In what may well be the most extraordinary act of unsolicited civic generosity on this side of the Treasure Valley, Nampa Mayor Debbie Kling and the Nampa City Council are contemplating the “conveyance” of the Ford Idaho Center (FIC) to the College of Western Idaho (CWI) — no appraisal, no payment, and an utter lack of transparency throughout the process of consideration. 

Last month, the Nampa City Council and Mayor received widespread criticism after plans for the potential transfer of the FIC to CWI became public. No vote for the public regarding the transfer is planned, and the people of Nampa are not happy. 

The Ford Idaho Center has been a fixture of the community and has served as an economic anchor for decades. Built, maintained, and funded by hard-working Nampa taxpayers, the College of Western Idaho — an institution becoming well known for its progressive curricula, administration, and syllabi — is now poised to reap the rewards. 

Apparently, this is just how business is done in Nampa these days. Closed-door negotiations, pro-forma public “hearings,” and no opportunity for the public to reject the proposal. Perhaps if the transfer happens, the paperwork should include a tag that reads: “From the people, without their permission.” 

What’s Happening

It appears discussions regarding the transfer of the FIC have been in the works since the fall of 2024; however, it seems the public was not informed of the potential transfer until summer 2025.  

Included in the proposed Conveyance and Acquisition Agreement, the City of Nampa would agree to transfer the asset “as is” as well as all rights, title, and interest in the specified real property, personal property, and intangible assets to CWI. This includes land, buildings, fixtures, furniture, tools, equipment, water and mineral rights, and trade names, permits, leases, and operational records. The only exception is the City of Nampa will retain the building containing the ticket office, conference room, and Snake River Stampede office. The City also agrees to convey a warranty deed for the real property, subject to reversion if CWI sells the property without consent. 

Sounds like a lot of benefit for the college and not a ton for Nampans. Well, to Nampa’s credit, the agreement also outlines a few stipulations for the transfer. 

CWI would honor existing scheduling rights, the Snake River Stampede would continue in perpetuity per its current agreement with the City of Nampa, CWI would agree to honor horse park events without interference, CWI would agree to allocate space for a police training facility, CWI would agree to continually allow for events such as graduations to occur, and CWI would agree to construct a community recreation center within the next 15 years. So, at least there are those assurances.  

The Problems 

The City’s decision to potentially transfer the Ford Idaho Center to CWI raises several concerns for Nampans, especially, but also citizens across Idaho. The major problems we identify with this potential transfer are fourfold. 

First, the Ford Idaho Center is potentially being transferred without independent appraisals of the property. An appraisal provides a clear, market-based valuation of the property, ensuring the transaction is fair and transparent to the public. Without an accurate assessment of the value of the FIC, taxpayers do not know if they are being deprived of a fair return on their investment and the opportunity to sell or have an auction/public bidding process is missed.  

Typically, the sale or transfer of public property is subject to open-market processes like an auction or bidding to ensure the transaction is competitive and transparent. Making a transfer directly to CWI without such an appraisal and sale, auction, or bidding process, the City deprives taxpayers of the opportunity to maximize the value of the property for public benefit. 

More than one City Councilmember has expressed their concerns with the idea of the conveyance, particularly citing a lack of an appraisal as a core issue. Councilman Victor Rodriguez stated, “I have consistently called for halting negotiations between CWI and the City of Nampa to conduct an appraisal of the Ford Idaho Center property and buildings. At last night's Nampa City Council meeting (08/04/2025), my request to stop negotiations and proceed with an appraisal was not accepted.”  

Second, and perhaps the “donkey” in the room, many taxpaying Nampans take issue with handing over a multi-million dollar asset to an institution that has been known to incorporate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and radical theory institutionally and academically, which is counter to the Idaho ethos. The College of Western Idaho has become known as a progressive institution and has made recent strides to become a four-year college. It’s safe to assume that the transfer of the FIC would significantly lend itself to achieving that goal sooner rather than later. 

Third, in 2024, voters approved a Nampa Auditorium District, which was designed to support maintenance and upgrades to public venues, such as the FIC, as long as it remained under city ownership. The Auditorium District is set to collect 5% tax on hotel stays within the district, and if ownership passes to a separate public entity such as CWI, the district’s governance becomes murkier, with funds potentially diverted or subjected to complex oversight. Additionally, some Nampans have voiced they would not have supported the Auditorium District had they known the Center might be transferred.  

Lastly, and perhaps the biggest issue, there has been a profound lack of transparency throughout this process. Citizens were not brought into the discussions surrounding the transfer or the negotiations of the transfer contract itself. The way it appears is the City of Nampa had to backtrack after their plan was released. It seems the strategy of the transfer has largely been: "Move fast, explain later." The public “hearings” gave no impression of leadership being interested in public input; rather, the Mayor and CWI president simply provided broad and seemingly scripted answers to softball questions, providing a 20,000-foot view about how the plan is going to work.

More than one City Councilmember has expressed their concerns with the lack of transparency throughout this process, one of which stated the Council should not be making this weighty decision on behalf of over 100,000 people. 

The potential agreement between the City of Nampa and the College of Western Idaho specifies the conveyance would occur without financial consideration, as authorized by Idaho Code §50-301. Idaho statute allows for cities to transfer assets — the vote simply has to occur through open meetings. 

What We Want to Know 

There are some serious questions needing answers, and fast.

First, what is the actual value of the Ford Idaho Center?

Second, could the City of Nampa lower the property tax burden on residents if the FIC were put on the market instead of being transferred to a tax-exempt college? Local governments set the mill rate to determine how much property tax needs to be collected to pay for public services, infrastructure, schools, and, yes, maintenance for public assets. If the City of Nampa could generate revenue from the sale or auction of the FIC and property taxes collected going forward, those funds could pay down municipal debt, fund infrastructure projects, or replenish general fund reserves.

If the City used the revenue to cover certain expenditures or reduce debt, it could free up funds that would otherwise go to servicing debt or operational costs. This, in turn, could decrease the need to raise revenue from property taxes, potentially lowering the mill rate. Selling or auctioning the FIC to a taxable entity could also generate revenue for the city. Transferring the property ownership from the City of Nampa to the College of Western Idaho rather conveniently keeps it off the tax rolls, as nonprofit organizations, like a college, are exempt from property taxes.   

Third, how will this transfer affect the newly organized Auditorium District? What does this mean for taxpayers? Will more taxpayer dollars be funneled into the College of Western Idaho if the conveyance occurs? 

And finally, why has this process been so non-transparent? The people of Nampa paid for the Ford Idaho Center with hard-earned dollars. They deserve more than rumors, dismissals, and offhand statements. They deserve transparency. They deserve public meetings, full documentation, and the chance to voice their opinion before a decision is made — not after.

What Lies Ahead:

The City announced last week there will be an additional community event where public testimony will be taken from 5-7 pm at the Idaho Hispanic Community Center on August 7. 

Additionally, Mayor Kling informed us, a levy override is being considered if the City of Nampa decides to keep the FIC. On August 11, there will be another hearing at Nampa City Hall from 5:30 to 9 pm, where the public may voice their concerns to the Mayor and Council and offer alternative solutions to the transfer. Per Councilwoman Natalie Jangula, on August 18, the Council will take a vote regarding whether or not they will put a levy override on the ballot to pay for deferred maintenance of the Ford Idaho Center. 

It is unclear when the Nampa City Council will vote on whether to greenlight the transfer or when the CWI Board of Trustees will meet and decide whether to move forward. Reports indicate if the Nampa City Council and CWI Board both agree to the conveyance, the transfer could become effective as soon as late September 2025.

According to Mayor Kling, the transfer of ownership from the city to CWI would expand educational and workforce programs, enhance first responder training because of a potential training facility, and offset the budgetary burden for the City of Nampa to redirect City funds toward core services. 

The biggest issue is the lack of transparency. We are watching Nampa’s elected officials entertain the idea of giving a significant asset away to a college that already benefits from taxpayer dollars through other channels, rather than adjusting management or appraising and selling or auctioning it. 

We get it — the Ford Idaho Center accounts for a large chunk of the City’s budget, and legislative changes in the past five years have restricted cities’ ability to generate excess property tax revenue. But the FIC isn’t some community relic gathering dust. It is responsible for bringing a significant amount of revenue to the area and is worth a great deal of money that should not be simply given away. Councilman Rodriguez explained the Nampa City Council has many options, including “selling the property with an appraisal or leasing it — each of which would return their investment to taxpayers. Leasing the property involves generating revenue through lease or rental fees.” 

Rather than a pragmatic action, this potential transfer feels something more akin to governance meets game show: Congratulations, lucky winner (CWI), you’re walking away with a prize worth millions! But! Don’t worry, Nampa taxpayers, you’re also winners! You get to keep all the maintenance costs you’ve already paid for, none of the assets, and the eternal joy of watching your public investments handed off like door prizes — no appraisal, no accountability, no cash back."

Nampa residents deserve better. They deserve a City Council and Mayor who treat public assets as exactly that — public. Not burdens to be quietly offloaded when no one’s paying attention.

Let’s be clear: This is not a sale. It is not an investment. It’s a gift wrapped in vague public statements. If the city were serious about acting in the public interest, it would start with transparency and at least put the plan up for public approval through a public vote.