Coletti shares achieved goals, future objectives in State of the City speech

AMMON — Mayor Sean Coletti gave his State of the City address this month where he went over the goals Ammon reached this past year and explained his objectives for 2020.

To open his speech, he expressed how honored he and the entire council are to be part of the city’s progress.

“I see vision, desire, and purpose in every department,” Coletti said. “I see a city that is moving and improving.”

Water, fiber, streets, parks, sanitation/sewer, development and the fire department are areas that he touched on. He also talked about how the city is operating internally.

“Our voices matter. What we do matters. We serve our residents. We must serve them well,” Coletti said.

Coletti first addressed the topic of water and said Ammon’s biggest change has been a conversion to a responsible metered water system. He said it hasn’t been easy adjusting to the new system, but he believes what’s been implemented will aid in preserving and protecting the water resource into the future.

“It was the right thing to do,” Coletti said.

Looking ahead, Ammon plans to unveil a weblink portal for residents to view their water use from the previous day. Coletti says they will revisit rates and work towards installing more meters.

Coletti brought up fiber and Ammon’s established LID4 (Local Improvement District) and he said that will be 2020’s fiber project. Within the next few weeks, there will be a link on ammonfiber.com for residents to fill out paperwork for an LID5 plan for 2021.

Since he’s been mayor, he’s wanted to bring Ammon Fiber to all residential subdivisions.

“In total, approximately 1450 residential properties or approximately 35% of the city have fiber access today,” Coletti said. “The cost of this service is directly comparable or even cheaper than what many are paying right now for internet, television and home phone.”

Significant time was spent resolving street issues last year, Coletti said, and he saw that as a Sunnyside/Ammon traffic signal was constructed. Turn lanes, drainage improvements and a roundabout were added as well.

“These changes have made a big difference in traffic flow,” Coletti said.

Some of his park to-do list items include making changes to Woodland Hills Park, improving the area around the Ammon pool and putting in tennis/pickleball courts at McCowin Park.

Also in the works for 2020 will be discussions regarding sewage. Coletti said the sewer plant needs “some major upgrades.” Plus, he said adjustments need to be made regarding the future of the structure of Eastern Idaho Regional Wastewater System.

“This is the year when we move EIRWWA into the more efficient operation it needs to be,” Coletti said.

When it comes to development, Coletti mentioned a master plan that was created years ago for improvements to the original townsite and Hillview and Hillsdale areas of town. He wants to review that and move forward. He also noted that the city has an opportunity to improve traffic flow through a buildout of John Adams to Hitt Road.

“This is a big project, but I firmly believe that it can be accomplished if we continue with our plan for urban renewal in that area,” Coletti said.

Coletti praised the efforts of the Ammon Fire Department and emphasized future growth needs for the department, especially on the east side of the city.

To close his speech, he gave an update on how the city is operating internally. Coletti says they had a record year for interest earnings on their investments. They also reorganized the administrative offices and finished fiscal year 2019 within budget and with a clean audit. According to Coletti, they adopted a balanced fiscal year 2020 budget.

“We have challenges ahead, may we face them with optimism and vision. We have jobs to do, may we do them with a resolve to live up to the trust of the public for whom we serve,” Coletti said. “This is not an easy job, but I am grateful to be doing it alongside people who I know give their heart and soul because they believe in what we are doing.”