Skip to main content

Public participation and council decisions

 

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 would be very worried if the council never had disagreements because I would worry that we weren't looking fairly at all possibilities and concerns. 

Shared goal

I'm not speaking definitively for the other members of the council, but to me, it seemed clear that each member of the council had the same end goal in mind: to make sure our code and ordinances and comprehensive plan were all in line with the desires of our residents for reasonable, appropriate growth.

To that end, we asked the mayor to form a temporary group, including members from P&Z and City Council and the city attorney to work on writing up necessary changes that can be presented to Planning and Zoning and then to City Council following a relatively quick timeline. Please be on the look out for opportunities for public input in this process. Thanks for your help!

(Painting by Norman Rockwell - U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16925968) 

Popular posts from this blog

Sugar Days and America250 Celebration! State-Wide Drought Declaration

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...
Read more

Public Information, Sewer Use Rate Increase, City Budgeting

  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...
Read more

Merry Christmas 2025! Sunpro, 6th North, and property development

  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 ...
Read more