The most recent federal decennial census places the City of Nampa’s population at 100,200. Under Idaho Code section 50-707A, “[a]ny city having more than one hundred thousand (100,000) inhabitants…shall establish districts and shall elect councilmen by districts for districts so established.” The City of Nampa is therefore required, for the first time in its history, to establish council districts and must do so prior to the City of Nampa’s next general election on November 7, 2023.
On March 21, 2022, the Nampa City Council passed an ordinance to establish the formation of a Districting Committee. This committee is tasked with the work of proposing a recommendation for council districts for public hearing and Nampa City Council ratification. The committee will be comprised of nine citizen members, all appointed by Nampa Mayor Debbie Kling and confirmed by the council, who shall work with three ex-officio members, consisting of Canyon County Clerk Chris Yamamoto (or a designee), Nampa Planner Rodney Ashby (or a designee), and the City of Nampa engineer (or a designee).
Voting members of the Nampa Districting Committee include nine Nampa residents from diverse geographic areas within Nampa city limits which can be found at https://www.cityofnampa.us/1449/Districting-Committee. Six members must live in specific geographic areas and three members may reside anywhere within city limits. The attached map does not reflect the proposed district boundary lines; it reflects the six areas within city limits divided for the sake of ensuring a geographically diverse committee.
The nine committee members are voting members and serve without salary or compensation for their service. Anyone who serves on the Nampa Districting Committee shall be ineligible to run for a Nampa City Council seat for five years following such service. Several meetings will be required to draft the districting map for city council zones by fall of 2022. The work of the committee is expected to conclude by the end of the year.
Interested citizens are asked to complete the online application found at cityofnampa.us/serve and provide a resume and letter of interest to Chief of Staff Rick Hogaboam via email ([email protected]) or mail to the Officer of the Mayor (411 3rd Street South) by Sunday, May 1, 2022. For questions, please contact the Office of the Mayor at (208) 468-5401.
