Sugar City, Idaho: The Dayley Report

It's time for another update on some things going on with the city council. Utility Bills The base water rate was dropped $5, and the base sewer rate was raised $5. These are separate accounts, and we need to build up the reserve in the sewer fund for upcoming improvements with the line from Sugar City to Rexburg. Council Pay The council, I think, was prepared to vote to increase the city council pay from $200/month to $400/month. I think $400 would be a more appropriate amount considering the time and effort it takes to serve well on the council. However, even though the pay increase had been discussed at numerous council meetings, the public notice for the increase didn't go out in the newspaper early enough--I think it was a week after the deadline set by state law. So, the increase didn't come to a vote. As council pay raises can only be proposed in election years, it will be another two years before this can be addressed again. Elections This is an election year. Three...

  Public Input: At our city council meeting last night (8/12/2021), we heard from a number of residents during our public comment period. We appreciate residents taking the time to attend the meetings. The more direct comments and opinions we can get from the public, the better. Zoning and Densities All the public comments last night were connected in some way to the city's current zoning definitions, including the densities allowed in each zone. With new property development applications on the horizon, residents wanted the city to address their concerns that our current density levels in our zoning are too high. Debate and disagreement In the later half of the meeting, the council debated what approach to use to address our zoning definitions and densities. As often is the case, all the members of the council didn't see eye-to-eye. All were determined to take some kind of action to address concerns, but there was disagreement on the action to take. I appreciate the debate. I ...