Soda Springs City Council 7/2
Attorney Tom Smith attended the meeting through Zoom.
Movie in the Park
The first screening of the Movie in the Park is scheduled. It will be at dusk. Mosquito abatement is happening at Kelly Park this evening.
USS Idaho
The govt is in the process of testing/proving the USS Idaho 799, which will be commissioned next year in 2026. They have asked that cities support the commissioning as it draws closer. Information can be found at USSIdahocommittee.org. There are levels that cities can consider donating to, as well as different ways to support the endeavor. The CEO is Capt. Coburn, who is from the area, according to information received at the Association of Idaho Cities meeting, which took place at the end of last month. The Commissioning ceremony itself will happen on the east coast, but in the meantime the buildup will be a statewide affair. Idaho PTV will decorate sleeping berths, and they are asking for pictures to be submitted. A documentary made by PBS about the commissioning with Idaho water in bottles was recently shot. As more information becomes available, we will bring you ways to contribute or follow the story.
Hope Hansen--Library
Hansen reported that Summer Reading is now closed for the youngest kids. A final water slide and outdoor activity day was held at the end of last month. “It was really successful. Final numbers are on the way,” Hansen said, though anecdotally the number of kids involved was as high or higher as in the past. Electrical work is happening at the library right now. Concrete pad out back is finished.
Dan Squires
The issue of rate increases for utilities has been under discussion for the past several meetings as setting the budget grows more imminent. Squires presented an image of a 16 foot section of 8 inch main line with multiple leaks. “This is what we’re dealing with throughout the city. When people ask ‘Are these rate increases really necessary, and what are we doing with them?’ this is what, and why we need to do something now.” The pipe is a spiral weld steel water pipe from the 50s/60s, and the system is experiencing increasing leaks.
“We have to be able to get clean drinking water, and flush our toilets,” Councilmember (CM) Rod Worthington said.
Justin Hansen and the city crew are trying to engineer and actuator for the geyser. The valve should not be affected by hard water and minerals.
The burn ban the city and county announced applies only to open burning. If it’s in a recreational, standard fire pit it’s legal.
Jessica Thurman—Recreation
The first scheduled Paddleboarding class had to be rescheduled due to weather. It will be next Tues (July 8). A parent meeting on July 9 will be held by the rec department, mostly for parents.
They need to pass a resolution to add rentals to the fee schedule. It will be adopted in Sept.
CM Ryan Carpenter, who is part of the Pickleball committee working to secure funds to bring a pickleball court to Soda Springs clarified that the rendering of the court (included in last week’s paper) was just for the purposes of the grant to show the approximate size and location. The south Volleyball pit will not be taken out, which had been a concern Thurman had.
The court project itself will be presented to the city council when it is prepared.
CM Paul Gritton like to shout out to the group that is putting together that effort. “It is the precise involvement we need in our community.” Gritton also noted that “I can feel a new found sense of vitality in the community regarding the rec program.”
Chief CeJay Golightly
Most of the city’s officers will be involved in traffic control during the parade. The Rotary Club and Justin Hansen’s crew will be involved too.
Golightly shouted out Dan Squires and his crew who got to a residence fire “extremely quick. As you guys know, we have a really professional fire dept.”
Airport Use
CM Gritton asked about rules regarding the airport. “A camper turned up out there. None of the staff knew who it was. I just wanted to have some clarity.” A large quantity of herbicide was reportedly stored behind it. It was plugged into a city power outlet.
Council President (CP) Mitch Hart noted that “This gentleman has used the airport in the past. He buys a lot of fuel and stays over for his spraying operation. As a courtesy we’ve let him stay. In the past, he’s given people a heads up, which he didn’t do this time. He is spraying for farmers, so the city is going to advise him to make sure they know next time.”
Budget
Utility rates dominated the “pre-budget” discussion again, as the city looks toward setting its yearly budget. Rate increases are always painful, and they affect all cities and service providers in the state and beyond. The rates go up frequently, because the services that they are attached to see cost increases that often outstrip the pace of municipalities’ ability to raise rates.
The situation that members of the council largely discussed avoiding was one where the rates are raised either too gradually or not at all in such a way that a budget shortfall becomes inevitable, or that the service funds do not have the capacity for necessary improvements or emergency situations. There is also the need to account for infrastructure projects down the road that will either need to be paid for out of service charges, grants, or a combination. If those sources are not possible, a bond, levy, or other mechanism would be required. Some of those projects include water transmission lines, residential water and sewer lines that are 80 years old, power plant and wastewater treatment plant projects, and others.
CM Gritton advised that the costs for the porjects would only increase as time goes on, so being proactive would be a good idea.
Input from department heads about the rate increases, as well as budget needs for the upcoming year, is being gathered as the tentative budget is prepared. That budget can ultimately be lowered, but not increased without reopening it after passage, so the closer it is to final the better. July 16 is the date set aside for the budget presentation.
Miscellaneous
Safety Tour
Councilmember Rod Worthington extended a thank you to the Looking Glass committee, which evaluated the city for safety, access and other issues. One point that was raised during a brief discussion was that sidewalk ramps make any place they occur a legal crossing area.
Splash Pad
The city was recently approached by an individual who wondered about the viability of a splash pad at the City Park. A discussion among the councilmembers and Justin Hansen, Alan Skinner and Dan Squires was held. The costs associated with keeping a splash pad running were determined to be too large. It was also noted that the hard water in the system would create a lot of maintenance and replacement issues.
A concerned citizen asked about dust abatement at some of the areas around the city RV parks. There is a budget pool which is from rent for the lots that exists possibly to take care of it.
