Annexations, Equipment, Infrastucture, and Growth

New Backhoe

The city recently acquired a great new piece of equipment. This new backhoe will be a great workhorse for the city public works department as they maintain necessary city services. With any luck, it will last us many, many years. Now, if we can just keep Mayor Adams from taking it out on joyrides around town...

Annexations

The past month or so, the city has had the opportunity to annex a number of properties, as requested by the property owners. We're glad to get these properties into the city limits.

Sugar City is a wonderful "bedroom" community, and along with our residential areas, we need to make sure we have enough commercial zones to maintain a proper tax base to support the needs of our city. Also, it's nice to have additional commercial properties for residents to take advantage of, and these annexations help us more firmly maintain our borders with our neighboring cities.

We are grateful for the great businesses we have in our city currently, including the new businesses moving into our Business Park, and we look forward to more opportunities to spend our money right here in Sugar City, as commercial properties develop to meet the needs of our residents.

Infrastructure

Infrastructure is always one of the primary concerns and responsibilities of a city. Even without any additional growth, there's always work that must be done or infrastructure that must be upgraded as the years go by.

Our new well in Old Farm Estates will be ready to go online later this spring or early summer. We could use it now if we needed to, but there are some final checks we're completing that we would like to have done before we fire it up for full service.

Our 40+ year-old concrete sewage line running down Railroad Ave (Hwy 33) to Rexburg is going to need to be replaced in the next year or so. Concrete was the standard material back then, but the gasses in the line corrode the concrete over time, so it needs to be changed out with modern materials which should last much longer into the future.

Growth

The city is growing. There are some growing pains that will come with the increased population and businesses. And there are plenty of great opportunities that are coming with the growth as well. I remain optimistic that we, the mayor, the city council, the school district, and the residents, can guide this growth to the great benefit of our city.

We love our little corner of this great state, and we can maintain and even improve our quality of life if we're careful and we plan well and work together well.

There are plenty of opportunities for residents to get involved, everything from volunteering for events such as the Easter Egg Hunt, Independence Day float, and Sugar Days to working on a committee such as the Historical Preservation Commission or serving a term on the Design Review Committee or the Planning and Zoning Commission. Drop in or call City Hall and get involved. The more the merrier!

You gotta love Sugar!

2025 Budget; Utility Fees; Sugar City's First Stoplight?; Construction Updates

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...

Teton Dam: 5-Minute Histories; Sugar Days; City Parks Long-Term Planning

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...

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 underw...

Sugar City, Idaho: The Dayley Report

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