Tim Sapp

After serving 20 years on the Powell City Council, no one can say Tim Sapp hasn’t given back to the community. As is the case for all three positions on the council that are up for election in November, no other candidates filed to run against him.  

“Someone has to fill the position,” Sapp said. 

Were there a challenger or two, he might not have run. If he didn’t pursue another term, Sapp explained, the council would have to appoint someone. It would leave a lot up to chance who represents the citizens of Powell. 

Sapp, who is the longest serving member on the council, is a strong proponent for the development of city parks. City ordinance requires the developers of annexed subdivisions to donate 6% of the total area of land for park space, or to make a payment equal to 10% of the value of land being annexed. 

In many annexations, the city accepted land and ultimately ended up with more potential park space than it could afford to develop. The city is a lot more interested in the cash payments. 

Sapp argues that the city should take the land since it can be sold after 10 years. The money raised from the sale would be greater than the cash payment, which could be then used to develop the parks. 

“The problem I see is that the city keeps taking money in lieu of, and the money in lieu of is nowhere near what we need to build a park,” Sapp explained. 

Sapp also wants to get the Division Street project going. The project would widen Division Street, as was done to Absaroka Street in 2019, as well as replace water and sewer pipes under the pavement. 

The Absaroka Street project was paid for with a voter-approved specific purpose tax. Some of the surplus funding for that project could be used toward the Division Street project. It wouldn’t pay for it, but Sapp said it would get the ball rolling. 

He said there are some other grant opportunities, as well as partnerships, that might also help. 

A specific-purpose tax, which would require voter approval, might also be required to pay for the project. 

Sapp points out that Division is such a narrow road with lots of traffic, as well as school children crossing it, which creates a safety hazard. 

“When they first opened up Absaroka and you could drive down it, I was surprised how wide that street was,” Sapp recalled. 

Sapp also wants to see what the council could do to facilitate the development of low-income housing. Inflation has hit the rental market pretty hard, and Sapp said it’s likely to get worse. 

The Sapp family has a long history in Powell. Sapp’s grandfather was one of the original homesteaders. He acquired his homestead, which was near Crown Hill Cemetery, around 1910. Sapp said it “alkalied out,” and so he transferred it to the Willwood. 

Sapp was born and raised on the Willwood. He graduated from Powell High School and studied at Northwest College when it was Northwest Community College. Before he retired, he worked as a welder/machinist in agriculture and the oil industry.  

Sapp said he tries to represent the people, and in some cases he’s voted against the rest of the council based on input he’s received from his constituents. 

For example, he voted against allowing a processing plant in an industrial area abutting a residential neighborhood, and he voted against value engineering the Powell Aquatic Center, which he said led to some unfavorable design choices. 

“I’ve always had the opinion to work for the people, and help them accomplish what they want to accomplish. It hasn’t always been an easy road, but it’s what I always endeavored to try to do,” Sapp said.