Nampa City Council Meeting: September 2, 2025 – Agenda Amendments, Ford Idaho Center, Budget
Nampa City Council Meeting: September 2, 2025
The Nampa City Council met on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, at 7:00 PM. The meeting began with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by roll call. Council discussed proposed amendments to the agenda, debated several items related to the future of the Ford Idaho Center, heard public testimony on a zoning rezone for a restaurant, and approved the FY25 third budget amendment after a brief executive session.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1 for M: Removed from the consent agenda (cooperative agreement with ITD) indefinitely.
- Items 5-6 and 5-7: A motion to postpone these two items (authorizing the city attorney to draft a declaration of intent to convey/sell the Ford Idaho Center and authorizing a non-binding solicitation of interest) to the September 15, 2025 meeting failed (roll call votes: 3-4 and 3-4). The council then proceeded to consider the items as new business.
- Item 13A: Authorization to proceed with a public hearing for an upcoming application was approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Alan Clemens (5414 Cherry Lane) expressed concern about potential street access through his property for a neighboring church development. He referenced a prior council meeting where Councilman Haverfield allegedly suggested routing a street through his land. The mayor directed him to staff for follow-up.
- David Taney apologized for his previous conduct at council meetings, specifically regarding the Ford Idaho Center debate. He suggested forming an ad hoc committee of local experts to evaluate options.
- Patricia Warren (1216 13th Street South) and her daughter Andrea Adamson (824 Fifth Avenue North) opposed the proposed restaurant rezone at 1215 13th Street South, citing increased traffic, noise, dust, and parking issues. They argued the project was incompatible with the residential neighborhood.
- Brenda Rodriguez (applicant, 916 South Power Line Road) defended the project, noting that the property currently attracts trash and needles and that a restaurant would improve safety.
- Mark Mitchell (1235 Landown) questioned the design's setback and traffic flow, stating the location was not suitable for a restaurant.
Discussion Items
- Ford Idaho Center – Items 5-6, 5-7, 5-8: Council debated three interrelated items:
- 5-6 (Authorize city attorney to draft declaration of intent to convey or sell): Supporters argued this was necessary to gather information; opponents said it predetermined a sale and lacked data on underutilization. The motion passed 4-3 (Mayor Kling broke the tie) after a failed attempt to postpone.
- 5-7 (Non-binding solicitation of interest): The mayor explained this would gauge market interest at no cost. Councilman Haverfield opposed, citing the need for an appraisal first. The motion passed 5-1.
- 5-8 (Appraisal for Ford Idaho Center): Councilman Haverfield proposed an independent appraisal, but after discussion, the motion was amended to authorize staff to solicit bids for an appraisal and bring them back to council. This passed 4-2.
- Restaurant Rezone (Item 8-1) – 1215 13th Street South: The applicant (Aaron Randall, JGT Architecture) presented a revised plan eliminating a rear drive aisle and adding landscaping. Council members questioned traffic, parking, and compatibility with adjacent residences. After public hearing and discussion, the motion to approve failed 3-3 (Mayor Kling voted no, citing inconsistency with past decisions on setbacks). The rezone was denied.
- FY25 Third Budget Amendment (Item 8-2): Finance Director Doug Racine presented a $15,805,844 amendment. Initial confusion arose because the packet only contained the resolution without detailed schedules. After a brief executive session to resolve the discrepancy, the council approved the amendment unanimously (7-0) and passed the accompanying ordinance under suspension of rules.
- Street Naming (Item 5-5): Ordinance naming a new street “East Barnes Street” in honor of retiring Water Resources Director Jeff Barnes was approved unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Ford Idaho Center – Declaration of Intent (5-6): Approved 4-3 (Mayor Kling broke tie). Legal counsel authorized to draft the declaration.
- Ford Idaho Center – Non-binding Solicitation of Interest (5-7): Approved 5-1. Procurement to publish notice seeking potential buyers.
- Ford Idaho Center – Appraisal (5-8): Approved 4-2. Staff to solicit bids for an independent appraisal and report back to council.
- Restaurant Rezone (8-1): Denied 3-3 (Mayor Kling voted no). The application for a zoning map amendment to allow a restaurant at 1215 13th Street South was not approved.
- FY25 Third Budget Amendment (8-2): Approved unanimously. Total budget increased to $323,228,785. The amendment includes $10,500 from general government (Family Justice Center), $9.9 million from department funds/grants, and $5.4 million in capital projects.
- Street Naming (5-5): Approved unanimously. New street to be named East Barnes Street.
- Proclamation: Recognized September 2025 as National Recovery Month. Speakers from the Southwest Idaho Recovery Community Center highlighted their services.
- Staff Updates: John Spencer introduced as new Water Resources Director. Planning & Zoning reported approval of a data center conditional use permit, a Tractor Supply outdoor display permit, and a development agreement modification for Greenhurst Crossing.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. Good evening. How is everyone this evening? Thank you for being here tonight. We appreciate it. Okay. You know, one of the traditions that we have at Nampus City Council meetings is that we open in prayer. And I so appreciate Pastor Roe Dudley with Grace Bible Church being here to open us in prayer and the pledge. Thank you for joining us. Let's stand. You would give them your heart and your mind concerning what's going on. God, you called us all in history for such a time as this, at any time in human history. So, Lord, here in this area and in this place. We pray you would give us your heart and your mind concerning these things. Give us uh especially the counsel here. Let them know what to do and what not to do. And we thank you that you're gonna do this, and you're gonna further the liberty, Lord, of the gospel, and we pray that this would always be a place where this area would be where Jesus Christ could be glorified and magnified, and we thank you for all you're going to do tonight, and we ask this in Jesus' name. Amendment allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America to the Republic for which it stands one nation, under God, indivisible delivery and justice for all. Thank you, Pastor Roe. We appreciate you being here. Thank you so much. Okay, roll call. Here's Reynolds. Here I feel here. Here I'll present that. Our first item of action is to uh discuss proposed amendments to the agenda. And I do uh want to suggest that we pull item one for M from the agenda. This is a cooperative agreement with ITD that needs to be pulled from this. We will not be needing that. So I ask that get removed from our consent agenda. Council, are you aware of any other items that need to be uh adjusted? Yes. Um since there was no supporting documentation on our packets for items five, six, five, seven, and five eight, no independent study prior to this evening's city council meeting was allowed. I would request we postpone discussion and action on these three items until at least the next uh city council meeting. Is that a motion? Because I'll second if it is. I'll make the motion. I'll second that. Okay, discussion. I will say that on the second two that were requested to be put on the agenda, which was just to publish a non-binding solicitation of interest. Um that is one that a hard copy was presented to you at the bench. It doesn't have to be the action item is to authorize procurement to publish a non-binding. And so with the copy in an action item tonight, it would authorize them to go ahead and move forward and solicit it after you have the opportunity. If you have suggested changes to it, you could. But um, we did ask, I asked procurement, they've put together a solicitation of interest non-binding. It's just to get the word out to see is there anyone interested. So help me understand why you would not want to do that. Well, mayor, to date, we have not had any discussion about the retaining of the Ford Idaho Center. Everything's been about either conveyance uh freely or now the sale, but we have not had any discussion as far as about the actual uh need for uh raising revenues to be able to retain it.
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