ACLU gets $190K for fees from county

NAMPA — Nampa officials have downsized their plans for a new public safety building.

The move could save taxpayers about $4.5 million from one estimated cost of $22.5 million for the proposed facility.

City leaders now want to build a two-story structure instead of a building with three stories.

The city had wanted the county to purchase the second floor of the building for $2.65 million to house courtrooms and a possible sheriff's office substation. But the county doesn't have that money in its budget, county communication officer Angie Sillonis said. So county officials decided to keep the courthouse annex at its current location in downtown Nampa.

"It was not going to be a good fit for them," Nampa assistant economic development director Beth Ineck said.

As a result, city officials have eliminated plans for the second floor. They are looking at other ways to cut costs, Ineck said, to get the new building's price down to $18 million. The city wants to build the public safety building at 115 9th Ave.

The new building would be about 3 1/2 times larger than the current police station, which Nampa officials say the city has outgrown. It was built more than 30 years ago. The new public safety building would be home to the city's police department and fire administration.

Construction of the new public safety building is on hold because Paul Alldredge of Caldwell has brought a lawsuit to the Idaho Supreme Court contesting the use of the city's urban renewal agency funds for the project. That case's outcome could depend on a similar case in which Rexburg's urban renewal agency has been sued for trying to build a $6.3 million swimming pool park.

The Rexburg case, which was argued Nov. 6, should be decided by January or February, Ineck said.

If the court rules strongly in favor of the plaintiff and against funding the Rexburg swimming pool park without a public vote, the Nampa lawsuit could become unnecessary. But if the court rules strongly to allow the use of urban renewal funds for the swimming pool park, Nampa could ask for the Alldredge case to be dismissed, Ineck said.

If the Nampa case is heard, it may not be decided until next fall, Ineck said.

Nampa city attorney Bill Nichols said he was not sure how the Rexburg case would affect the Nampa case.

"It's just hard to say what that (impact) is going to be," he said.