The Mayor’s Corner 06/28/2023

Mayor Randy Hibberd

You know, I’m not sure exactly what the teachers at the High School are doing, but they sure must be doing something RIGHT! Governor Brad Little’s office released a statement recently announcing the Governor’s Cup Scholarship recipients. This is a $5,000 per year scholarship for up to four years, for Idaho students to attend Idaho Colleges and Universities.
Well, not just one, but two, of the 21 scholarships granted in Idaho went to Weiser High School 2023 graduates Macy Maloney and Mattie Shirts. This means that out of all the high schools in Idaho, Weiser High School took home 10% of the awards. CONGRATUALATIONS! Macy and Mattie, and GREAT JOB! Weiser High School teachers and staff! Words aren’t enough.
Now moving on to matters pertaining to the City, the Association of Idaho Cities held their annual 3-day conference last week in Boise. This conference is an opportunity for Mayors, Council Members, and key City Employees to get together for educational sessions, comparing notes, and learning best practices. Speakers are brought in from around the country. The conference is well worth attending. The only downside was that it was in the middle of Fiddle Week. But the information gained was valuable enough to justify not being in town.
At this conference there is a myriad of concurrent sessions covering a myriad of topics. City Clerk Natasha McDaniel and Public Works Director Mike Campbell joined me for the longest day. We split up to take in as many of the sessions as possible that pertained to us. Hopefully, we are now a bit smarter to be able to serve you better.
One of the areas where I wish the City was able to serve you better is with mosquito control. They are terrible this year, probably because of the wet spring and stormy summer so far. The City has been spraying the parks as much as we are able. The best spray for mosquitos, Tempo, can only be sprayed as many as five times in a season. We are already approaching that limit and are not able to legally apply more at a faster rate. So, I’m afraid that we will each have to take our own measures with bug spray to keep the critters at bay.
The only alternative, which would be too late to address this year, would be to form a Mosquito Abatement District. If I understand correctly, Washington County included a proposal for a District at one point, but the public voted it down because it would increase taxes. I know that no one wants taxes increased, but I am also finding that bug spray is expensive – and a bit inconvenient every time I step outside. Just saying.
Also, with the 4th of July coming up fast, I wanted to talk a bit about fireworks, particularly the aerial variety. Idaho law is strange because it allows for the sale of all types of fireworks, but makes the more hazardous ones, such as the aerial variety illegal to shoot.
I probably get far more complaints about misused fireworks than any other subject. This year the Weiser Police Department will be stepping up the efforts to control fireworks that shoot upward. These are the ones most likely to land on someone’s roof or shrubs to cause a fire. And we have had a few fires to back up these concerns. So, if you choose to shoot fireworks into the air, the police will politely give you a warning the first time. The second time, the fireworks will be confiscated. The best thing is not to buy them in the first place. That being said, I hope you have a great 4th of July celebration!
Well, that’s it for this week! Weiser really is a great place to live, work, and play!