Sugar City
NOVEMBER 2019
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
Calendar:
Nov 3–Daylight Savings Ends
Nov 5 – Election Day
Nov 7 – Planning & Zoning @ 7:00 p.m.
Nov 11- Veteran’s Day City office closed
Nov 14 – City Council @ 6:30
p.m.
Nov 21 – Planning & Zoning @7:00 p.m.
Nov 28- Thanksgiving City Council CANCELLED
City office closes
at 12:00 p.m. Nov 27 through
Nov 29
FUTURE DATES
TO REMEMBER:
Dec 2 Annual Christmas Tree Lighting – 6:00 p.m. @Heritage Park
Dec 5 – Planning & Zoning @ 7:00 p.m.
***All city meetings are subject to change – see city website**
***
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
CITY ELECTIONS: Remember to Vote on November 5th for Mayor and City Council seats! Candidates for Mayor are: David Ogden and Steve Adams
4 year council seat candidates are: Brent Barrus, Steve Davis, Gene Jeppson and Joy Ball (Vote for 2) 2 year council seat candidates are: Connie Fogle, DeVerl Stoddard, Clyde Haacke and Catherine Nielsen (Vote for 2)
FALL CLEANUP: Our fall cleanup started on October 14th and finished October 16th. Thank you to those that followed the guidelines in this effort. In total, 40 truck–loads were hauled away. If you have items that you need to discard, please note that we have a dumpster on the west side of Silo Park off of North Front & C Street until Nov. 15th. The dumpster will be returned sometime in March. After the dumpster is removed, no items can be dropped off on the ground at the site. The area is under camera surveillance and there will be fines if found dumping. *Please do not fill alleys after fall city clean–up until the week before the next clean–up in the spring. Storing debris is a violation of city code 3-1-13:A.
*
HOLIDAY CLOSURES: City Hall will be closed November 11th in observance of Veterans Day and the office will close at noon November 27th through November 29th in observance of Thanksgiving.
HOLIDAY GARBAGE PICK–UP: Garbage will be picked up on Saturday, November 30th, due to Thanksgiving.
VETERANS DAY: Take time to remember and thank those veterans who have served and defended us so we can live happy and free. There is a Veterans Day Memorial Ceremony at Madison High School Auditorium in Rexburg at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, November 11th. The Mayor will lay a wreath on behalf of Sugar City.
ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING: Mark your calendars! The Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony is Monday, December 2nd at Heritage Park at 6 p.m. by the gazebo. Come and enjoy hot cocoa, cookies and Santa Claus. The city is in need of volunteers to help put up Christmas lights. If you are interested in helping, please call city hall. Thank You!
SNOW REMOVAL: Keep cars uncovered from snow and parked back off of roads to eliminate being clipped by the snowplows.
–
no parking on city streets from
OVERNIGHT PARKING: Reminder of our snow ordinance December 1st through March 1st, between the hours of 12 midnight and 7 a.m.
DOG LICENSE REMINDER: Licenses expire 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 expire Dec 31st. Please call or come in to renew them at city hall. Thanks you!
FALL TREE PRUNING: While trimming your trees and bushes this fall, please remember to trim along the streets and back off of street signs. Branches along streets must be trimmed ten (10) feet up off the ground. Thank You!
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
Sugar City
David D. Ogden, Mayor
Wendy McLaughlin, Clerk–Treasurer Shelley Jones, Deputy Clerk–Treasurer Arlynn Jacobson, Public Works Director
October 28, 2019
Dear Friends,
I was hoping that after the meeting in March, and the Recall election was finished, we could begin healing the city. However, it appears evident that there is a group of citizens that are not willing to put things in the past and help the city move forward. I appeal to each of you for kindness and tolerance. We need to heal this city.
One of the issues being discussed is the new water project, and since there has been some disinformation going around, I would like you to know the relevant facts and where we stand now. The facts are as follows:
- A water study, authorized by the city council, was completed in March of 2017 to help determine the status of the system at that time. In the study’s Executive Summary, the following deficiencies were noted:
- System should comply with the Idaho Department of Water Resources (IDWR) requirement to only pump within the city’s current water rights. It was found that the city was currently compliant
- b. According to regulations the city must be able to provide Maximum Day Demand with any source of water being out of service. It was found that we were unable to fully meet this requirement. Firm Production Capacity of 1,300 gallons per minute (gpm) is less than Maximum Day Demand (MDD) of 1,665
gpm.
- c. The city must be able to provide sufficient capacity to meet MDD plus require fire flow, with the largest pump being out of service. Estimated pumping capacity (which includes storage water) of 3,100 gpm is less than the needed 4,415 gpm, therefore, we do not meet the minimum requirement.
- d. The system should provide adequate finished water storage per regulations, including Dead Storage, Operational Storage, Equalization Storage, Fire Suppression Storage and Standby Storage. The city currently has 400,000 gallons of storage, which is lower than the required 8 million gallons needed, therefore, we do not meet the minimum requirement.
Ph: 208-356-7561
Fax: 208-359-2654
Office Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
P.O. Box 5610 E. Center Sugar City, ID 83448
Forsgren & Associates, the engineering company that did the water study, recommended both the project costs of what the city needed to do in order to remedy most of the issues found, and also recommended the rates needed to cover the system’s needs. The city council approved both the total project cost of $3.9 million dollars, and the eventual raise to a $45 base rate per unit, plus $95 cents per thousand gallons, needed to cover the system’s costs. The council also approved an Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) calculator that the city uses for determining how many base rates each unit must pay. A single household whether in a home or an apartment pays a single base rate, then other commercial and service entities pay based on their impact in comparison to that single–family household.
The total project included the drilling of a new well, the construction of a new water tank, the construction of a new well house, the purchase and installation of the new well and booster pumps, the installation of a SCADA system and other electrical wiring, and the piping necessary to connect to the existing system and provide some additional piping to facilitate future growth south of town. The new rates include a final base rate of $45 per unit plus a usage rate of $.95 cents per thousand gallons. These figures are not arbitrary. They are based on the engineers long standing experience in doing projects just like this, and the acceptance of those recommendations by the city council. This project was then approved by the voters in November of 2017. We appear to be on budget and could be done as early as year–end, weather permitting. Because we are doing this project, the city will be able to provide sufficient water to the new Junior High School to be constructed soon.
I know that these increases may be difficult for some of the people in our community, so the city is considering what is called Project Help in Idaho Falls. It would take the form of accepting donations in cash from good people such as yourselves, to be administered by Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership (EICAP), for use in assisting those who have that need. More information will be forthcoming as we move forward with our research.
There is a lot of misinformation out there about issues relevant to the upcoming election. I would encourage each of you to search out the facts on each issue you are concerned with before making your final decision. Please feel free to ask our excellent staff to obtaining that information. I would also encourage all of you to go to the polls, either in the early voting now going on, until November 1st, or by going to regular polling place on November 5th. Please Vote.
Sincerely,
David D. Ogden
David D. Ogden, Mayor
Ph: 208-356-7561
Office Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Fax: 208-359-2654
P.O. Box 5610 E. Center Sugar City, ID 83448