Scammers Target Sugar City

Update: the city was able to recover nearly all of the money!

Scammers hit the city

Ugh....during our last council meeting, we were informed that scammers managed to steal over $77,000 from the city. The fake invoice for the recent road work in the city was nearly perfect--it had the correct dates, amounts, etc. The only difference was one letter in the business email address. The wire transfer took place and went to the scammers instead of the authentic contractors.

I saw an article posted on East Idaho News about it. In one of the comments, someone suggested the city might be trying to cover up the scam. No, the city isn't trying to cover it up for some reason. Unless you consider talking openly about it during the public city council meeting (streamed on Facebook and available on Zoom) to be "covering it up." The city's business is the public's business (and vice-versa) and is carried on in the open.

The sad truth is we got taken by some clever, unscrupulous people. The council, the mayor and clerk, and other city employees are devastated and are taking action to try to recover the funds if possible. We are also implementing procedures which should eliminate such a problem in the future.

The city budget will recover. We have some possible funds available for unexpected budgetary issues and there may be an avenue to take with the city's insurer. We take the budgeting of the city seriously and will do all we can to safeguard the city funds and to use them wisely. We encourage all who are interested in the budget and city council business in general to attend meetings and provide input.

Railroad Ave Project; Fiber Project; Public Notification; Sugar Salem Moody Cemetery; Sugar Days

Railroad Ave Project Back in 2018, the city approved a project to improve the safety and usability of Railroad Ave as it comes into town from the south. The engineering was completed, and the project was ready to go. For various reasons, there was no funding at the time, so the project has been on hold since then. Recently the city was awarded a grant that will cover the entire cost of the project--something that rarely happens. The map above shows the plans. The redesign will allow for a much better and safer flow of traffic in and out of Sugar City, especially for the truck traffic from Sun-Glo and Dickinson Foods. The traffic in the area will be rerouted as necessary during the project, with as little inconvenience as possible. Please be on the look out for notices and signs about the project, as it should be starting soon. Fiber Project The project to install fiber in the older areas of the city as part of the Fybercom & Madison County & Sugar City agreement is underway--

New Tennis Courts Proposal

New Tennis Courts Proposal The city council is considering a joint development and use agreement between Sugar City and Sugar-Salem School District for 6 new tennis courts (including line markings for 12 pickleball courts). Background It's been some 40 years since Sugar City got new tennis courts. Many residents and school students have enjoyed the two courts at Smith Park and the two courts at Veterans/Neibaur Park. The courts have long outlived their safe use, and the city plans to tear out the courts at Smith Park and last month locked up the gate for the courts in Veterans Park. In the years I've been serving on city council, I've seen at least three major presentations made to the council regarding the need for new tennis courts. The tennis program in the school has expanded dramatically over the last several years. Somehow the tennis players have managed to practice on the two beat up courts in Veterans Park. But that really isn't a viable option. The mayors and c

City Impact Area: County Decision

Impact Area A city is required to have an impact area surrounding the city's boundaries within the unincorporated county. The impact area allows the county, city, and property owners to plan for possible or probable land development. Residents of the impact area are not in the city limits, but they can have the benefit of having a proportional number of impact area residents serving on the city's planning and zoning commission, giving them a voice in any future development. Any landowner who wishes to develop their property within the impact area deals with the county as usual; however, as we strive to consolidate development--saving, as we can, more farm and other ag and open land--the land owner is required to follow the basic development ordinances laid out in the city code with the intent that the land being developed in the impact area will eventually become part of the city (annexation). One of the main issues with county land development is water protection and water

Sugar City, Idaho: The Dayley Report

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