Calendar:
Sugar City
Jan 1 – New Year’s Day – City Office Closed
Jan 2 – Planning & Zoning @7:00 p.m.
Jan 9 – City Council @ 6:30 p.m. Swearing in of new Mayor & Council
Jan 16 – Planning & Zoning @7:00 p.m.
Jan 20- Civil Rights Day
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– City Office Closed
Jan 23 – City Council @ 6:30 p.m.
FUTURE DATES TO REMEMBER:
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Feb 6 Planning & Zoning @ 7:00 p.m.
***All city meetings are subject to change – see city website***
JANUARY 2020
David D. Ogden, Mayor
Wendy McLaughlin, Clerk–Treasurer Shelley Jones, Deputy Clerk–Treasurer Arlynn Jacobson, Public Works Director Cody Cureton, Asst. Public Works Director Jonathan Turner, Code Enforcement Officer
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
WE EXTEND OUR BEST WISHES TO YOU
AND YOURS IN THIS NEW YEAR
SWEARING IN OF NEW MAYOR & COUNCIL
10
11.12
6
5
2
January 9th council meeting.
We wish to welcome the new mayor and councilors and give a big thanks to the outgoing mayor and councilmen. They have been a true pleasure to work with over the time they have served.
HOLIDAY CLOSURES: City Hall will close January 1st for New Years and January 20th for Civil Rights Day.
CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS & TREE LIGHTING: A special thanks to our city Public Works Department employees for the attractive Christmas lights and decorations in Heritage Park and on Center Street. A special thanks also to our Tree & Beautification Committee and their hard work in putting together our Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony! The committee is in need of new volunteers for the new year, please call city hall for more information.
HOLIDAY GARBAGE PICKUP: Garbage will be picked up Saturday, January 4th. Garbage pickup will be normal for the week of Martin Luther King Day.
OVERNIGHT PARKING & SNOW REMOVAL: Reminder of our snow ordinance – no parking on city streets from 12:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. December 1st through March 1st. We also ask if it snows during the day and plows are out, to move vehicles off the street. The city only plows when we receive 3 inches or more of snow, because of the cost which is roughly $1500.00 each time. This covers wages, fuel, cutting edges and equipment maintenance.
Keep cars uncovered from snow and parked back off of roads and please pull into driveways further to stay clear of the snowplows. The city will not be clearing driveways to avoid damaging property in the process. We cannot assume liability for any damage that occurs.
DOG LICENSE REMINDER: Licenses expired Dec. 31st. Cost is $15 per year. Make sure your pets are up to date. If you have a photo of your pet to put on file this would also be helpful if they are lost.
BUSINESS LICENSE REMINDER: Business licenses expired Dec 31st. Home business licenses are $10. Other business licenses are $20. Please come in to renew them at city hall. Thank you!
**SEWER AND WATER EMERGENCIES** We would like to remind all residents that in case of an emergency such as a water leak or sewer issue that happens after hours or on weekend, you can call city hall and there is an emergency option that will transfer you to our public works director. The sooner you call the better to avoid more complications.
Ph: 208-356-7561
Fax: 208-359-2654
Office Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
P.O. Box 56-10 E. Center
Sugar City, ID 83448
State of the City Address January 2, 2020
Dear Sugar City Residents,
This letter is to inform you of the many things that have been happening within the city. Much of the focus has been on the election, and on the perception that bad things have been happening. I hope this will help you know of all the good things this city has accomplished. They are as follows:
- Back in February of 2019, a settlement agreement was finalized, and then approved by the Sugar City Council. This was a negotiation between the developers of Old Farm Estates, Ryan and Jeff Lerwill, Bruce King, and Mayor David Ogden, representing the City. Without this agreement, the city may have been subjected to a large and very risky law suit.
- The water project where we are constructing a new well and tank is all but complete. The contractors have completed all the work, with the exception of getting power to the well house, then filling and testing the tank. The power should be there in the next few weeks, and then weather permitting, the tank can be filled in the spring and tested. This has been a great project, and will benefit the city for the foreseeable future.
- Kelton Larsen and his partner John Pocock built the Pro–Peat industrial building where they are manufacturing a special type of fertilizer. This is a large 50,000 square foot building just north of the business park. They are now open and have created a number of good paying jobs that make this project very beneficial to the city. The city received a $400,000 Block Grant from the State of Idaho to put in the water and sewer lines, the road and other infrastructure to facilitate this project. Pro–Peat put in the remaining amounts to finish the project.
- There have been six lots sold in the Business Park, on which three have begun or are just about finished their construction. The businesses are Radiation Solutions, Mission Shoes, and a small business strip mall. Hopefully the other three will start soon.
- There have also been three business locating in the industrial park, just north of the business park. There is a storage and RV rental business, a construction company, and a beef jerky processing plant. All of these new businesses will generate needed tax revenues to the city.
- The Lerwills have presented to the city Division #4 of the Old Farm Estates. This preliminary plat will contain all single–family residences, mainly on slightly larger lots. Planning & Zoning will be holding a public hearing on this new plat to recommend to city council.
- We have had another successful Sugar Days. This came as a result of the eclipse several years ago. The city decided to expand their normal breakfast into an all–day event, with vendors and games. I hope this event will continue to grow, and become a way of bringing the city together.
- We received over 44 new building permits, which encompasses the new four and six plexes in Old Farm Estates. There have been approved plats for two new subdivisions of town homes, and two of cottage homes. The town homes will bring to the city over 48 additional building permits. This will continue the good growth that Sugar City will experience in the not too distant future.
- 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 good 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, however, is to make sure the final map is accurate, so the city will be able to assure safety for its citizens.
- We have done several things to help with the transparency in the city. First, we have purchased a software that will allow the city to create new ordinances, and then once adopted, immediately make it available, instead of waiting six months to update the code books. Second, we have worked to place the projector and screen in a different and more visible area in the council chambers. Thirdly, we have purchased and are putting in place speakers for each member of the city council, the mayor, the city clerk and attorney, and then one for those who might wish to testify at hearings. And fourth, I have sent monthly messages in an effort to inform you of what is going on.
- I have just received from Forsgren Engineering, several copies of the Sewer Facility Planning Study, which was commissioned by the City of Rexburg and Sugar City. This study will help the city identify any deficiencies in the sewer system. One that we already know about is the old cement sewer pipe between Sugar City and Rexburg, that runs along the North Yellowstone Highway #33. The pipe has deteriorated significantly and will need to be replaced. The new Mayor and Council will take up the study and work with the City of Rexburg.
- There is a pending application for annexation in front of the Planning & Zoning Commission, which I have presented to them. This annexation would place into the city all of the area between Highway 33, the Moody Highway, and 7th West, all of which are south of the Teton Island Canal. All of the property owners, including businesses and farm ground, have agreed to be annexed, and they will all have access to water behind them, and sewer in front of them. This would add significantly to the city’s tax base. 13. The city has been working with Madison County, whereby the County would take over North Yellowstone Highway #33, and its expenses, starting at the Moody Highway corner, going through Sugar City, and on to where it connects with Highway #33 going to Driggs. We have been negotiating with the Idaho Transportation Department, that if the County did agree to take over the maintenance of this road, the State would then help to change the “S” curve coming into town from the south, and have it continue straight into Railroad Avenue. This would be done at their expense, and with the help of the County, who would maintain the road. We would negotiate a deal with the County that they would not transfer it later on to the City without our permission. This is because we just don’t have the funds to handle it right now. 14. The public works staff continues to make the Arbor Day Ceremony and the Tree Lighting Ceremony better each year. The Christmas lights along Center Street and in Heritage Park look wonderful. I acknowledge their hard work, as they do in everything else.
- The office staff continue to perform admirably, and are really the ones that deserve all the credit for how
the city runs. I will miss them.
As you can see it has been a very busy year, and these are just some of the highlights. I am hopeful that the progress we have made on these issues and many others will continue to make a difference in our community. Thanks for your support.
David D. Ogden
David Ogden