May City Council Round Up
The regular monthly meeting of the Cambridge City Council took place May 11 at 7:00 p.m. at the City Hall Chambers on South Superior Street. The meeting began with the Consent Agenda, which included the approval of the current agenda, previous meeting minutes and payment of bills. Rather than providing comprehensive minutes of this meeting, which are always available on the City of Cambridge’s website, highlights of the May 11 general meeting and the outcome of certain action items are provided below.
After the unanimous approval of the Consent Agenda, a lengthy discussion ensued regarding the 1st Street road repaving project and a change order that will expand the project’s length so it extends all the way to the Salubria Center. This is an area that has had numerous potholes and water pooling. Staff discussed extending the 1st Street project south toward the senior center, but concerns were raised about the additional costs and city budget limitations. Currently, the contractor pricing was quoted at $216 per linear foot. A proposed 350-foot extension would reach the last residence on the right side of the street.
Some additional concerns pertaining to the extension of the road work revolved around the discovery that significant wet soil conditions were found beneath the roadway. The contractor reported there is essentially no gravel base under the street, only dirt. Due to these factors, over-excavation may be required to remove unstable soil which may incur additional costs. These additional costs are currently unknown, pending further inspection. However, because the current project bid came in below engineering estimates, the city council discussed that it may be wise to expand the project while costs are favorable.
In the end, the city council decided to delay action on the change order until additional inspection and cost information was made available. The City of Cambridge may inspect the roadway conditions and possibly schedule a special meeting for additional deliberation. No motion was made.
The next action item was approval of the audit engagement letter. Quest CPAs, one of the largest public auditing firms in Idaho who specialize in audits for counties, cities, school districts, and special districts, will be engaged by the city of Cambridge, who has used the firm previously. It was mentioned that audit costs have historically increased by approximately $500 annually over the last decade.
It was noted that Quest CPAs has always been highly responsive and never charges extra when city officials call with questions. The contract with Quest CPAs will be for three years. A motion made and seconded to approve the audit engagement letter with Quest CPAs. The motion passed unanimously.
Another action item was the approval of the new Cambridge city logo. The logo has gone through several revisions, all discussed at prior meetings. The logo was approved unanimously.
A critical agenda item was a discussion about the City of Cambridge’s Comprehensive Plan. Blue Cross has provided $20,000 in funding to update and develop the plan, and part of the grant requirements are monthly progress updates. The need to continue progress on the comprehensive plan update was discussed, due to the $20,000 Blue Cross grant funding.
Discussion items were the sections on population, property rights, and housing and economic development. Discussion centered on whether the comprehensive plan should include language encouraging or requiring regular meetings between the city and the school district. The discussion also addressed the value of balancing goals and the avoidance of rigid language in the plan that may impose unrealistic obligations.
Also included in the discussion was the longstanding maintenance agreement for the tennis courts installed through an Idaho Parks and Recreation grant in 1983 and the potential to convert the tennis courts into pickleball or basketball courts. It was noted that the tennis courts are currently underutilized.
Another component of the comprehensive plan were the efforts to include the community in the process through a survey. It was mentioned that a large proportion of survey responses came from outside the city limits. Other relevant issues that were addressed in the discussion were population growth trends, the need for business growth, infrastructure, and future mining activity.
The next Cambridge City Council meeting will be held on June 10 at 7:00 p.m. As a reminder to the community, if you are unable to attend in person, audio recordings of City Council meetings, minutes, and agendas are available on the City of Cambridge website. City Hall is accessible for people with disabilities. Any person needing special accommodation to participate in the meeting should contact City Clerk Sandra McKee at (208) 257-3318 or (208) 550-0591 at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.
