In the last State of the City address of his third term, Nampa Mayor Tom Dale Wednesday suggested the City Council be expanded to six members.
Dale said he will approach the current four-member council with this idea within the next few weeks. State law permits councils of either four or six members, and many other councils in the region have six, including Caldwell's and Boise's.
"When Nampa was incorporated in 1886 with just about a hundred people, they chose to have four people elected to represent the residents, and for the past 127 years this form has served the city well," Dale said. "We are now approaching 84,000 in population, the second-largest city in the state. Perhaps it's time to move to a six-member council."
Councilman Bob Henry, who says he intends to run against Dale this year, said the notion of expanding the council could result in more diversity of viewpoint and fewer deadlocks requiring the mayor to break a tie.
"I've got to think about it, but I think I can get behind it," Henry said.
To expand the council's size, the City Council would need to vote to authorize the issue to be put on a special election ballot. If voters approve it, then at the next city election an additional two seats would be available for candidates, Dale said. It is unclear whether the necessary steps could be completed in time for the city election this November.
Also on Wednesday, Dale announced he will seek a fourth term, saying "the best is yet to come."
Residential construction increased 140 percent over the previous year, he said, with permits issued for 524 new housing units. In all, he said, $93 million in construction permits were issued by the city, an increase of nearly 40 percent from the previous year.
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