting
February 19th
President’s Day
City Hall will be closed
February 22nd – 6:30 p.m. City Council
Meeting
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HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!
*NEW_CITY LOGO***: Please look for our survey at sugarcityidaho.gov to give your input on a new city logo
design.
**SUGAR CITY DOG LICENCE
REMINDER**
Licenses expired Dec. 31st. Cost is $15 per year and is pro-rated for new pets. Make sure pets are up to date.
Home
**BUSINESS LICENSE REMINDER** Business licenses expired December 31st. Please come into city hall to renew them. business licenses are $10. Other business licenses are $20.
REVERSE 911 SYSTEM: We would like to encourage all citizens to sign up for Reverse 911. Go to madisonsheriff.com under Alert Sense and it will take you to the page to subscribe for emergency notifications.
HOLIDAY CLOSURES: City Hall will be closed February 19th for President’s Day.
GARBAGE PICKUP: Even though President’s Day falls on a Monday, garbage pickup will be on Friday, February 23rd. PSI recognizes only six holidays and this is not one of them. The 6 holidays that will postpone garbage pick–up for Saturdays are: New Years, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
OVERNIGHT PARKING: Reminder of our snow ordinance – no parking on city streets from Dec 1st through Mar 1st,
SNOW REMOVAL: *** Please be aware that the snowplows have the right of way. If you encounter a snowplow, please stay back and don’t cut behind or in front of them. They can’t see you if you are close behind them. We want to avoid having an accident. *** Keep cars uncovered from snow and parked back off of roads (including pulling into driveways further) to stay clear of the snowplows.. We cannot assume liability for any damage that occurs.
GO PAPERLESS WITH E-BILLING! We really appreciate all of those who have signed up for e–billing. We would like to encourage our citizens to sign up. If you are interested, go to www.paymentservicenetwork.com and register as a first time user. You may opt out of paper bills there. If you go paperless, you will be sent an email each month telling you that your bill is ready to view at this website. You can view the newsletter here or at sugarcityiodaho.gov.
State of the City Letter
Sugar City, Idaho
January 11, 2017
Dear Sugar City Residents,
This last year has been very eventful, both in a positive and in a negative way. I would like to report to you the following occurrences:
- One of the most difficult things the city has gone through has been the controversy over Division #3 in the Old Farm Estates Subdivision. There has been much written about what happened, and many opinions have been expressed about how it should have happened. It is unfortunate that many of the facts about the case have been misinterpreted or misrepresented. It is not my intention to debate this matter in my letter to you, but to express my sorrow that as of yet we have not reached a compromise. In all of my prior correspondence to you I have never intentionally misrepresented the facts, but have give them to you as I have received them. My greatest hope is that we can resolve these difficulties, and begin the healing process.
- One of the most exciting things to happen is the recent passage of the Water Bond. The City has long known that it was deficient in certain minimum requirements imposed by both Federal and State agencies tasked with the regulation of all municipal water systems. I am grateful to the citizens for helping the city correct these deficiencies. The Bond that was passed was in the amount of $3.7 million dollars. We are in the process of finalizing the engineering and beginning to drill a test well to make sure the big well will be adequate. The Developers, Jeff and Ryan Lerwill, have donated the two-acre lot that will house the well site. I will continue to keep you apprised as to how this project proceeds during this next year.
- This water project has also allowed us to provide a water line down S. 7th W. to the Moody Highway, and around to Highway 33, in order to provide water to the developments south of town. Those affected have agreed to be annexed into the city, which allows the businesses along Highway 33 north of the Moody highway to become a part of Sugar City. This will benefit those businesses, as well as help Sugar City with its tax base. I am very excited about this turn of events, and I am grateful for the help of such a great staff that has made this possible.
- We had a singular experience with the total eclipse of the sun that happened last August. The staff and I worked hard with the City of Rexburg and Madison County to make sure this did not adversely impact the city. The almost 3,000 people that came to Sugar City were respectful of our way of life, and they did such a great job of cleaning up after themselves. We almost did not need the
many volunteers that came out to help the city clean up, for which we are very grateful. People came from all over the United States, as well as many foreign countries. I had the enormous pleasure, as I went about town, to talk with many of them. They were very complimentary of the city. Thanks go to all of you as well as to our staff for the successful experience.
- We finished the project with the new Pro-peat fertilizer plant, where we received $400,000 in grant funds from the Idaho Department of Commerce. The business is now up and running and has created almost 20 new jobs. I appreciate Forsgren Engineering, The Development Company, John Pocock and Kelton Larsen for the success of this major project for Sugar City.
- We also sold two lots in our Business Park, and construction should start on these business
buildings in the spring. We are hoping this is a sign of further growth in the future.
- We received over ten new building permits for new homes in the Old Farm Estates subdivision, as well as in other places in town. This is a good sign of continued growth. The city also approved approximately 8 acres of new development for four–plex and six plex residential units, providing approximately 110 units of affordable housing or rental space for families.
- We have worked diligently with the City of Rexburg and Madison County to counteract the new floodplain map recommended by FEMA for our area. We have made some progress, and the hope is that we will still be able to take Sugar City and the immediate surrounding area out of the floodplain. Our goal is to make sure the final map is accurate, so the city will be able to assure safety for its citizens. I will continue to keep you updated on our progress.
- We also continue to work with the YMCA, who has expressed interest in coming to our community and providing services for a variety of recreational activities. We appreciate all of you for participating in the survey to determine the needs and wants of our area. They are now in the feasibility study to determine if they will be able to meet those needs. We would then enter into the design and fund raising phase of the project. This would be a very family friendly enterprise for Sugar City, and we are excited about the possibilities.
- We have upgraded the way we handle our City Code and other legal processes in the city with a new software that will make it so we do not have to wait for six months to show the changes that have been made. This software will make the changes available to the public within a few days, so that the changes become very transparent, and are available to you very quickly and are very easily searched. This process will become active within the next month.
- The city has authorized and is currently undergoing a facilities planning study for our sewer system, just as we did for the water system. It has been initially determined that we still have good capacity in the system, but that we may need to make changes in the future to replace some very old pipes, and anticipate any future growth that may come. We will make this study public as soon as it is done, and keep you informed as to what we may need to decide.
- We recently sent in three grant proposals to the Idaho Transportation Department through its LHTAC process. The first two grants were for approximately $250 thousand dollars each, and would be used to begin the construction of a pathway system surrounding and through the city. This system could be used by pedestrians, including school children, as well as bicyclists. A master plan of that system was adopted by the city council just recently and then added to the overall Madison County Transportation Plan.
- The third grant proposal to ITD in the amount of $400 thousand dollars is for a proposed change in the way Highway 33 comes into town. The city and ITD have discussed the possibility of bring the highway straight into town by using Railroad Avenue instead of Front Street. We will be having a town hall meeting soon to discuss this possibility with all those potentially affected, as well as all those who wish to understand the proposal. We should know soon on the grant, and then we will schedule the meeting(s).
As you can see it has been a very busy year. I am hopeful that the progress we have made on these issues and many others will continue to make a difference in our community. I look forward to working with our new city council, and believe that the protections in our current and future city code will allow us to grow responsibly. Thanks for all you do for the city, and please feel free to come into my office to discuss any recommendations or concerns you have about our city.
David Ogden