The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutNewsletter City_February 2011with the university to improve street lighting around the cam- pus and this year we will be constructing new street light- ing as needed in other areas of the city. Fiscally, we have also faced challenges and have success- fully met these challenges with careful budgeting. The may- oral and city council budgets have been reduced by over $50,000. The Finance depart- ment’s budget has been re- duced by over $22,000. All city departments have worked diligently to reduce expendi- tures and stay within the budg- ets the council has set. The City has maintained a 25% operating cushion in past years. This year we have been able to increase this margin to 32%. The Idaho State Legisla- ture and our governor face the herculean task to balance the budget. We wish them the wisdom to do this fairly and to the best of their ability. All things considered we are in very good shape and will con- tinue to provide the services to the citizens of this great com- munity. We have a good rela- tionship with our neighboring cities. We enjoy good relations with the Madison School Dis- trict, Madison County and Brigham Young University- Idaho. Our parks look great and our recreation program is growing. The Rexburg Aquatic Park is progressing ahead of schedule. We in city government strive to serve and feel privileged to be a part of this great city. Thank You! -RSW State of the City I have been your Mayor for a little over one year, and I want to express my thanks to you, the citizens of Rexburg, for your support. As your Mayor, I feel a responsibil- ity to express my thoughts on the current state of our city and give an account of my steward- ship. Though Rexburg has ex- perienced obstacles in its con- tinued growth we have worked to meet these challenges. Shortly after I took office, Rex- burg and surrounding areas experienced (2) major power outages. It was apparent that we needed additional emer- gency power sources for Rex- burg City facilities. Within a short six months we installed stand-by power systems at the fire station, the police depart- ment, city hall, the wastewater treatment plant, and at our fuel storage facilities. Thanks to a quick turnaround, the city is now better prepared to meet the emergency needs of the citizens. A concern when I was serving on the city council was infra- structure. Our roads were dete- riorating, and our wastewater treatment facility was nearing capacity. These are still con- cerns of mine; however, our infrastructure is able to meet the current demands, and we are focusing on our capacity to meet the future growth. We have recently finished the first step to expand our waste water treat- ment facility. The modifications to the treatment plant are now operat- ing as anticipated. This first step will help to increase our capacity and save us thousands of dollars a year in operating costs. Currently, water supply is another concern. We have been working to acquire additional water rights. We have worked with the Idaho Department of Water Resources and I have met with our governor, “Butch” Otter on the acquisition. The work on additional rights has been fruitful and progress is being made. Available energy for continued growth is also a concern. While we have sufficient energy supplies for our residential and commercial needs and growth, we are currently working with Intermountain Gas and Rocky Mountain Power to de- velop enhancements to their sys- tems to be able to attract industry. We are grateful for their continued efforts. Adequate transportation routes are always a concern of the city for cur- rent demand and future growth. As growth continues a second route crossing the river to augment 2nd East is a need that must be met. This additional crossing is impor- tant for transportation capacity, emergency services and to help maintain the feel of a smaller home town without traffic congestion. Last year we completed the widen- ing and reconstruction of 12th West to facilitate major traffic movements and to serve the new high school. We have installed traffic control devices at a number of our more critical intersections and installed enhanced pedestrian crossings at several locations. We are working February 2011 Upcoming Events City Council Meeting February 2 and 16 Rexburg City Hall 7:00 pm Upper Valley Idol Auditions February 4th & 5th Nordic Dash February 26th at Teton Lakes Golf Course Bar J Wranglers March 12, 2011 at Madison High School 5:30 and 8:00 Reminder: Parking on city streets over night is prohibited December 15-March 1st All City offices will be closed February 21 for Presidents Day Blood Drive March 29, 2011 11:30-4:15 @ The Fire Department Contact Pam 372-2340 to sign up for a time Community Update Mayor’s Message Page 2 February 2011 Community Update 35 N 1st E Rexburg, Idaho 83440 208.359.3020 / fax 208.359.3022 cityhall@rexburg.org Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm 2011 UPPER VALLEY IDOL Rexburg is gearing up once again for it's annual Upper Valley Idol singing competition held at the Romance Theatre. Contestants will compete from all over the upper valley for a chance at some fantastic prizes. Upper Valley Idol is a fundraiser for the theatre and Rexburg's premier talent showcase. Contestants will compete in three different age brackets. Youth 5-10 Junior 11-16 Adult 17 and up Auditions will be held at the Romance Theatre on Main Street. We have made some slight changes to the way we will be holding auditions this year in hopes that you will have less of a wait time. Please pay special attention to the times. Youth and Junior Auditions Friday February 4th- 4:30-7:30pm Last names beginning with A-M 4:30-6:00pm Last names beginning with N-Z 6:00 -7:30pm Adult Auditions Saturday February 5th 10:00-2:00pm Last names beginning with A-M 10:00-12:00pm Last names beginning with N-Z 12:00-2:00pm Call backs will be held on the following Saturday February 12th 10:00-12:00pm. For those of you needing to attend callbacks we will be posting the callback list on the front of the Romance thea- tre the day after the auditions. For those wishing to audition they need to come prepared with a short song, preferably acapella, and a head shot of themselves (it doesn’t need to be a professional photo). Show dates..... Youth-March 5th- 7:00pm (one night only) Preliminaries Junior March 18th -7:00pm Adult March 19th -7:00pm Semi-Finals Junior April1st- 7:00pm Adult April 2nd- 7:00pm Finals Junior April15th- 7:00pm Adult April 16th -7:00pm This is an exciting event for the whole family. There will be door prizes from local businesses, plenty of incredible talent and even some celebrity judges. Come out and show your support for these talented performers and for the Romance theatre as we crown a new 2011 UPPER VALLEY IDOL. The Bar J Wranglers, world famous singing cow- boys from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, will entertain the entire family with western harmonies straight from the range, cowboy stories and jokes that will have you laughing in the aisles, and an evening of inspiration that will continue to lift your spirits long after the show. Leave your cares behind, sit back and unwind, spending time with the Bar J Wranglers. Presented by the Madison Fire Department and Pipe Brigade, pro- ceeds will benefit your local firefighters! March 12, 2011 at Madison High School 5:30 and 8:00 Tickets are $13 and can be purchased on line at: mfdpipebrigade.org or fdmadison.org Come participate in the 2011 Nordic Dash February 26th at Teton Lakes Golf Course. Choose your race 10K Skate Ski (10:00 am) 5K XC Ski (10:00 am) 1.6 Mile Snow Shoe (10:30 am) Registration $20 @ www.lifeactive.org (Fee includes 2011 Nordic Dash race beanie)