Did Nampa violate open meeting law? The latest with the Ford Idaho Center
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- Nampa council will hold another public hearing on Ford Idaho Center transfer.
- City says Ford Idaho Center has significant maintenance needs over next 15 years.
- College of Western Idaho seeks property to expand offerings for 31,000 students.
The public will once again get to weigh in on the future of the Ford Idaho Center.
After facing a complaint over an alleged violation of the state’s open meeting law and finding issues with paperwork dating back 20 years, the Nampa City Council last week voted to hold another public hearing on its plans to transfer ownership of the Ford Idaho Center to the College of Western Idaho.
The city has long been discussing what to do with the 100-acre property, which includes an outdoor amphitheater and the Ford Idaho Horse Park and Sports Center. The center has ongoing maintenance and infrastructure needs that could cost $20 million to $25 million over the next 15 years, according to previous Statesman reporting. The city said in its resolution that it would likely have needed taxpayers to shoulder more of the burden if it chose to keep the building.
After the city voted to transfer the property in October, officials reviewed documents and found problems with title paperwork from decades earlier. In another snag, the council also faced an allegation that it violated Idaho’s open meeting law by going into executive session when the council discussed the move.
The College of Western Idaho has said it wants to use the center to grow its campus and provide more offerings and extracurricular activities for its 31,000 students.
Nampa closed-door talks were not a ‘secret’ decision
The Nampa City Council in September voted to declare that the property was “underutilized” — the first part of the process of transferring ownership. At the time, it also voted to set the minimum bid for the property at $75 million, if they decided to sell it.
College of Western Idaho President Gordon Jones has said acquiring the center could help the college to “establish our campus” and potentially serve thousands more students, according to previous Statesman reporting. It could also give the college the chance to offer other academic paths, such as livestock training. Jones previously said CWI would be committed to continuing to use the center to hold city events, such as high school graduations and basketball tournaments, that have traditionally been held there, the Statesman reported.
A month later, the council held a public hearing on what to do with the center. Options included conveying it to CWI, selling it or keeping it and, after hours of divided public comment, voted 4-2 to transfer ownership of the arena and grounds to CWI. The transfer would not involve the exchange of any money and would not result in tax increases, the Statesman previously reported.
The move spurred controversy and divided council members, one of whom argued the city could have found ways to fund maintenance for the center. Some also said the loss would mean the city could no longer control what the center was used for. Proponents, however, said giving the property to CWI would help serve students, foster economic growth and made the most sense for the city’s budget.
After the vote, a complaint was brought over the alleged open meeting violation over whether the council could hold executive sessions — discussions closed to the public — under part of the law that protects competitive negotiations in business deals. Twin Falls County Prosecuting Attorney Grant Loebs investigated the allegations and concluded in a Nov. 6 letter that there was a “question whether the city was authorized” to go into executive session, but that the city held public hearings, workshops and meetings about the decision.
“Though this may have been a technical, procedural mistake, it did not result in a secret decision,” the letter said. “There is sufficient evidence that the city held extensive dialogues and deliberations in open public meetings related to the Ford Idaho Center.”
The city voted to fix the issue by approving a resolution that recognized an alleged violation of the open meeting law may have occurred and affirming its commitment to transparency.
City identifies problems with title paperwork
In October, the city also identified problems while going through the closing review process with the title paperwork when the city of Nampa attained ownership of the property 20 years ago. The original paperwork hadn’t recorded parcels of land correctly with the county, according to the city. While the city resolved those issues in October, officials proposed redoing those stepsto approve the transfer out of an abundance of caution.
During the meeting, council members were divided and landed on a tie vote on whether to repeat the process.
Mayor Debbie Kling broke the tie, and voted to hear from the public again on whether to give the center to CWI. It set a public hearing for Dec. 1 to hear testimony about the transfer.
Kling said she believes the center can be used more effectively. Her vote also gives Nampa residents the chance to provide more input, she said. The resolution said transferring the property would save the city money on maintenance and operational expenses, and that deferred maintenance needs exceeded its “limited financial resources.”
“It’s not done,” she said. “I believe our citizens should have the opportunity to have a vote and have a public hearing before we end this process.”
CWI’s board of trustees would still need to approve the transfer if the city moves to convey it again.
