Sugar City, Idaho: The Dayley Report

  Fiber Network in Sugar City This week in city council meeting, we reviewed the latest information and options available for getting fiber high speed internet in the older areas of Sugar City. (I spoke about this in an earlier post .) Over the past couple of years, the council and city staff researched various options, and we eventually put out a call for specific proposals. This week we voted 3 to 1 to join with the county's agreement with Fybercom to provide the option for fiber-based broadband to the city's residents. I voted to support piggybacking on the County/Fybercom agreement. During the past several months, I read numerous academic studies and pro/con trade journal and non-profit "political lobbyist style" articles regarding the advantages and disadvantages of city-owned fiber networks. I read 4+ years of council minutes from other cities that have had to make the decision to own or not the fiber network in their city. I and other city officials met with an...

  Impact Area A city is required to have an impact area surrounding the city's boundaries within the unincorporated county. The impact area allows the county, city, and property owners to plan for possible or probable land development.  Residents of the impact area are not in the city limits, but they can have the benefit of having a proportional number of impact area residents serving on the city's planning and zoning commission, giving them a voice in any future development. Any landowner who wishes to develop their property within the impact area deals with the county as usual; however, as we strive to consolidate development--saving, as we can, more farm and other ag and open land--the land owner is required to follow the basic development ordinances laid out in the city code with the intent that the land being developed in the impact area will eventually become part of the city (annexation). One of the main issues with county land development is water protection and water...

New Year! The city council met for the first time in 2024 last Thursday, the 11th. We had a full agenda. I look forward to working with our newest council member, Carter Stanford. He jumped right in the deep end and started swimming, so I'm sure he's going to be a good addition to the council. $100,000 From the County County Commissioner Brent Mendenhall presented a check to the city as a contribution for the recent tennis court project agreement between the city and Sugar-Salem School District. Commissioner Mendenhall expressed the county commission's appreciation for Sugar City as the anchor of north Madison County. It's great the county is able to throw in a big chunk of change for the project. New Fiber Service? The county is moving forward with its grant-funded project of making fiber internet service available to unserved and underserved residents: https://www.eastidahonews.com/2024/01/madison-county-receives-game-changer-grant-for-high-speed-fiber-internet/ Fyber...

  Happy New Year! 2024 is here!  I thought I would scroll back over some of the highlights from 2023 and then briefly look at 2024. It's been a good year in Sugar City, overall, and I expect the new year will be a challenging, great year as well. Looking Back: 2023  EVENTS Arbor Day celebration, including a school art competition, a kids choir, and the planting of another tree in one of our parks. Easter Egg Hunt, which is full of fun and candy and prizes for the kids in the community. Sugar Days was lots of community fun, with plenty of vendors and a talent show and the new addition this past year of having a concert in the park the Friday evening before. Treats in the Streets went off with hardly a hitch. The weather was fantastic again, and we had more vendors and community participation than ever. The Christmas tree lighting in the park and the visit from Santa at the "North Pole" was inspiring and fun. We appreciate all who volunteer to help with these events. We wou...

  Christmas Lighting in the Park The Christmas lights lit up in Heritage Park right on cue again this year. Thanks to the city crew who have the park and the lights looking wonderful each year. And thanks to the combined children's choir from Central and Kershaw led by Mrs. Vail. Santa at the North Pole We had a great turn out to visit Santa at the "North Pole"! We thank everyone who made this exciting event possible, including the special escort for Santa provided by Madison County Emergency Services. It's great that they are willing to bring in the big guy each year. And speaking of the big guy, Santa was especially on his game this year.  We're grateful he's willing to drop in and make Christmas time even a bit more fun for the kids and families. Sugar City is a wonderful city, and I'm grateful to live here. We have our challenges and the occasional disagreements regarding current and future issues and topics, but we have good neighbors and good friends...

School District & City Tennis Courts Agreement The first part of the city council meeting last night was great. After a few intense months of planning and negotiating, the city council approved an agreement with the school district to help fund six new tennis courts for use by the district and the city residents. Members of the school board and the district superintendent spoke during public comment to encourage the council to take this step with them. It's a good deal for the city, and if we hadn’t approved it, I’m confident that in the future, we would have been kicking ourselves for not doing it. The courts will be enjoyed by everyone for decades to come. I appreciate Jason Flaig and the other members of his “tennis court” committee, who served as the chief researchers, planners, and negotiators for this project. They provided the energy needed to finally get this worthwhile project moving. Well done! Roads on Jr. High Property The second part of the city council mee...