Sugar City, Idaho: The Dayley Report

Sugar Days 2026 Sugar Days is just a couple months away: June 20th.  We plan to have the traditional community breakfast 8-10am, followed by the bounce houses, rock wall, music, and vendors running through the day. We'll raffle prizes for the kids on the hour, every hour as well! This year we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, so we have some America250 activities and events we're planning this year. We applied for and received a special state grant to help fund some of our America250 Idaho activities. Some of the ideas we're considering and/or working on: Patriotic music performances by residents and choirs and bands throughout the day Dramatic speeches celebrating our nation and Idaho or reenactments of famous patriotic speeches Commemorative clothing or other tokens for participants Patriotic-themed children's parade Red, white, and blue balloons for kids Kiosk with US, Idaho, and Sugar City history information and more...

  Public Information Recently, I was happy to see that some people notice the announcements regarding youth soccer that I occasionally post on social media.☺ (I've volunteered for the past decade or so with a local organization.) I'm not always sure those announcements for Sugar Soccer are very effective. Of course, the real reason the soccer information was screen shot and reposted, was to demonstrate to residents of Sugar City how hard it might seem to be informed regarding topics and issues being discussed and acted upon by city council. I sympathize with residents who can sometimes feel caught off guard regarding some issues coming up in city council. The mayor, council members, and city staff spend hours each week staying as informed as we can be. Understanding a proposed ordinance, development application, zone change request, or budget item can take hours of discussion and research. Sometimes we have to hear from state and other local government entities. Sometimes we ha...

  I enjoyed the lighting of the city Christmas lights once again this year! The city crew and Mayor Adams do a good job preparing and conducting the event each year. And, of course, everyone who helped transform city hall into the North Pole for Santa's visit! I think close to 200 kids visited with The Jolly Old Elf! And we thank the fire department for escorting Santa into town and Mrs. Vail's great children's chorus! Sunpro Store and Plant If you've driven on Hwy 33 to the Hwy 20 interchange, you couldn't have missed the new Sunpro commercial building that is nearing completion. The millwork and truss buildings are also coming along. This facility has the potential to bring some good quality jobs into our city. I will also be glad to see the new street, 6th North, get completed with sidewalks and all. Our old dog can't go on long walks like she used to, but I think once 6th North is completed, I will enjoy having a new place to walk, and I might see if she is ...

FY 2026 Budget The city council passed the budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2026, which begins October 1st. (City budget fiscal years run from October to September.) It's a good budget, and I think the council and mayor are doing a good job keeping track of how our taxes and other public monies are being used. As normally happens, some fees were adjusted. (Of course, most of the time that means they went up when the government and businesses are talking.) The city has to hold public hearings for any fee increases above 5%. We only had one fee increase above 5% and it went up because of the increased cost of postage at the post office: the Paper Utility Statement fee went up to $1.09. The utility fee increases are listed below and compared with the fees from last year (or currently until October). Costs for maintenance, repairs, and capital projects demand that we increase fees each year to keep up with inflation and rising costs, overall.  None of us like utility fees to increas...

  I recently heard a presentation on the upcoming commissioning of the newest nuclear submarine in the US Navy, the USS Idaho. As the Commissioning Committee's website says: The future USS IDAHO SSN 799 is a leading-edge Virginia Class nuclear-powered fast attack submarine being built by General Dynamics Electric Boat in Connecticut. She was christened in March 2024, and is likely to be commissioned into the Navy fleet during the spring of 2026. It was fascinating to hear about all of the attention to detail that goes into making this sub truly representative of our great state. The Committee is accepting artistic, original, iconic Idaho works to be included in the interior of the sub, such as photographs and paintings. If you or someone you know would like to have work considered, please go to their website for more information . It would be quite an honor to have your work accepted.  The expected life of the sub is 35 years. Sugar Days 2025 Thanks for another great Sugar Day...

  Sugar Days 2025 Sugar Days is one week away! We hope everyone in our community can come out and enjoy the family-friendly day in Heritage park. I'd like to highlight a few things: The Historical Society will be hosting a silent auction as a fund raiser for their continuing goal to fund a new museum. Please stop by their booth. Grand Teton Farm and Mill (ancientgrains.com) is sponsoring a 5-minute Teton Dam Flood Memories Project. A group of BYU-Idaho students will be hosting brief interviews with people who have memories to share about the flood. The booth will be set up next to the Historical Society's space, so please come by and get your memories recorded for posterity. At 10am at the city's tent, we'll be presenting awards for the Citizen of the Year (Kevin Miyasaki) and Public Servant of the Year Award (Lynsey Bean). Please come and congratulate Kevin and Lynsey for this well-deserved recognition! Planning & Zoning Commission Vacancy We're looking for a n...