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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 have to review relevant legal concerns and applicable laws. Sometimes we visit or are visited by others who have experience with the issues. Sometimes the council works through agenda items over many months. Some issues are relatively simple to understand and don't take nearly as much time and energy.
If we consider the work it takes for councilmembers to stay informed, it becomes clear that it's a difficult process to help all residents stay informed at that level. The information that city council members review can be reviewed by residents; however, realistically, most residents are not going to make time to review everything that comes before the council. Most residents trust their elected officials to follow the law and to represent their values and desires for the city. And, of course, every election day, the residents have the option to put their trust in someone else if they wish. This past week, the city council and the Planning and Zoning Commission had a joint work meeting. One item we discussed was how to make public information even more accessible to the public. It's an ongoing effort.
Sewer Use Rate Increase
Sugar City's waste water is processed by the treatment plant in Rexburg. We have a long-term contract agreement with Rexburg for this service (the city of Teton does too). Rexburg recently completed a study on the water and sewer systems and have determined that rates need to increase to manage the current and future needs of the systems, including maintenance, replacements, and upgrades.
We were provided copies of the study, of course. The mayor, council members, and other city staff analyzed the study. I've pasted a summary page regarding the sewer rates here. Rate increases are planned by Rexburg over the next five fiscal years. In other words, the fees we have to pay Rexburg will most likely go up by the amounts show on the table. Of course, Sugar City's city council has to vote to set the rates in our city, and the motion to raise sewer use rates passed, and the increase begins Feb 1st this year: Base rate stays the same at $26.40 and the usage rate will increase from $4.22 to $4.47 per 1000 gallons. The council will set future rates at the time we set each FY budget, usually in August.
It's true Sugar City could decide not to pass along matching rate increases to our residents, but the bill from Rexburg would still have to be paid. I think it's unwise to suggest that Sugar should not match inflationary costs or increases in the fees charged by Rexburg while assuming we are doing our duty to have an efficient sewer system and are trying to be prepared for emergencies or necessary upgrades and maintenance. If we didn't increase our rates to match, the difference would need to come from some other city fund source--and what that source would be, I don't know.
By the way, legally, all fees paid by residents into the water and sewer accounts can only be used for water and sewer costs. They cannot be used for any other general account items in the city budget. The city is not "making money" off of water and sewer fees in order to use the money for some other project or budget item.
City Budgeting
As far as other general budget categories or items go, there is, indeed, more leeway and room for careful review and decision-making. How much should the city budget for painting crosswalks? How much for parks and recreational opportunities? What are our equipment needs for snow removal? Do we new a new printer/copier in the front office? Do we hire another fulltime employee to work on that or can we continue to get by with a parttime employee? Do we provide health insurance benefits for city employees or do we point them in the direction of ACA marketplaces? Are we wasting money trying to keep repairing the old dump truck: should we invest in a new one or maybe a new used one? How much of a raise should employees get this year? Do we offer any kind of per diem to residents who serve on the Planning and Zoning Commission? Should we invest in a ham radio system for emergencies? Can we hire someone to maintain and keep current our city's webpage? Do we sponsor a float in the Independence Day parade and how much budget do we use for candy to throw to the kids? Did we get enough sponsors to pay for the Sugar Days event so we don't have to spend city budget money on it? Do we have the money to pay for security cameras on city facilities? Can we afford another standard street light installation at that intersection or would we save money if we put a solar light in instead? Can we get a grant for new sidewalks? What repairs do the park facilities and playground equipment need? Can we continue to squeeze city equipment into our shop? Do we have enough money to get our city employees trained for road repairs and water and sewer certifications? Do we need to hire a code enforcement officer? Will this new front office software save us time and money? Have we saved up enough to pay for our share of the upgraded sewer line going in from Moody to Rexburg and how about from Sugar to Moody? Can we try to save a little money this year and for the next several years so we can then make this equipment or facilities purchase? And on and on the budget process goes each year.
I have great respect for the members of the city staff, the mayor, and the city council who wring their hands and pull out their hair each year when we plan the budget. In my experience, the current mayor and council members are fiscally responsible, as they should be.
Well, I've gone on too long. I encourage all residents to be as active in the process of city government as they can or want to be, and the city making information readily available is key. And it is a good idea for the city to review the process of getting info out to the public. Just this past week, I contacted the city staff about updating the online lists of residents serving on the various city-related boards, committees, and commissions. I think it's important for residents to know which of our friends and neighbors, in addition to elected officials, are serving to help keep the city the wonderful place that it is.