Unanimous: Nampa City Council denies levy override to fund Ford Idaho Center
NAMPA, Idaho — A plan to place a tax increase on the November ballot to assist pay for the transfer of the Ford Idaho Center to the College of Western Idaho (CWI) was overwhelmingly rejected by the Nampa City Council.
For every $1 million required, the council contemplated changing a levy that would have increased taxes for Nampa households by roughly $6. The Ford Idaho Center’s needs were valued at $25 million by CWI.
“We’re discussing a financial choice tonight. How do we proceed? How can we pay for this? According to Mayor Debbie Kling.
Watch as the Ford Idaho Center is discussed by the City Council.
Is the override levy the solution, then? “I don’t believe it is,” stated Councilman Victor Rodriguez.
A number of alternative proposals for generating revenue surfaced during the public input process. In order to turn a three-acre portion of the parking lot into commercial space, Councilmember Haverfield suggested creating a quarter of the remaining parking compact slots.
The new proposal from Councilmember Griffin is to raise user fees. Currently, each ticket sold is valued at two dollars, bringing in $300,000 annually.
Mayor Kling adds, “But if we add another $2, we get an additional $300,000 [totaling $600,000] annually.” That might simply be compensating for a shortfall.
The city council has not yet scheduled a meeting to discuss and decide whether to move the Ford Idaho Center to CWI.
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