Sugar City, Idaho: The Dayley Report

Teton Dam: 5-Minute Histories Project It's been 49 years since the devastating flood did its best to wipe Sugar City off the map. In the summer of 2026, there will be a big commemoration in Rexburg, Sugar City, and the surrounding areas. The multi-day commemoration will include lectures and museum events, bus and walking tours in Rexburg and Sugar City, and shuttles out to the newly improved facilities at the dam site, etc. (This photo, taken after the flood waters had receded, is looking east on 3rd North in Sugar. The old sugar factory and the WWII POW camp building can be seen in the left corner.) This year, as part of our Sugar Days 2025 celebration, we're going to have a booth set up for residents who remember the flood to drop in and record up to a five-minute video in which they share their memories of that fateful time. We invite all who would like to participate. Sugar Days 2025 Speaking of Sugar Days, we invite all residents, sponsors, and vendors to put Saturday June...

Recently I read a post on social media comparing the penalty for speeding in a school zone to the possible maximum penalty for a resident pushing snow from their property into the street. Then someone in person asked me a similar question the other day, so I guess this idea is on people's minds. I don't know if the specific situation is in question here, or if the concern really has to do with some larger concepts of city ordinances and enforcement in general. "Is the maximum penalty extreme?" is usually not the central question when examining or creating city code. Of course it is. That's what a maximum penalty is supposed to be. Instead, a central question to ask is "Could there ever be a situation in which the maximum penalty is appropriate and necessary?" And if we could imagine a scenario--unlikely, but readily possible--in which it would be good for the city to have a severe penalty for a code or ordinance infraction available in its tool kit for p...

  Sunpro and Ancient Grain Facilities It's nice to see the progress being made on two of the latest businesses to move into Sugar City.  If you haven't heard, Sunpro is building a large complex just south of Hwy 33 and north of the junior high school. The facility will include a truss and door plant, lumber yard, and commercial store. On the site that used to be Moody Creek Produce on 7th east, Ancient Grains is erecting the first storage and processing shed of their facility. Eventually, they expect to have a number of buildings, including a commercial location. Christmas Light Celebration The annual Christmas Light Celebration is this coming Monday, December 2, at 6pm at Heritage Park.  Afterward, kids are invited to visit with Santa at the North Pole at City Hall. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and is looking forward to a wonderful Christmas Season!

  New School/City Tennis Courts The new tennis courts are done, and they look great! A dedicated citizens group led an intense campaign to get a coalition of partners together so we could get some new tennis courts in our community. The school district was the largest contributor of both land and funding. The city, the county, and Madison Memorial Hospital/Madison Health also were major contributors to the project. The city is working out the logistics of a reservation system for the courts, so the public will have access during times the school district isn't using the courts.  For now, if you are interested in using the courts for tennis or pickleball, please drop in city hall for the details. I'm grateful for everyone involved in this project. It took some debate and even a bit of arguing, but we all had the same overall goal in mind and made it happen. Thanks! Treats in the Streets Our 3rd annual Treats in the Streets celebration is this coming Thursday 4-7pm (17 October)....

  2025 Budget Last council meeting, the city council passed the 2025 budget. This is a summary of the budget. If you'd like to see more details, please stop by city hall and ask to see it. We also heard from the city auditors regarding our finances from the past year, and we got a good report. You can also see a copy of that report at city hall if you wish.  The city runs on public funding, and I think the current budget reflects this understanding--that we have to be wise in what we budget for and how we plan for current and future city needs. Cities have to be careful not to get into the habit of thinking "We need more money," and, instead, be in the habit of thinking "We can make this work." Utility Fees Here are the new fees for water, sewer, and garbage. "Last Year" = 2024 budget; "This Year" = 2025 budget (beginning Oct 1, 2024) Sugar City's First Stoplight? Councilmember Carter Stanford pointed out that the new stoplight on the nor...

  2025 Budget It's the city's annual budget time again. During our last council meeting, we passed the 2025 tentative budget, and we'll have a public hearing on the budget at the beginning of our next meeting on August 22nd. After the hearing, the council will discuss and then vote on the budget. If you'd like to see a copy of the tentative budget, please drop in city hall for a copy. It can be interesting to see all of the budget details. Even for a small city like Sugar, the budget is fairly complex. I've spent a long time looking over the budget proposal submitted by the mayor and his staff. I think it represents a good balance between planning for the future and responsibly using the public's money to maintain the city as we should. One item that caught my attention in this year's budget was the capital fund for roads. The mayor proposed (and I agree with his point) that we need to be saving more money for future road projects. We have relatively decent ...