HAPPY HOLIDAYS HIDDEN SPRINGS
The Town Council and HSTA Staff would like to wish you and your family the very warmest of greetings and best wishes during the holiday season. We have much to be grateful for, particularly all of our neighbors and the people who make this such a wonderful community. We love where we live and believe we are surrounded by some of the best people in the world. May you enjoy the company of the ones you love and be blessed with peace and joy this holiday season and in the coming new year.
ANNUAL SEWER & MEMBER MEETINGS 2025
The Hidden Springs Town Association Annual Sewer Company and Member Meeting is 12/9/25 at the Community Barn, 4768 W Farm Ct. The Meeting starts at 6:30pm with Sewer Company information presented first, followed by the Annual Member Meeting immediately following. The Sewer Company and Town Association Annual Reports will be available on the community website 12/10/25. Included in the Annual Reports are year-end financials, projects completed, and what’s ahead for 2026.
2026 HOA & SEWER ASSESSMENTS
Taking into consideration the actual operational and maintenance expenses incurred in 2025 and forecasted expenses for 2026, maintain the reserve funding model recommended by North Star Reserves and balance the budget relative to projected income, the Hidden Springs Town Association 2026 budget was approved with a 10.54% increase. Based on projected income, invested reserves and forecasted operational and maintenance expenses for the Sewer Company, the Hidden Springs Sewer Company 2026 budget was approved without an increase.
Remember to adjust ANY scheduled online auto payments to the new amount per quarter, $526.75 ($351.50 = HOA and $175.25 = Sewer). This includes changing the amount with Keystone Connection if you set up your “auto pay” as a fixed amount versus “current statement balance” or “current assessment balance.” Please refer to Policy 200 and 210 for Assessment Procedures and Effects of a Delinquent Payment. Q1 2026 HOA and Sewer Assessments are due 1/1/26 and delinquent if not received 1/10/26. To save on expenses, copies of the budgets are not included in the statement mailing. Just scan the QR Code below review or download the 2026 Budgets. Copies are also available in the office.
Please be sure you are a registered user on www.hiddensprings.com for member access.
CALL FOR OPEN SPACE COMMITTEE APPLICANTS
Hidden Springs is seeking a few dedicated community members to serve on the Open Space Committee for 2026. Volunteers will serve on the Open Space advisory committee to HSTA Management and HSTA Town Council to ensure our Open Space projects, care, maintenance and management align with existing CCRs, the Conservation Easement, land-management best practices, and broader community interest. Join us in preserving and enhancing the beauty and integrity of our open spaces!
To apply, please contact the office@hiddensprings.com for an application or stop by the town office for a copy. Deadline for applications: December 31, 2025. Applicants will be contacted in early January for next steps.
EXTERIOR HOLIDAY LIGHTING & DECORATIONS
Remember that Hidden Springs is a designated “Dark Sky Community.” When utilizing exterior lights in your holiday decorating, be considerate of your neighbors, utilize timers, and remove or turn them off after the December holidays. DO NOT light up the night sky continuously throughout the year or keep holiday lights on your home year-round. Please refer Section
2.19 Exterior Lighting and the Addendum to Section 2.19 in the Residential Design Guidelines.
TREES
With the leaves dropping from the trees, now is a good time to look at your trees particularly those in your parkway strip. Are your trees and shrubs impacting vehicle and pedestrian traffic and safety? Do they block street signs or streetlights? Low limbs should be cut off to provide a minimum of 14′ of clearance on the street side and 10′ of clearance above the sidewalk.
STREETLIGHTS
AME Electric provides streetlight service and repair for the community. The HSTA conducts monthly inspection and reports any streetlights in need of repair to AME. If you notice a bulb out or damaged fixture, please email the information and location to hsta@hiddensprings.com. As a ballast or bulb goes out, AME will be retrofitting the fixtures to LED. LEDs are up to 50 percent more energy efficient than the high-pressure sodium bulb and are rated for 40,000-hour average life, conserving energy and saving the HOA money in the long term. LEDs also provide better street lighting, improve visibility and are Dark Sky compliant.
SNOW REMOVAL
It is the responsibility of the Association to keep the sidewalks clear of snow in front of property owned by the Association (common areas) and the condominiums ONLY. The Association will perform snow removal whenever the accumulation of snow is equal to or greater than 2-inches. It is the responsibility of individual homeowners to keep the snow and ice removed from the sidewalk(s) in front/adjacent to their own homes. Ada County Highway District Ordinance 190 Section 10 states that property owners should keep sidewalks adjacent to their property reasonably free of snow and ice. When clearing, place the snow on your property or in the parkway/street strip between the sidewalk and the street. Please do not push the snow into the street and/or gutters. Adding more snow to what has already naturally fallen on the street can block or overwhelm the storm drains once the snow begins to melt. To help mitigate potential flooding, remember to check and clear gutters and storm drains of debris, leaves, snow and ice.
WINTER TRAIL USE
Wet weather conditions often mean muddy trails! We encourage residents to make responsible decisions when considering hiking and biking community trails. It is very easy to find yourself on trails that you shouldn’t be on during the winter. If you are leaving tracks, walking off-trail to avoid mud or finding a lot of “trail” stuck to your shoes, boots or tires, it is too muddy. Turn around to save trails from damage, erosion and countless volunteer hours in repair. Current trail conditions are available daily at www.ridgetorivers.org.
SEASONAL WILDLIFE TRAIL CLOSURE
Reminder, Landslide Loop Wildlife Management Seasonal Closure is in effect from 12/1/25-3/31/26. Signs are posted and coincide with Avimor for consistency in the region. Please respect these trail closures which were agreed upon by all the trail and land managers in our area including: HSTA, Avimor, BLM, Ada Co. IDF&G and R2R. Honoring the closures helps wintering wildlife in our area and future efforts for trail corridors through important wildlife areas.
A FEW CC&R REMINDERS
The Master Declaration of Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CC&Rs) and Residential Design Guidelines (RDG) detail the obligations and responsibilities of all Hidden Springs’ property owners, residents as well as the duties and responsibilities of the Town Council and HSTA. Below are just a few reminders based on CC&R courtesy reminders issued recently:
Trash bins must be stored out of sight or properly screened with approved screening methods, and there are no exceptions for bins placed in alleys (RDG 2.15 and CC&R 6.5 Nuisances).
Boats, RVs, campers, and trailers may be parked on streets for short-term loading, unloading, and cleaning (72hrs). Please, not all winter! If you are in the middle of an extensive home project and need additional time, please contact the Town Office (RDG 2.11 and CC&R 6.9 Vehicles and Equipment).
Pet(s) are not to roam freely off of your lot, please observe proper trail etiquette and clean up the poop! (CC&R 6.10 Animals/Pets)
HAPPENINGS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
JOLLY HOLLY HOLIDAYS | 12/6/25 11:30-3:30pm
The event will be held at the Community Barn/Schick Ostolasa Farmstead again this year. Residents are invited to join us for a visit with Santa, hot cocoa, delightful snacks and a holiday take away craft! More details and sign-ups coming soon!
REGENERATIVE SALT BASED WATER SOFTENERS
Avoid salt-based regenerative water softeners to protect the Sewer Company’s Waste Water Treatment Facility and community green spaces! Salt (sodium and potassium chloride) pose serious environmental threats, from harming aquatic and marine life in the discharge areas (rivers, lakes) to damaging the delicate biochemical balance in the soil. After an extensive investigation in 2015-2016, it was determined that the Autumn Blaze Maples along W. Hidden Springs Dr were suffering significant health challenges due to excessive salt in the irrigation water. Testing revealed a high concentration of salt in the sewage water, most likely from regenerative soft water systems. Replacing and restoring the trees was a costly project for the Hidden Springs Town Association. IDEQ requires HSSC to monitor salts and address the impact. Removing salt from the influent water to protect the facility and quality of the effluent requires microfiltration and reverse osmosis equipment; an extremely expensive upgrade estimated to be a multimillion-dollar project. To avoid increased sewer costs, all customers are asked to avoid salt or potassium chloride regenerative water softeners. There are salt-free or tank exchange system options available.
WHAT’S NOT FLUSHABLE
The sewer lines for homes in Hidden Springs and Cartwright Ranch are connected to the wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) located in the hills just west of the community. The treated water is used for the irrigation of the green spaces within Hidden Springs. This water is cleaned and treated for safety by a process that is tightly governed by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). All of us have a very important role to play in keeping the facility operational, the irrigation water clean and our rates as low as possible. Visit https://www.hiddensprings.com/sewer_company/ to download a Household Waste Chart for effective ways to dispose of household waste and contribute to a sustainable clean environment.
TOWN OFFICE HOURS DURING THE HOLIDAYS
The Hidden Springs Town Office will be CLOSED Wednesday 12/24/25 through Friday 12/26/25 and Wednesday 12/31/25 through Thursday 1/1/25.
NEED MORE INFO?
If you have questions, please call or email the Town Office or visit www.hiddensprings.com.
Working diligently on your behalf, The Hidden Springs Town Association Town Council and Staff