Cambridge City Council Roundup
The regular monthly meeting of the Cambridge City Council was held on February 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 February general meeting and the outcome of action items are provided below.
During the approval of the Consent Agenda, City Clerk Sandra McKee made note that the city’s annual expenditures for legal prosecution costs were much less than in previous years. This was acknowledged, a motion was made, and the Consent Agenda was passed unanimously.
The first action item was Cambridge FFA’s request to place banners around town. Youth representatives from the Cambridge chapter of the FFA spoke and explained that this is a community building project which will have business sponsors and banners will highlight both the FFA and graduating seniors. The banners will be placed on Superior Street and locations leading to the school. The FFA representatives explained that they have reached out to Idaho Power for permission and assistance. City Clerk McKee commented that the city also needs to reach out to the regional manager of Idaho Power, since they usually require the city to initiate any agreement for placing banners. The FFA proposed placing banners on both Highway 95 and Highway 71. The banner design was also commented upon. A motion was made to support the Cambridge FFA to place banners on Highway 95 and on Highway 71. The motion was passed unanimously.
A discussion followed regarding the America 250 action items. City Clerk McKee explained that she signed Cambridge up to be an Ambassador City and the city now has its own America 250 logo. She also made note of the official America 250 song and companion video. The song was released on February 6. McKee discussed purchasing banners and flags to represent Cambridge and America 250. A discussion revolved around the various events Cambridge will organize to celebrate America 250, such as a Walking Challenge, a Volunteer Challenge to volunteer 250 hours, and the July 4 Free Community Breakfast, which will be sponsored by the City of Cambridge, with the assistance of local churches. The America 250 banners will be placed on the Highway 95 corridor.
Mayor Loveland read a proclamation establishing Cambridge as a JustServe City: A Commitment to Volunteerism & Service. The proclamation declared that Cambridge will “nurture a culture of volunteerism.” After this, the official Idaho America 250 music video was shown to the council members. A motion was made to pass the America 250 banner proposal. This was passed unanimously.
Also pertaining to the America 250 Celebration, was an action item for the America 250 Cambridge Committee request to close South Second Street from the intersection of Highway 71 to the end of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints parking lot on South Second Street. The closure will be in effect Friday, July 3, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. to Saturday July 4, 2026, at 12:00 noon A motion was made to approve this action item which was passed unanimously.
The next agenda action item was “City Sponsor Idaho Department of Commerce Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Grant for Cambridge Midvale Goodrich Senior Center, Set Public Hearing and Special Meeting for March 4, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. and Letter of Support.” City Clerk McKee provided context for this action item by explaining that funding was restored this year for this block grant which provides funds for operating the senior centers in both Midvale and Cambridge. There is already a letter of support from Washington County. A public hearing is scheduled for March 4 at 7:00 p.m. which is part of the grant application process. The grant will provide funds for infrastructure such as HVAC and roofing. A motion was made to approve the special meeting and public hearing on March 4 at 7:00 p.m. The motion was unanimously passed.
The next action item was the passage of Ordinance No. 3-2026 to Prohibit Public Sleeping or Camping within City Limits Except at Designated Areas. This ordinance was discussed in detail at the January city council meeting. A discussion centered on how transient populations have parked legally on Main Street for over a week and also have camped at the park and how the ordinance will provide an avenue so the sheriff can ask such people to move on. A motion was made to introduce and read the ordinance that was passed by roll call vote. A second motion was made to read the ordinance in “title only” which was passed by roll call vote. Then, the ordinance was read and a motion was made to suspend the second and third readings and to vote on the ordinance. This was passed by roll call vote. A final motion was introduced to pass the ordinance by one reading only which also was passed by roll call vote. The ordinance was passed, unanimously.
The last action item was Resolution No. 2-2026 Fee Schedule. This resolution pertains to fees the city will impose on permits for storage containers. A discussion was made about fees for permits vs. fees for violators. Mayor Loveland explained that the city’s goal was not to make money but also not to lose money with enforcement. A motion was made to introduce and read the resolution by title only. A roll call vote passed this motion, unanimously. The resolution was read by title only. A motion was made to pass the resolution. A roll call vote passed the motion.
A motion was made to adjoin the meeting with all in favor.
The next Cambridge City Council meeting will be held on March 9 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.
