Mayor Brian Gladden and department heads presented Pocatello’s State of the City report, summarizing fiscal year 2024 accomplishments funded by American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars and numerous state and federal grants.

Mayor Gladden said the city will use $10,300,000 in ARPA funds for projects approved by the council and staff recommendations. He described the city as financially strong and credited staff for winning grant money that enabled additional projects beyond the regular services funded by tax revenues.

Key department highlights included:

- Police: Chief Roger Shy said the department piloted a Youth Leadership Academy for about 20 youth ages 15–18 and completed upgrades to the men's locker room to provide power and ventilation for modern equipment. Officers received multiple Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certificates and life‑saving awards were recognized.

- Fire and EMS: Chief Ryan O’Hearn reported adoption of response analytics via Dark Horse Emergency, a new station alerting system funded jointly with the county, advanced driver training (a train‑the‑trainer program), and paramedic training supported by a FEMA grant. The department also contributed crews to wildland deployments and controlled slash burns to reduce fire risk.

- Public services and streets: Director Tom Kirkman described a new fueling station serving roughly 600 assets, the sanitation department taking over recycling operations (anticipated to cut recycling costs by about 50%), and more than 40 miles of roadway improved through the pavement management program. The city maintains 7.2 miles of levee as part of a federal flood reduction project, protecting roughly 1,332 homes and buildings valued at about $258 million.

- Parks and recreation: Director Anne Butler highlighted the new ICCU splash pad, Brooklyn’s playground turf replacement, Ross Park waterslides (two slides approximately 35 feet high), ADA‑accessible Con Gilmore pickleball courts with LED lighting, and a $1.5 million renovation of the Community Recreation Center funded in partnership with the Portneuf Health Trust.

- Planning and development: Director Brett McClain said staff launched an online land‑use portal (Etrack), updated downtown development guidelines, and applied for 13 state and federal grants totaling roughly $30 million — of which the city was awarded eight grants totaling over $18 million. The city’s match requirement for the awarded grants was $195,000, with $65,000 from the general fund.

- Engineering projects: Public Works Director Jeff Mansfield described completion of the Hawthorne and West Quinn intersection upgrade, which carried an estimated project cost of approximately $4,000,000 and served over 10,000 daily trips before construction; the project added dedicated bike lanes, upgraded signals, ADA sidewalks and finished the traffic signal installation.

- Utilities and environment: Water Superintendent Justin Armstrong reported delivering about 4.7 billion gallons of drinking water in 2024 and replacing aging transmission lines, with two new wells under construction expected to add up to 4.3 million gallons per day capacity when completed in spring 2025. Water Pollution Control treated about 1.2 billion gallons and completed major upgrades including a dewatering facility and upgrades to digesters and aeration systems.

- Transit and airport: Pocatello Regional Transit (Skyler Beebe) reported ridership growth of roughly 9,000 additional boardings year‑over‑year and nearly 200,000 passenger trips; a new fixed‑route shelter was installed with FTA grant funds. Airport Manager Alan Evans noted FAA Airport Improvement Grant work including extensive ramp pavement maintenance and master‑plan updates, and new hangars responding to growing demand.

Why it matters: The report shows municipal investment across safety, utilities, mobility and recreation, enabled in part by ARPA and grant funding. Several projects — large intersection work, levee maintenance, water system upgrades and park amenities — affect safety, mobility and quality of life for Pocatello residents.

Quotes: "The city of Pocatello will accomplish many projects during fiscal year 2024 using the $10,300,000 in American Rescue Plan Act or ARPA monies awarded to Pocatello," Mayor Brian Gladden said. "We are very pleased with the progress made, and you will hear more about these incredible projects directly from the departments throughout this year's state of the city report."

Ending: Council President Lurek closed the meeting by thanking staff and the mayor, saying the council is committed to continuing a balanced, responsible budgeting approach and pursuing grants and ARPA funds to carry additional projects into 2025.