Funding

Several patrons have asked how the city will pay for a new library. In late 2006, the City Council adopted an Urban Renewal District, which provides funding for redevelopment efforts. The plan calls for investing about $36 million in a new library, the cornerstone of a downtown redevelopment effort. Other aspects include a new police headquarters, green space, parking garages and streetscapes. About $80 million of public investment will generate an estimated $325 million in private investment downtown over the next decade. The plan also provides industrial infrastructure such as sewer and water service to attract employers and jobs on Nampa’s northwest side. The funding mechanism, Urban Renewal, is a tool that focuses tax revenue from new development toward the project. It does not raise taxes. It simply dedicates new tax revenue toward projects that aid the local economy.
- Dan Black