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City Clean-up & Dumpster Costs, Arbor Day, and Sugar Days

 

Arbor Day

The city's Tree and Beautification Committee once again did a wonderful job with the Arbor Day Celebration this past Friday. The wind was harsh, but the kids were great, and Neibaur Park got a great new tree. The winning pictures from the children's Arbor Day art contest will be displayed at city hall. Stop by and check them out.

Sugar Days (July 9th)

Sugar Days and the Community Breakfast is only two months away! Drop by city hall and reserve your vendor slot for only $20.

We're also looking for sponsors for our activities, including bounce house-type events, climbing wall, and prizes for the kids. If you or your business can donate, please contact us. We need your help each year.

We're also looking for volunteers to help plan and run the activities--a great opportunity for families, church groups, civic groups, and others to help out the community. If you're interested, again, please contact city hall at (208) 356-7561 or me at gdayley@sugarcityidaho.gov.

Last year we had our first ever Sugar Days Community Talent Showcase. We're planning on doing this again, so get your act together and sign up at city hall.

City Flags

The city lines main street with American flags on most major holidays during the year. If you're part of a non-profit group interested in putting up and taking down the flags this year as a fundraiser, please contact the city. With only a few people and vehicles, your group can get the job done quickly and raise some money for your organization and perform a great patriotic service for the community.

City Clean-up Cost

Last city council meeting we heard a report from the public works department regarding the city clean-up costs, including the public dumpster. Long story short, the city is running over $9,000 a year in the red for the costs of the clean-up programs. 

The biggest cost is the $29,392 we spent on the dumpster in fiscal year 2021. Much of that cost is from tree limbs, leaves, grass clippings, and other yard waste.

A number of options were considered:

  • raise rates to cover the cost
  • eliminate the city-wide clean up and keep the dumpster
  • eliminate the dumpster and keep the city-wide clean-up
  • eliminate the dumpster and the clean-up
  • shorten the time the dumpster is available, maybe to two months such as only May and October
  • purchase or lease property to use as a burn site for yard waste so it doesn't go into the dumpster
  • or maybe find someone to contract out to for a burning and mulching site for the yard waste that would cost much less than the current disposal fees

No decisions were made, but it is an item we'll continue to discuss. If you have other ideas or comments you'd like to contribute, please contact city hall or the mayor or any member of the city council. 

I'm sure we can figure out a plan that will help us keep our city safe, healthy, and beautiful and not break the bank.

More to come. Thanks. 

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