Council approves $2,500 mayoral donation to USS Idaho commissioning commission

The Soda Springs City Council approved a $2,500 contribution from the mayor’s executive discretionary fund to support a local commission raising money and memorabilia for the 2026 commissioning of the USS Idaho submarine. Councilmember Mitch introduced the request, saying a commission is collecting Idaho memorabilia to display on the submarine and that the town’s contribution would honor local Navy veterans and potentially encourage other communities to contribute. Council members discussed the mayor’s discretionary account balance; City Clerk Andrea reported approximately $8,005 remained in the fund for the fiscal period. Mitch moved to authorize the $2,500 contribution from the mayor’s executive fund; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. Council asked staff to use a credit card payment to make the contribution and to pursue memorabilia donations and two commissioning tickets to be offered to community members if available. Council members discussed options for funding the donation — including using other town funds if the executive account were insufficient — and asked staff to pick the contribution level that “gets us the most bang for the buck,” then complete payment through the mayor’s office.