Planning for ‘America 250’ Celebration
The regular monthly meeting of the Cambridge City Council was held on March 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the City Hall Chambers on South Superior Street. All action items on the agenda received unanimous votes of approval, beginning 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 available on the City of Cambridge’s website, highlights of the March general meeting and the outcome of agenda items are provided below.
The first action item began with a presentation by Sarah Imada from the Weiser Signal American newspaper regarding the upcoming publication of the visitors guide to Washington County. City Council members perused last year’s publication and made comments about the sections on Cambridge, offering suggestions for improvement and offering to submit photos to help promote Hells Canyon Days. Another suggestion was that information about Mundo Hot Springs could be highlighted more prominently as hot springs are an increasingly popular part of Idaho tourism. Imada said that her goal is to have the new 2026 edition published by May 1. A motion was made for the City of Cambridge to take out a full-page advertisement in the guide. The motion was unanimously passed.
The next agenda item was the updating of the Rogue Credit Union Update Business Signature Card. The signature card needed to be updated by adding the signature of the new council member Hayden Boll. The motion to update was passed unanimously.
The next action item involved a follow-up discussion to the America 250 banner preparations and the banners the FFA was planning to display on Highway 71. It was reported that Idaho Power had provided a letter giving permission to hang banners on their poles. The America 250 banners were quoted as costing approximately $100 each. There was some lighthearted discussion about the name “America 250” and that it wasn’t accurate because America consists of North and South America. City Clerk Sandra McKee said the name was decided at the Federal level. A motion was made to approve funding for seven America 250 Cambridge banners. The motion was passed unanimously.
The next action item was a vote to pass Ordinance No. 4-2026 to Prohibit Public Sleeping or Camping within City Limits Except at Designated Areas. This ordinance was previously passed under the title of “Ordinance No. 3-2026 to Prohibit Public Sleeping or Camping within City Limits Except at Designated Areas.” City Clerk McKee stated that when she went to publish the ordinance after the previous vote, the city attorney noted that it didn’t have the proper chapter and title, so it had to be renamed. The newly titled ordinance was passed by roll call vote.
The next action item revolved around the new city logo. Washington County and the city of Council have both recently updated their logos. A draft of a new Cambridge logo was shared with council members and a discussion ensued on how to improve it and make it more representative of Cambridge. Some comments involved removing images of the train as there was no longer a railroad coming through Cambridge. Members also felt Cuddy Mountain should be visible with snow on it and that the Water Tower should be incorporated into the logo. No vote was made about the logo until an updated version was available at the next meeting.
A non-action item but an important topic of discussion at this meeting was an overview of Cambridge’s Comprehensive Plan and its sections on population, property rights, housing and economic development. Members noted that the infrastructure in Cambridge can support more growth and part of the plan involves seeing the population return to levels not seen since the 1980s. City Clerk McKee commented that in the 1980s the downtown area was much more lively and filled with local residents. The council discussed how growth should be reconciled with the need to preserve the current small-town feel of Cambridge.
After this discussion, a motion was made to enter into an Executive Session according to Idaho Code 74-206(1) (c) To acquire an interest in real property not owned by a public agency. This was passed by roll call vote. After the executive session, a roll call vote was made to leave the executive session. There was no action made.
A motion was made to adjourn the meeting which was passed unanimously.
The next Cambridge City Council meeting will be held on April 13 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.
