Investigation Concludes There Were No Secret Decisions Made Regarding Ford Idaho Center

In response to a recent complaint concerning the Nampa City Council's executive sessions under the trade and commerce prong of the Open Meetings Law, an independent review and investigation was conducted by the Twin Falls County Prosecuting Attorney. The investigation revealed that while the complaint raised certain allegations, the core issue centered on whether the Nampa City Council convened executive sessions in accordance with Open Meetings Law Idaho Code § 74-206(1)(e).

In response to this allegation, the attached letter from the Twin Falls County Prosecuting Attorney states, "Though this may have been a technical, procedural mistake, it did not result in a secret decision. There is sufficient evidence that the City held extensive dialogues and deliberations in open public meetings related to the Ford Idaho Center. Given the public hearings, workshops, and meetings on the Ford Idaho Center, I did not find facts that indicated any violation was sufficiently causally connected to any subsequent action to require the City to declare any prior actions null or void."

Although the findings indicated a technical procedural misstep, it is crucial to emphasize that this did not lead to any secret decision-making. The City of Nampa has maintained a commitment to transparency throughout this process, as evidenced by the extensive dialogues and deliberations held in open public meetings concerning the Ford Idaho Center. Public hearings, workshops, and regular meetings have taken place to ensure community involvement and input. The City of Nampa remains steadfast in its commitment to transparency and following Idaho's Open Meeting Law.

Through the standard closing review process, it was discovered that the title paperwork from the original conveyance of the Ford Idaho Center property from the Nampa Development Corporation to the City of Nampa over 20 years ago omitted the legal description of one of the parcels of land, and the remaining parcels had not been appropriately recorded with the county. While these issues have since been resolved, the City of Nampa has voted to host a public hearing out of an abundance of caution on December 1 at 6 p.m. at Nampa City Hall (411 3^rd St S).