City Council - Regular Meeting

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Well, welcome, everybody. I will go ahead and call this meeting to order. We start with an invocation, which we observe with a moment of silence, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. And in doing so, Taking our moment of silence this evening, I'd like to acknowledge that this last week has been a tough one for many Boiseans. And so I would just ask that everybody reflect on the events of the last week and those that could use a hand and use a hug. And with that, we'll stand for a moment of silence.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. Clerk, will you please call the roll?

Corliss. Here. Halliburton.

Here.

Morales.

Here.

Nash.

Here.

Dunn. Here. Willis. Here. All present.

We've got minutes.

Madam Mayor, I move approval of the work session and regular evening minutes from June 30th, 2026.

Second motion. We have a motion and a second. Clerk?

Dead. Yes. Willis? Yes. Corliss? Yes. Halliburton? Yes. Morales?

Yes.

Nash? Yes. All in favor, motion carries.

And now I have two appointments to put before the council for the Arts and History Commission. Astrid Snodgrass and Aiden Vandersuor, you're both here, correct? Yes. I really appreciate your willingness to serve. And so I'm asking that the council approve terms that would expire on July 14th, 2029.

Madam Mayor, I ask for unanimous consent for the appointment of Ashley Snodgrass and Aiden Vanderstowe to the Arts and History Commission for three-year terms expiring July 14th, 2029.

Without objection. So I wanna say thank you. And I've got something I'd like to hand you if you'd be willing to come up, but you're welcome to make any remarks if you'd like, no pressure, but you're welcome to do that. I spoke with both of our new commission members, was it last week, two weeks ago, recently, and really enjoyed the conversation and truly value your willingness to serve. So thank you very much. And I'll hand you these.

Madam Mayor, perhaps while you're passing those out, I'll just add, I know that this was a very competitive pool. We had tons of applicants for these commission positions. I know that Arts and History specifically was very, very popular, very competitive. So excited to have you on board. I know that it's a... It's a big commitment to volunteer for these commissions, but really appreciate your service to the city. I think it's a really wonderful way to get involved and learn how decisions are made at the city and what our processes look like. So appreciate your willingness to serve the community that way.

All right, we'll move into the consent agenda. I do want to say that you're welcome to stay for the evening, but also there's no offense taken if you decide you're going to sneak out. So thank you for taking the time to be here and for your service that will be many hours and very much valued ahead.

Madam Mayor, I move approval of the consent agenda.

Second the motion. We have a motion and a second.

Madam Mayor, there are a couple of really cool projects here. I'll leave one that I was going to talk to for Councilmember Halliburton to mention because I think I know which one you're going to talk about. But I also wanted to reference the $30,000 in federal funding for the Ridge to River system. We're going to need all the funding we can get for that system moving forward. So I appreciate that staff's work in securing that.

perhaps over there thank you council president yeah oftentimes you know the stuff on the consent agenda is just sort of like we're in a run of business you know smaller things but there are some incredible grants that our city has worked really hard to get there's some really good cooperation with our pathways master plan and then to me especially number 10 on the consent agenda is the approval of a contractor to oversee the construction of our historic whirlpool So this has been a long time in the making. It's been really difficult to find a contractor who actually has the ability to work on pools and historic pools at the same time. And so kind of a big milestone for us to be able to get this contractor selected so that we can get this work underway. And just want to say thank you to all of our parks team back there who worked so hard to go through this process to finally have it nailed down so that we can really begin moving forward and hopefully get some kids swimming around soon. Thank you.

Madam Mayor, I also want to call it on the consent agenda. We have two properties that are going into an affordability covenant. This is something we've worked out at the city to look at levers and ways that we can enact, or if you will, engage developers to provide these covenants and happy to see these on the agenda tonight.

All right. With that, clerk, will you please call the roll? Ted. Yes. Willis. Yes. Corliss. Yes. Halliburton. Yes. Morales. Yes. Nash. Yes.

All in favor, motion carries. Madam Mayor, next, it looks like we have three ordinances on first reading. I ask unanimous consent that all ordinances on the first reading be read by number and title only and filed for the second reading calendar.

Without objection.

Rd-32-26. An ordinance, CAR-25-00023. For property located at 650 South Potterill Street, amending zoning classifications of the City of Boise City to change the classification of real property, particularly described in Section 1 of this ordinance in adjacent rights-of-way from R-1A, residential, large lot, to R-1B, residential, suburban, setting forth a reasoned statement in support of such zone change and providing effective dates. ORD-33-26, an ordinance CAR-25-00028, for property located at 9501 West Burnett Drive, annexing two acres of certain lands and territory situated in 80 County, Idaho, adjacent and contiguous to the corporate limits of the City of Boise City, establishing and determining the land use classification of said two acres as R-1B, residential, suburban, establishing and determining the sensitive lands overly district of said acres. setting forth a reason statement in support of such annexation and zone change, directing the city engineer to lodge and file a legal description and map for said annexed lands and territory, providing that copies of this ordinance should be filed with the Ada County Auditor, the Ada County Treasurer, the Ada County Assessor, the Ada County Recorder, and the Idaho State Tax Commission, providing that a copy of said legal description and map of said annexed lands and territory be recorded with the Ada County Recorder and filed with the Ada County Assessor and the Idaho State Tax Commission, as required by law, and providing an effective date. Rd-34-26, an ordinance CAR 25-0019 for property located at 2607 North Lancaster Drive, Boise, Idaho 83702, amending zoning classifications of the City of Boise City to change the classification of real property, particularly described in Section 1 of this ordinance and adjacent rights-of-way, from R-2-HS-O-WUI-O, residential compact with hillside development and wildland urban interface overlays. to R-1B slash HS-O slash WUI-O, residential suburban with hillside development and wildland urban interface overlays, setting forth a reason statement in support of split zone change and providing effective date.

And then, Madam Mayor, we have an ordinance on third reading. I move that further reading of ORD 27-26 be dispensed with and that the record reflected has been read the third time in full.

Second the motion.

We have a motion and a second.

Clark? Dead. Yes. Willis. Yes. Corliss.

Yes. Halliburton. Yes. Morales. Yes. Nash. Yes. All in favor, motion carries. Rd-27-26, an ordinance, CAR-25-00025, for property located at 3099 West Moore Street, amending zoning classifications of the City of Boise City to change the classification of real property, particularly described in Section 1 of this ordinance, and adjacent rights-of-way, from R-2, Residential Compact, to MX-1, mixed-use neighborhood, setting forth a reason statement in support of such zone change and providing an effective date.

Madam Mayor, I move that ORD 27-26 be approved.

Second the motion.

We have a motion and a second. Discussion? Clerk?

Ted? Yes. Willits? Yes. Corliss? Yes. Holly Burton? Yes. Morales? Yes. Nash?

Yes.

All in favor, motion carries.

All right. Thank you. Now we'll move into the public hearings for the evening. And we're going to hear the budget and the foregone property tax as one hearing. And then we'll have a hearing on fees, if anybody is here for that one, and then development impact fees later. And as Alisha is getting ready to go, I just want to say looking forward to the presentation and hearing from the community this evening and wanted to highlight, well, actually I'll do some of that towards the end so that I don't steal all of Alisha's thunder. Really appreciate the work that's gone into this. We have quite a few department directors that are here representing our departments. The team at the City of Boise that has worked with this council, taken feedback from the public, and then helped us to develop a budget that acknowledges the constraints that we have, the rising costs that we have. and then the importance of investments in neighborhoods throughout our city so that we can continue to be a place that's so safe and welcoming for everyone. And with that, Alicia, please go ahead and get us started. Thanks, Madam Mayor, Council Members.

Good evening. Tonight, I'll provide a brief overview of the 2027 proposed budget and highlight some of the major themes that shape the recommendations included. But over the past several months, we had the opportunity to discuss the proposed budget in detail through a series of workshops. So rather than revisit those discussions, my goal tonight is to provide a high level summary before we move into the proposed public hearings, of which we have four tonight. There is the 2027 proposed budget. There is the reservation of future foregone property tax authority. the proposed fee changes, and then the development impact fee updates. And then we'll conclude.

And Alicia, I just want to flag, as I said, we're going to, I'd like you, if you have information on foreground to include that in this one, because we can hear those two at the same time. We'll do it. Great.

And then I'll conclude with next steps in the budget process. So before I get into the proposed budget, I'll briefly reflect on the process, the journey that's brought us here tonight. So the 2027 budget has been shaped over the past several months, as I mentioned, through multiple council work sessions, two budget workshops, and ongoing public engagement. Together, we've discussed council priorities. We've reviewed the capital improvement plan, heard department presentations, and spent considerable time reviewing the proposed budget and decisions reflected within it. We also opened an online budget feedback portal to provide residents another opportunity to share their input throughout the process. Tonight's public hearing is an important milestone in that process. It's an opportunity for the public to provide testimony to council as council considers the proposed budget and related fee changes. So the proposed budget was released on June 16th, nearly a month in advance of tonight's public hearing and has been available on the city's website throughout that time. So in addition to the document itself, as I mentioned, we've had an online feedback tool for the public to engage with the proposal and share their thoughts. The comments received have been provided to mayor and council members. and are part of the input considered tonight. Citi's open book transparency tool is also available through our website where residents can explore the fiscal year 28 budget data and actual data. And then on our website, residents can also find prior year budget information as well. So turning now to the proposed budget itself, it totals approximately $1.2 billion and supports more than 2,100 employees who provide services across the city. As this slide illustrates, the budget includes a variety of fund types. About 62% of the budget is made up of enterprise funds, such as the airport water renewal and solid waste, which are supported primarily by user fees. The general fund, which supports the core city services like police, fire, parks, libraries, and planning represents approximately 28% of the overall budget. And then now looking at the expenditures by category pie chart, 45% of the budget is dedicated to capital and equipment investments that maintain and improve the city's infrastructure. And in FY27, this is largely driven by that Concourse A airport project and major water renewal capital projects. The remaining budget supports personnel, maintenance, operations, and equipment necessary to deliver city services. You've seen this slide before, and it summarizes the general fund revenues, which total $347.8 million in FY27. which is a 4.9% increase over fiscal year 26. And the important takeaway being that not all general fund revenue is available to support general operations throughout the city. Approximately 73% of the general fund is flexible and can be used to fund for services such as public safety, parks, libraries. The remaining 22% is considered restricted or dedicated by law or policy to specific purposes. So for example, development fees falls in that category and can be only used to pay for the services or activities that it's collected for and not to support general government operations. Property tax remains the city's largest flexible revenue source. However, under House Bill 389, as we know, the city's ability to increase property tax revenue is limited. And even as Boise continues to grow and the demand for services increases. So FY27, the property tax proposal that's included in the budget includes a 2.7% base increase, which is below the maximum of 3%. And during the budget development process, updated taxable values for new construction came in higher than we anticipated and the plan per Z increases were eliminated. So those two factors allowed us to reduce the proposed property tax increase from 4% to 2.7% while still maintaining a balanced budget that included the proposed budget changes that are included in the budget book. So the proposed budget reflects the balance between maintaining the high quality services our community expects, investing in council priorities, and recognizing the affordability challenges Boise residents are confronting. Turning to expenditures, the proposed budget includes $347.8 million in expenditures with nearly 70% of that budget supporting 1,580 employees who provide public safety, maintain parks and streets, operate libraries, process permits, and deliver many other essential city services. Another 20% supports the maintenance equipment, supplies, and contractual services needed to sustain those operations. The budget also includes transfers such as to the capital fund to help maintain and replace the city's infrastructure. And then just looking at the green and orange specifically, a majority, 65% of that spending occurs within public safety and parks alone. Those are the general funds largest service areas. So as I described in detail at the June 23rd workshop, there are four categories of budget changes in FY27. First, the budget prioritizes maintaining current service levels. So these investments address rising operating costs, contractual obligations, maintenance needs, and other expenses necessary to continue providing the services our community expects. Second, the budget includes strategic one-time investments that address facility needs, technology improvements, and other projects that strengthen city operations without creating ongoing obligations. And then third, several investments are supported by dedicated revenue sources, such as development fees, parking revenues, or zoo entrance fees. And then they therefore do not reduce the general fund flexibility. And then finally, where resources allowed, the proposed budget includes a limited number of targeted service expansions that advance council priorities, including investments in libraries and public safety through local match funds for the Safer Grant. So taken together, these recommendations reflect a balanced approach, maintaining the essential services, making the strategic investments where appropriate, and remaining mindful of the city's long-term financial challenges. So at this point, unless there are questions, I can pause for questions or else we could transition into the public hearing portion of tonight's meeting.

Well, I think there aren't questions for Alicia because we've had some pretty extensive work sessions and looking forward to hearing from the public tonight. So I got one sign. So this is what we'll do, if it's OK with everybody. I've got one sign-up sheet where I've got Mark and Tim Hennessy. Tim Hennessy? Are you Tim? Great, okay. So I'll have you two up first. I thought some other folks were going to sign up. I don't have those, but you're welcome to come up and speak.

And so what I'll ask you to do is...

kind of take over the front row if you're planning on speaking, and then you'll sign in after you give your remarks. And while you're signing in, somebody else will come up to give their remarks. So we will start with Mark Salisbury. Welcome, Mark. I just want to make sure. So it says Lisa and Ken Schneider not testifying. Is that for another item? Oh yeah, we have received a lot of written comment which we all really appreciate, and I want to assure everybody that this Council and myself have read that both the survey feedback that we received the generated thing and then emails and so thanks to everybody that did that. Welcome Mark.

Thank you, my name is Mark Salisbury, I'm a resident of Boise. I'm a member of the Centennial Neighborhood Association and founder of Citizens for a Library in West Boise. We're in this together. Nobody likes to pay taxes, right? Our taxes make a difference in our quality of life. Could you imagine a city without adequate police force, without fire protection?

Mark, can you hear me? Your voice is light. So if you just bring a little closer, that'd probably be good for everybody.

Thanks. This doesn't detach, does it? No, it doesn't. Okay. All right. Last time I checked, those two components, public safety, made up 50% of our general fund. We've got fantastic parks in Boise. It takes a lot to maintain our parks and our trails. I love our library system. We've got great spaces. They provide so many materials, places to meet. I think libraries are at about 5%. I've named three items and covered 70% of that general fund. Our police force and firemen, they work to make us safer. Our parks and trails, our libraries make Boise a place to learn and to live, a great place to learn and live. We've gone for several years without a property tax increase. And this last year, we did have one. And this year, again, we do have one proposed. Expenses catch up, right? Inflation has caught up to us a little bit. But tax revenue does not automatically go up because our expenses do. Therefore, I do support the 2.7% proposed increase. I'd like for city staff who are doing great to be eligible for a raise. I'd like to see Boise, though, avoid raising taxes next year and the year after. I'm hoping that's possible, right? Let's make improvements in our spending efficiency. Should the chief of staff get a large payout when they leave? Could we analyze how we spend versus other cities? Could we reevaluate some of that? I know no two cities are identical, so this is not an easy request. I'd like us to improve efficiency to make it easier to fund that new library branch. After years of petitioning the council, citizens in West Boise are tremendously grateful for your pledge, Mayor McLean, of $2 million towards improving library access in West Boise. This is something we've been requesting for a long time. $2 million won't get us a library, but it'll get us a solid start. Citizens for a Library, the Centennial Neighborhood Association and the West Valley Neighborhood Association recently created a survey that ran through June and closed on Sunday to understand what citizens would like to see for improving library access. Just over 500 Boise residents completed the survey. I'd like to share some key findings with you. Distance was a factor in library usage for 64% of respondents. Hours of operation was a factor for 35%. 79% of residents, I'm running close on time here. What I'm gonna do on this, there's a lot more to this, and I'm gonna make sure that you all get this through email. I'm really encouraged by the results of the survey. It shows to me that Boise residents continue to value their libraries, and they want to see more of them, more hours, more access. As the city's been developing the plan, this is my last sentence here, it's been thorough, but it hasn't always factored in the desires of citizens. Thank you for listening to residents who continue to ask for this. I'm looking forward to see how we continue, to see how we move forward. Thank you.

Thanks, Mark. I really appreciate that. I did get the survey. You must have shared it with somebody who shared it with me. I got it from Hannah. And it was I really appreciate it. So would love to make sure that everybody's able to see that. Kudos on so much engagement in that. It was really impressive that you got over 500 responses and I enjoyed reading it. So thank you. I think we'll go with Councilmember Nash and then Willits.

Madam Mayor, Mark, do you have the mayor's responses to that survey? I was hoping we could get a copy of the mayor's responses.

Oh, no. I did not take the survey. You can't do that to him. He doesn't know.

That's not fair.

This is the council member's humor or attempt at humor, I should say.

Leaving a name was optional, but I didn't see Mayor McLean's name there.

Matt Mayer, Mark, could you speak to, I assume you asked questions about what they would like to see with that pledge? Obviously, there's a few different directions we could go. What would the feedback look like there?

Yes, so I have that actually specifically. We kind of asked this as a vote for your top two options, and 58% would like to see the $2 million go towards land for a library branch. The next highest was 42% would like to see an express library, a small library that could be opened in a short time frame.

Thank you.

May I have a legitimate question? Mark, thank you so much for all of your engagement. I think we saw you here, was it four years ago?

2023. 2023. So it's been a bit.

I'm wondering if you could just give us a little bit more information on how many folks completed the survey and then where they were from, because I know anyone could do it. And there was an effort to get folks from West Boise to take the survey, but just walk us through some of those numbers.

Yeah, so we'd have it by zip code and 83713 was about 90% of the respondents. And then there's a larger library, low library access zone. We have different names for it, but it was also close to that in percentage-wise. There were respondents from other parts of the city, and they left in their comments, and they'd said, you know, I don't live in this area, but I really value libraries, and I want to see all of Boise have good library access.

And then, Mayor Mark, how many total respondents did you get?

There were 532, and there were in the teens from Bordering and Meridian, those zip codes, so Just a little bit there from, yeah.

Can folks still take the survey or is it shut down?

It is closed now. Okay. Yep.

Thank you.

Yep. All right. Thank you.

Thank you.

All right. Next up, we have Tim Hennessey. And then we'll just make our way down the line. Welcome.

Thank you very much. Tim Hennessey, North 17th Street in Boise. I attended the June 23rd budget workshop and I came away from that workshop with three important takeaways. The first is that the city is focused on running the business, which I think is great. Secondly, the city, per the conversation, has about a $72 million deferred maintenance backlog that was revealed in that budget workshop. I think I have my facts straight on that. Third, it was revealed that if the $72 million backlog does not get addressed, that this amount of money could actually increase to three or four times that amount over a period of five or seven years. So patch the roof now, extend its useful life, and maybe not have to replace it in three years kind of thing. So I believe that running the business means that this council is obligated to address this deferred maintenance bucket in a meaningful way in this 2027 budget. This proposed, I propose that the city allocate $20 million to address this backlog this year. I have found $15 million without working too hard through the 287-page budget, and I'll give you some examples. The Neighborhood Investment Program, $500,000, it's not an essential government service. We could reduce that by half and put $250,000 towards the deferred maintenance buckets. Next, airport land, $3 million acquisition. Is that a must-have or a like to have? Because if it's a must-have, you can use eminent domain to take that property. You don't have to do it this year. Third, merit-based bonuses of $700,000. The city staff, the people are already getting a 3.5% increase and they're getting increases in their healthcare costs. Let's not do that this year. Let's put that $700,000 toward the deferred maintenance bucket. Another one, city council strategic planning fund, $470,000. What is that? Sounds like a slush fund to me. How about cut it in half? We can save $235,000, put that towards the deferred maintenance bucket. I can keep going on, but I can get to $20 million pretty quickly. Let me give you a couple more with the 40 seconds I have left. Replace three fire engines this year. That's $3.3 million in your budget. How about doing one this year and two next year and take the $2.3 million and put that towards a deferred maintenance bucket? Boise PD, they got a ton of cars last year and they won a ton of cars this year. They're asking for $2.3 million for vehicles. So I can continue to go through this list, but there's a lot of... excess or reallocation opportunities in this budget so that we can address a very big need, which is the deferred maintenance bucket we have. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Madam Mayor, before Tim goes, are you the Boise Riverkeeper?

Yes, I am.

Thank you so much for all that you do there. I am curious, because of that civic exercise, could you tell us a little bit about some of the specific needs you see along the river?

I think the Greenbelt, I said the Parks and Rec, I think does a phenomenal job up around the Greenbelt. And I'm so glad to see the Boise police on bike patrol. I know all of them and I run into them a lot. I just think that a lot of the issues I deal with are on the banks or kind of in the water. And there's unfortunately has been a lot of trash that has made its way into the river. But, you know, every day I'm out there, I'm trying to, put a dent in it, just like I think we should put a dent in this deferred maintenance bucket, guys. It's really not important. Because if you let it go, that becomes on the back of the Boise taxpayers. Any other questions? I'd be happy to address any.

Just to thank you.

Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you. Okay.

All right. Come on up. Welcome.

Madam Mayor, Council Members, my name is Joe Lague. I live, pardon me, 14435 West Guinness Drive in Boise, Idaho.

You've got a vintage Hialdi shirt on.

I do.

That's an early one.

And almost every one of them.

Yeah.

If you'll permit me, I would like to wear my cover today in honor of my colleagues in uniform, past and present and future. My remarks will be brief. I'm a member of the board of the Centennial Neighborhood Association, but I'm not speaking entirely on behalf of them. Part of this is personal as well, but I am representing the neighborhood association with a couple of remarks here. So speaking on behalf of the centennial neighborhood association. I'm expressing our appreciation for the decisions and support of the mayor council and city staff. As you know, centennial has developed a tradition of being present at these annual budget sessions and public hearings. You followed through. on your commitment to ensure the completion of McDevitt Park with funding. We're thankful. The community looks forward to the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony on October 17th, of course, with you, with anticipation, excitement, and gratitude. You also recognize the validity of the citizenry's desire to continue the expansion of the library system with $2 million in seed funds. And we are all in admiration, of course, of Mark Salisbury's efforts on this in particular in pursuit of adding library access. In short, we are grateful and we thank you. And we'll be here again next year. Thank you.

Thank you. Good to see you. All right.

Hello, my name is Anise Welty and I'm a member of the Idaho Climate Justice League and Idaho Sierra Club. For the past two years now, I've spent a lot of time advocating for community solar here in the Boise area. I know we've talked to a lot of you about the issue of community solar, and I'm so grateful to see the money allocated in this budget for community solar. It will mean a lot to our community, especially low-income neighbors and friends, people who are struggling to afford food, fast and now have to decide between feeding their families and keeping these air conditioner on in these increasingly hot summers. Therefore, I want to say thank you for considering this project that will help lower costs for families and also help solve the increasingly pressing issue of climate change in our community. Oftentimes, In Idaho, it feels like there is very little we can do to address the issue of climate change, but this proposal for community solar this year is one concrete thing we can do in Boise to address two of the biggest problems facing not only Boiseans, but people across the United States today, rising costs and climate change. This project will hopefully be model for future projects, an example all across the state. So thanks for putting this in the budget, and I look forward to seeing how it progresses.

Thank you. Come on up.

Hello, my name is Simeon Novak, and I'm a volunteer with the Idaho Sierra Club. and a concerned citizen of Boise, Idaho. I am concerned with the exponentially growing threat of man-made climate disasters that disproportionately impact vulnerable groups and reduce overall quality of life. I believe positive change starts from the ground up, and I hope to seek solutions to current issues at the local level. This is where community solar comes in. Community solar projects are important because they ensure the needs of a community are met in a sustainable, eco-friendly way. From reducing power bills and energy costs for families already experiencing the rapidly rising costs of living, to creating more green jobs and fighting back against dirty energy, to building community action and wealth through a democratized system. Utilizing clean energy like community solar is the path forward. a path that was pledged by the city of Boise's climate action roadmap. It has not been actualized. I have witnessed the benefits of harvesting solar energy from neighbors in my neighborhood to an entire apartment complex in Portland, Oregon, a city I lived in previously. The Kailash Eco Village in Portland is a utopian hub of sustainable urban living that utilizes solar panels to produce power for its residents. interacting with residents from a low income apartment complex in Boise gave me insight into the interest for a community solar project that would help lower power bills. Additionally, talking with many people from various backgrounds and experiences while volunteering with the Sierra Club demonstrated the desire for clean energy further. people are talking and people are wanting right now in the present moment the most important time we collectively share is the time when promises be kept and accountability be taken we have the chance to change the course where climate catastrophes are the catalyst for human loss and suffering to the future where sustainable practices like community solar ensure the health and well-being for all people now, in the present, and for generations to come. Thank you.

Thank you. Tone up.

I trust you.

Mayor McLean, City Council President Stead, and Boise City Council members. My name is Jeffrey Watkins. I live in District 2 of Boise, and I'm here in support of the proposed budget for the community solar pilot program. I had been a renter until just a little over a year ago, and I lived in a very cheap apartment, coincidentally right next to the community solar for all mural along Park Center. They painted it right after I moved. Go figure. But when I was living in that apartment, I would have loved to have solar to lessen my energy bill. I struggled to make ends meet as an early career teacher, and a smaller energy bill would have really helped me out. Energy prices and demand continue to increase, and we need clean energy to meet these needs as we see the negative effects of climate change in Boise, including intense summer heat and worsening fire seasons. Community solar is an excellent way to accomplish this. Boise was one of the first Idaho cities to make a climate action plan, and that's a point that makes me proud of where I live. We have made serious efforts to accomplish this, and one of the parts of the roadmap was to create one of these community solar projects. I see this as another chance for Boise to be a clean energy leader in Idaho and fulfill our pledge. It also sets the groundwork for other future projects, and other cities around the state do pay close attention to what Boise does. So please support this pilot project and ensure that the LADA Community Action Partnership receives the power bill savings so that we can help our low-income neighbors afford their power bills. Thank you.

Thank you.

Good evening. My name is Said Mirbacha. I'm a member of Climate Justice League with the Sierra Club, Idaho Sierra Club, and a community organizer, and someone who has spent the last several years working alongside families from many different backgrounds. Through my work in the community, I've met people who work hard every day, but still have to make choices. They have to make difficult choices between paying their electricity bills and covering other basic needs. That's why I believe access to affordable local clean energy shouldn't depend on someone's income or where they live. Boise has always been a city that invests in innovative solutions. Community solar is one of those opportunities. It can help lower electricity costs for families already struggling with the rising cost of living, while also strengthening local energy system as demand continues to grow. The city also committed in its climate action roadmap to develop a 500 kilowatt community solar projects every five years. That first deadline has already passed, and now is the time to turn that commitment into action. With available tax credit and private donation that could help cover much of the cost, this is a practical investment in our community. I also ask you to include funding for a community solar pilot project that helps long-term families in Boise. Please also commit to tracking the progress of the pilot, expanding successful community solar projects in the future budgets, and ensuring that El Eda Community Action Partnership receives 100% of the power bill savings to this investments has the greatest possible impact for the families who needs it most. Thank you for your time and your service for the community.

All right, good evening, Boise City Council, Mayor McLean, and fellow Boise residents. My name is Lisa Young. I'm the director of the Idaho Chapter of the Sierra Club, our nation's oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization. I'm here speaking on behalf of our over 10,000 members and supporters who live in the city of Boise. We all want to see a greener, cleaner energy future for our city, with the climate crisis barreling down on us more and more each year. But we also want to see the benefits of that transition shared with all residents across the city, especially those who are often marginalized and left behind. Low-income communities and communities of color in Boise and across the world are hit first and worst from the impacts of climate change, yet did the least to actually cause it. This is an injustice that our city can begin to address by focusing on clean energy initiatives and investments that provide direct benefits to an engagement of Boise's low-income communities. The low-income community solar project that's included in the FY27 proposed budget is one of those initiatives, and we wholeheartedly support it. We're proud to have been a key driver in helping create this project and move it forward and are grateful for all the conversations and support that we've had with both city staff and city counselors for the past two years that have brought us to where we are today. We set out to help the city meet its own goal to develop a 500 kilowatt community solar project by 2025. And even though that exact goalpost wasn't met, we're glad to see this small pilot project as a concrete step forward toward that original goal. As we found through our countless community conversations, there is a big appetite out there for exploring creative solutions at the intersection of climate change and energy affordability. especially as power bills continue to rise. And this pilot project is an exciting way for us to try just one model that can then serve as a springboard for more dialogue, more innovations, more projects, and ultimately more energy savings for more residents. It's a win, win, win, win on so many fronts. We urge you to maintain this line item in the budget. in the final approved budget and to commit to following up on this pilot project and exploring more ways to expand on it in the very near future. Idaho Sierra Club and numerous partner organizations and constituents are all here ready to continue collaborating and innovating on climate and energy solutions that are for everyone. So thanks for the opportunity for us to show our support tonight and we can't wait to put the ribbon on this project together soon. Madam Mayor? Yes.

Lisa, thank you so much for being out here tonight.

I was wondering if you could maybe share with us, you did a lot of work talking to a lot of residents, a lot of community members besides just council. Can you share with us maybe just a couple of comments that you've received from the public?

Sure. Yeah. No. And I know that many of these comments have made their ways into your inboxes as well. So I'm grateful for all the listening and engaging that you all have done. Yeah, we've heard from so many people, I wish I could put solar on my roof. I wish I could do this. I just can't afford it. And we know that there's a lot of reasons why rooftop solar is not accessible to a lot of people. A lot of people care a lot about the environmental benefits. They really could use the benefits on their power bills, but they simply can't make that upfront investment. And so when we talk about community solar to people in the community, they just light up thinking about that possibility of being able to get some credits on their power bills, access some of those benefits, but not having to invest that huge upfront cost to pay for an entire system on their own. And so, yeah, we see community solar as that gateway to help open the door for so many other people to receive those benefits. And yeah, we just heard from a lot of different people, you know, seeing their power bills going up and up. And we know, I mean, power bills aren't going to go down anytime soon, but they're going up kind of faster than I think a lot of people can keep up. And that's what we've been hearing from people. And yeah, it's really opened our eyes to the need for something like this moving forward. Thank you so much. And thank you for your work. Yeah, thank you.

Madam Mayor. Got a question for you, Lisa. Can you just, this is obviously really exciting for the city of Boise to be taking this step in this direction. Can you just speak really quickly to, are we seeing this from other cities in the state of Idaho and who? Are there other private organizations or public organizations that you're hoping will also get involved beyond just the city of Boise?

Yeah, thanks so much. Yeah. Oh, yeah. I mean, for the city of Boise to be able to make this initial investment and get this pilot project off the ground, like we know that this is going to help inspire other cities, other places that we are already in conversation with. to just start to experiment with how we can do this in our state. So we already see the city of Moscow looking at the exact model that the city of Boise is looking at and wanting to replicate that up there in Northern Idaho. We know that a community solar, you know, the desire for a community solar project is in the plans for Blaine County and many of the cities there, city of Ketchum and Haley. So they'll be looking at wanting to replicate something there too. And we've even seen, you know, efforts to advance community solar in fellow Rocky Mountain states like Montana. There was a whole kind of statewide effort there last year that was full bipartisan support, really almost made it all the way through the legislature. So we're seeing this happening in our region, not just kind of in the real fancy blue places around the nation, but really like a lot of places that are seeing the ability to create your own energy lower power bills. I mean, of course this resonates with everyone. So, so yeah, for us to figure out the logistics of how to do it right here in our city is going to help inspire, you know, so many other places in Idaho and beyond to do the same.

Thank you.

mayor mclean and city council members my name is tim ronan and i'm a long-term boise resident and live on 19th street in district 3. i want to say that i strongly support the proposed 200 000 for repairs maintenance and planning for the boise whitewater park the boise whitewater park is a valuable city asset and is growing both community and economic value in our city properly maintaining the Whitewater Park is very important for its continued success. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Welcome.

I swear I'll get through this without vomiting.

Take all the time you need.

Okay, yeah.

Good evening, Mayor and members of the Council. My name is Tiffany C. Hazen-Stoley, and I'm here tonight to be the voice of my son, Brendan, as he can no longer. I just listened to a puzzle budget of millions of dollars for our police force. And I, on November 28th of last year, my son was trying to escape a domestic violence situation with his custodial parent. He was experiencing severe mental health emergency. As a parent desperate to keep him safe, I did what we're always told to do. I called the police. I notified them immediately of the situation. I was explicitly reassured by dispatch that they understood and that they would make sure that his safety was taken seriously. Instead, within moments of arriving, the responding officers escalated the situation to lethal force. A bullet went through my son's skull. This is Brenda. As I stood there in agony, begging and pleading for the officers to administer immediate life-saving aid, I was told it was a policy to wait for the EMTs, though I have been trained for 30 years for just such an emergency because the man on my birth certificate used a handgun that I gave him for Father's Day to try and end it all. I was forced to stand there and watch as my son bled out. It has been several months of excruciating silence and I will not be quiet anymore. I am here tonight to ask this council and the leadership of our police department some very simple, painful questions. Why does a call for help and a mental health crisis end with the death sentence of a 15-year-old? What policy dictates that armed officers must stand by with their guns drawn and watch a human being bleed to death instead of rendering immediate aid? And when will this city take responsibility for the lack of de-escalation training that killed my son? And why? Why should millions of Dahlers be given to them to do this to another family? A badge should represent a duty to protect and preserve life. That afternoon, my son was failed by the very people sworn to protect him, first by their weapons and then by their inaction. I am demanding a full transparent review of the department's de-escalation protocols. and the immediate reversal of any policy that prevents officers from rendering basic life-saving aid when a victim is down. My son deserved to be safe. He deserved to live. I will be here at every meeting and in every forum until his death is answered with accountability and real systematic change. Thank you.

Thank you. I appreciate your being here and I want to acknowledge how hard that was for you. Thank you. Thank you.

Ben, I'm here if I could. There's nothing I can say up here right now that's going to, I think, make an impact with everything you've been through. It's really hard to come up here for any single person, no matter what they're coming in and talking about and advocating for. And so I know that it took a lot of strength and a lot of courage for you to come and do that. Um, I'm happy to talk with you after the council meeting or at a different time or connect you with some of the folks from our police department so that we can have a better conversation so that, um, at least I have a fuller understanding. And if there's things that we can do as city council members to make sure that we do that training, I know that they have done a lot in the last several years to improve a lot of that work with deescalation. Um, and I believe that it is working, but I think that there's always more that we can do and we should always strive to do better. And if a conversation with you can help make that happen, I would love to have that conversation. So thank you for being here.

Are there other people here this evening that would like to testify? Lisa, I saw you come in. Come on up.

Mayor McLean and Council members, thank you for this opportunity to support, to express my support for community solar in the budget. A lot of people have already spoken very eloquently about it, so I'll pretty much summarize the reasons that I've heard and that I see. One is, we all know that housing prices and food prices in general are going up. And this is one thing that we can do to reduce the rising costs of electricity, especially for low-income families, who in many cases cannot afford a home. And so being able to do this in community situations is very helpful. And the rising costs will probably be exacerbated by rising temperatures and the data center to be built in CUNA, as I understand it. Secondly, it helps Boise City to meet its commitments to carbon neutrality. And it will be, as Lisa said, and I'm Lisa Hecht, the other Lisa. And as she said, it will be a great opportunity for learning in terms of what works, what's affordable, and how we can expand this. Lastly, it allows us to use rooftop space rather than arable land. I know that there have been some events at the county level to try to prevent agrivoltaics in areas of the county. Here we can use rooftops that are or structures that already exist and not have to use arable land. Lastly, I personally installed a 4.27 kilowatt system in 2015 and it has worked flawlessly since then. The only maintenance was a little rinse down after a nasty mudstorm. so beyond installation maintenance should be relatively minimal for the folks who will be using this community solar so i believe it's an incredibly good investment for the city it was a wonderful investment for me paid itself off in five years and i think this could be of great value to the city and its opportunity to not only clean our air and help address climate change, but to improve the financial well-being of our citizens. Thank you.

Thank you. All right. I don't have anybody else in the front row, nobody else on the sign-up sheets. Before I close this public hearing, I just want to make sure there's nobody else that would like to say something. All right, with that, I wanna, we'll close the hearing. I do wanna say a thank you to everybody that showed up this evening and whether you're from a neighborhood association in West Boise or part of the community solar group, other neighbors with great suggestions and a mom who wants us to ask hard questions, thank you. It's really wonderful to have all of you in our chambers And I want to acknowledge that this budget is a reflection of this community's needs and values and appreciate that Mr. Hennessy called out that we're seeking to run the business first as we look at constrained resources, rising costs, but also as we grow, if we want to protect our quality of life that we enjoy, we have to make sure that we're also making intentional investments in every neighborhood of the city. So appreciate the folks that are here tonight to talk about it, but also All the people that shared feedback in advance of this hearing and the folks along the way that have shared feedback throughout the year and years about what's important in all of our neighborhoods and what folks want to see in our city as we continue to grow to make sure the Boise remains Boise. And so with that, we will take two motions. And then, of course, there'll be time for discussion. We'll do one motion at a time because this was both the foregone and the general budget hearing.

Madam Mayor, I move the appropriation ordinance for fiscal year 27 be placed on the reading funder for August 11th, 2026. Second the motion.

We have a motion and a second. Is there a discussion?

Madam Mayor, I want to emphasize, I know how seriously I and I think the rest of council takes the public feedback that we receive all through this process. I'm really grateful for... your office's collaboration with our office as we worked through this process the last several months. I think this is the most collaborative and transparent that we have been and have worked together. There's so many good things in this budget. I know that there will be further discussion in the next meeting also, but I really value all of the feedback that we've received through the written comments and the surveys that go out and in person tonight that it's difficult to... check all the boxes for all of our residents. I don't think there's ever a decision we make that doesn't upset somebody when it makes somebody else happy, but it's a really important process and hearing from the residents has great weight. So I appreciate those who have participated and I encourage those who haven't to join us in the process again because there's some really great things going on at this city and I encourage folks to get involved in whatever capacity makes sense for them. But thanks for being here tonight and thanks for your journey along the way with us.

This is my seventh budget meeting since I've been on city council. They're all a little bit different. And certainly this one I think was different tonight. I want to just start off by thanking all of the staff who've been so involved with this process. People have had to make hard decisions about what they're going to do this year and what they're going to put off the next year. They've had to take on new projects and figure out how they can push somebody on their team maybe just a little bit harder. They've had to figure out how they can get creative in applying for grants and looking for partners to get a lot of projects done. And they take it really seriously. Because actions have tremendous consequences and we should take them seriously. You know, whether it's public safety or public works or our parks and the services that we're trying to deliver to our community, it is serious business. And the dollars that we get from the public, we want to use those in a way that makes sense, that truly serves their needs. Since I've been on city council, the budget has gotten more challenging, I think, every single year because the city has grown in complexity every single year. It's grown in size in every single year. Costs have gone up every single year. And funds coming in, you know, haven't. There's been restrictions that have made it difficult for growth to pay for a lot of the growth that we're seeing. And because of that, we have some of those deferred maintenance projects. And that's not a challenge that I think that we take lightly, and it's not a challenge that's going to go away. And I anticipate the next few years, it continuing to get more and more challenging to make sure that we're delivering the services that we need, our communities expect, and our community members deserve to be able to do it in a way while still keeping up with the cost of projects that are growing, personnel cost, insurance cost, technology cost. And not only the cost that we have here in the city, but the cost that we have in a growing Treasure Valley. Every single day, the neighborhoods around us shrink, our neighboring cities, and the city of Boise grows exponentially. 75% of the jobs are right here in Boise. And so when somebody wakes up in CUNA, they go to bed there, but they work here oftentimes during the daytime and our services have to extend really, really far. And so I'm excited to approve today's budget because of the work that's gone into it and the smart work that I think that we've done. Actually more money that we've put in deferred maintenance than we've done in a really long time. And I think knowing that we're going to have to continue doing that, you know, going forward and taking that really seriously and what some of the, you know, shiny things, sacrifices, maybe that needs to, will need to take place. I also just want to acknowledge the public process that can sometimes be really messy and sometimes can be really empowering and really beautiful. As somebody who comes from the nonprofit sector, who took pride in advocacy and pulling the community together to get projects done, both with Community Solar and then the Citizens for a West Library, that advocacy works. You know, you had those conversations, you've done the work and you've made a difference and it should be something that you're really proud of because it's helping the city be a better city for its community members. So again, the budget is a serious deal. The dollars that we spend have an impact on people. And the responsibility of using those dollars wisely, I don't think any of us take lightly. And I think it's going to be something that we're going to have to continue to really make sure that we're focused on how we can deliver these services going forward. Again, thank you to the staff. It's an amazing amount of work to get a budget like this put together. And then it's really exciting because now we have a roadmap. I think that reflects the values of our community. It tells the story of our community going forward this next year as we prepare to do it again and again and again.

Thanks.

Thank you for everybody coming out today. I think this is my fourth budget setting and I think this is the best attended one that we've had. So thank you for coming out today. Especially want to thank Mark and your supporters. It was three years ago now that you were the only people at our budget hearing And we pleaded with you to work with us and to be patient and that we would demonstrate some progress. I hope that progress is demonstrable to you tonight. And just really thank you for your patience. I'm not a patient man in general, and I don't know if I would have demonstrated as much patience as you have. So we really appreciate it. And to the grieving mother who spoke, we hear you and we will continue do what we have in our power to better understand this tragedy and make sure that every person who has a police response in this city is treated with the dignity and respect and best practices available to us. So thank you for bringing it to our attention and you have our commitment on that regard.

Madam Mayor. This is my third budget hearing on this side. I've attended many budget hearings on that side. And I really appreciate everyone who came out here to speak tonight because it's difficult. It is really difficult to take the time to find the nerve to try to find those right words to say and then sometimes even forget it all when you get up to the plate. But you did a really great job. To me, this is citizen advocacy at its best. Mark and the Centennial Neighborhood Association, they've been out here, not just to the budget hearings, they've been to many community meetings and been relaying their message is that this is important to us. This is important to us as Boiseans, getting their comment in. And it makes a difference. You're seeing this tonight. We have $2 million set aside for seed funding. I'm really excited for that. Our friends for Community Solar with Sierra Club, they've been partnering with us. And I think people should know this isn't just an ask and a request. There's been several meetings to say, hey, how can we do this the right way? What makes sense for us? And then there's always some mechanics that we have to figure out. We're really close on this project. And it's changed. It's changed a lot from what we all thought it was going to be to begin with. But I think we're going to have a better project in the long run. And I'm so excited to see this happen. If I look overall at our budget process, you know, I think this project proves that we can really be fiscally conservative and still put public safety first. We're taking less than the law allows from taxpayers and while making sure that every our police officers or firefighters in the city have what they need to keep Boise safe. So it's a challenge. As Councilmember Halliburton said, every year it does feel like the screws are ratcheting down a little bit because we're seeing the costs continue to escalate. And talking with fire engines in the past five years, they've gone from 550 to 1.1 million. Lead time's gone from 18 months to over two years. So it's a lot of planning that has to be put in there. Just your average police cruiser, I think, is over $90,000, if you can believe it. So we have to start accounting for those costs. And while looking at additions and accounting, appreciate you saying that we're deferred maintenance. It's not the pretty things. It's not the park we want, but it's important. And we've got to make sure we have the money set aside for that. I also want to recognize, too, that we have some constraints and don't have a lot of levers in our toolbox to help us. Our state legislature is limiting the city's ability to keep pace in respects. House Bill 389 capped new construction 90%. and revenue growth is capped. So this is regardless of the demand of services that are placed upon the city. As Councilmember Halliburton said, we have over 70,000 commuters that are coming into the city for work, and we got to provide them services and places to walk, green belts and parks. And that puts a little bit additional strain when we're not getting those taxpayer dollars. I'm really proud of what we are investing with police, more money for overtime, our accent body count, body cameras. We're looking at grants, such as the Safer Grant, so that we can fund four-person, four people at our fire stations. And we really take a look at just all different ways. The city has applied for a lot of different grants recently, and we've done a really great job there. $74 million from the FAA for airport infrastructure, $5.6 million to fund planning for East-West Lake Hazel Connection, $1 million in the Bloomberg Grant for geothermal for multi-affordable housing project. These are really exciting things, and the city's doing what it can to really take a look at that, of how do we fund these projects. Two other things. I just want to mention the cost of living adjustment that was brought up earlier. And just to mention that those aren't raises. Those are just keeping our employees to keep up with inflation. That's why we've also had to set aside for additional funding to reward when we see the good service. Because the cost of turnover is expensive for a city, and we don't want to see that happen. Lastly, I just want to say thank you so much, ma'am, for coming out here today and talking about your son. As a mom, I can't imagine the devastation. And really appreciate you bringing this up. I think there is more we can do. And I think those discussions with you and with our police will lead us to better tools and better solutions. Thank you so much for coming out tonight.

Madam Mayor. First of all, thank you to everyone who came out tonight. There are so many things you could be doing on a Tuesday evening in our beautiful city, and you chose to spend your time here. And many of you have chosen to spend many opportunities with us here, and it doesn't go unnoticed. I mean, this is the best part of everything we get to do at City Council is seeing Boiseans come and seeing Boiseans in action. So I'm grateful and I'm honored that you came and spent your evening with us. I'm very intrigued about the granularity of the suggestions today. You know, oftentimes we get big themes. What I appreciate about what this group has done is you've given us very specific things. And I really appreciated Mr. Hennessey's perspective on that because it helps us to see what is important, what what we could do differently. And I appreciate that. Every budget is a choice. And Tim, you said it. This is a big book. It's over 200 pages. There's a lot of information here. There's a lot to digest. And we get one vote on it. We don't get the opportunity to slice and dice and say, we like this, but we don't like this. We have to look at it as a whole. And when I look at this budget, this is a win for West Boise. It is a win for what we value in West Boise. We value parks. We value public safety. And we really value library access. So I'm going to embarrass Mark a little bit here. But four years ago, or five, Mark sent me my very first email eventually as a city council person. He said, I want to meet with you, and I have an idea. And we met and that has sparked a journey that has been really remarkable. You know, West Boise, sometimes we have a little bit of identity crisis because we're so close to Meridian and Eagle and Garden City that people sometimes forget about us, that we are part of Boise and West Boise is Boise. And Mark, what you've done is you've given the community a rallying point to show we're West Boise and for something that we want desperately. And I know how hard it's been. I mean, you have showed up in 23, 24, 25, now 26, and a lot of people will get tired. And this goes to the fundamental quote that Roosevelt had that credit belongs to the person that stays in the arena because it is darn easy to get tired and discouraged. And once you leave that arena, It's hard to get back in. And Mark, not only have you stayed in the arena, but you've brought friends. You brought other Boiseans with you. You created a opportunity in West Boise where people feel part of a community where they want something, where they're advocating for something that did not exist five years ago. So today is a great day for all the people that stayed in the arena. It's a great day for our coach who started creating the team that would stay in the arena. I know it's a small number. I mean, you see other places in the budget, you know, it's $2 million, but it's $2 million. And I think what you've seen here is a commitment from the council that you have been heard, you will continue to be heard, and you will have a library in West Boise. Thank you.

Thank you. Tiffany, thank you again for testimony tonight. It was great to hear Brendan Jones's name and see his picture. And this tragedy happened before I was on council, but to be able to read up on him while I was up here and we will all continue to keep him in our hearts. I want to thank Council Member Willits for her comments about being engaged. and appreciate you being here, being engaged. Engagement's how we move forward as a city, how we tackle the tragedies or issues that come before us and how we take advantage of the opportunities that we together can build a better Boise for future generations. And to that, I would also like to thank Mark for the work that you've put together. It's been, I guess it was 2023, I think when I first met you, you had a clipboard and I signed up because I was like, this seems cool and read every email since. And it's been a lot of emails, a lot of really good information. And so really, really appreciate you and the continued work that we're seeing as people engage, right, as people come together. And that is exhibited as well tonight with community solar. This was something I didn't know about before I joined council. It was early 2024. We had our youth climate action teams. They were presenting all their projects and there was a community solar mural project. What is community solar? And sure enough, ever since learning more and more about that, seeing that beautiful mural on Park Center all the time. And and honestly, first, I would just like to thank all of the staff that have spent a lot of time in running out this ground ball because it was a very unique thing. And there are things that we learned. limitations that we might have and what can we do and I am deeply grateful a lot of staff investment in pursuing this and grateful for the tenacity of the supported to continue to support that. And so I think these things show that when people engage And think about that long-term. It's not just an easy, what if you did this? And then not think about it again. But when we engage, we really can do incredible things. I want to just first walk through a trade-off really quickly. I think that's worth calling out from our prior budget workshops. Thanks to new growth in our city, Percy increases being delayed. A couple other items we've been presented with a final 2.7%. property tax increase. That's not the full 3% allowed in the state of Idaho. What we'll see in neighboring municipalities this year dealing with the demands of growth and inflation, I believe our neighbors next to us are looking at the full 3% and 1% foregone. But for the average Boise home, I think it's important we see this 2.7% number everywhere. It's not 2.7% of our full property tax bill. That 2.7% takes into new growth into account. Unfortunately, only 90% thanks to the Moyle property tax bill. But really, for the average assessed Boise home, it's about 0.6% increase. So it's a $9.39 annual increase. And all this can be found in page 95 of the budget book. You can download it so you don't have to print it off here. But had the city of Boise taken the full 3% this year, that would have been a $14.11 increase. So as we talked about in our last presentation, budget hearing that left about $600,000 on the table that the city could have invested towards maybe one time things. I appreciated the testimony we had with some ideas for how to get more deferred maintenance taken care of. And that was actually a big concern of mine. I remember council member Halliburton bringing it up as well. And it really came down to state capacity. We are making sustained progress towards more tackling more deferred maintenance and But we don't have really the staff to be able to continue to do even more than we're doing right now. So that's something that we have asked to be able to look more into in the future. But this budget does provide even more investment into that preferred maintenance is very, very important. And I really appreciate our neighbor bringing that up tonight. And I think I just want to speak to a couple things that didn't come up in the hearing tonight, but we did see in The budget feedback. So we got a lot of budget feedback and a lot of it was stuff that we're seeing being funded tonight. And I think that that's important to the amount of people engagement that we saw. One of the things that I saw recently in the most recent round was interest in more support, more funding for homeless services or prevention. And this is one where I do think that looking at ways that we might be able to increase our homeless service grants could be really, really important. When we hear about property taxes increasing, a lot of people think about that as making the affordability crisis harder, right? We're increasing $10 more on top of the $10 more you're paying everywhere else right here. But for those that are really struggling at that line, they're probably at the cliff already. And, you know, the city of Boise is seeing this more so than our neighboring cities in terms of an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And if we can invest more and support resources to keep people housed, I think that that's a one-time investment. And I appreciate the community members that reached out about that one. So I'll be voting yes on this budget. I think it does strike a balance and I hope people recognize that. We are, it is moderated. We're not taking the full 3%, but it's important to understand those trade-offs and the realities of how the math actually applies to individual homeowners, renters. going forward as we continue to think about these pressing needs in years to come. And hopefully we can see more support from the state side, you know, with unfunded mandates or preventing us from getting the full value of new growth and subsidizing that as existing homeowners.

All right, that's everybody. Clark?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, all in favor motion carries.

And now take a second motion. The foregone.

Thanks. I move approval of resolution 319-26 for the fiscal year 2027 foregone property tax.

Second. We have a motion and a second. Discussion?

Clerk? Fed? Yes. Willett? Yes. Corliss? Yes. Halliburton? Yes. Morales? Yes. Nash?

Yes.

All in favor? Motion carries.

Before we move into the fee hearing now with the two proper budget hearing... topics done. I do, I want to thank staff. We've got Alicia, who's probably going to be back up here in just a second to do the next round, but Eric, who runs that department, the finance team, but there are so many directors, as I mentioned at the beginning, and other team members here this evening. A lot of work went into this. You helped us prepare to make sure that we are taking care of the needs that we have today and into the future. You helped us ensure that we heard from the public that your departments were making tough decisions in recognition of the service we need to provide and the expectations that the public have. And I do really appreciate it. So thanks to all of you for your work that got us to this point with the budget itself. I really appreciate it. And now we will have a hearing on fees. So just for folks in the audience. This is something that we, by city code, we have to do if fees increase more than a certain percentage. And so Alicia will be here to highlight some of those. This is official action we take to make sure that the costs of the fees that we're charging the public keep up with the cost of the services or activities that the public are participating in. With that, Alicia.

Madam Mayor, council members, that's correct. The Public hearing tonight is associated with fee changes greater than 5% or instituting new fees. All of the changes and new fees are included in the budget book. And adjustments are needed to recover the cost of providing services to maintain infrastructure and ensure programs remain financially stable. Happy to take any questions that you may have. Otherwise, we could pivot then to the public hearings.

All right, is anybody here to testify on fees? Nobody's here to testify on fees. With that, I will close the public hearing and this item before council.

Madam Mayor, I move approval of resolution 320-26. Second to motion.

We have a motion and a second. Oh, sorry, discussion.

Clark? Stead? Yes. Willis? Yes. Corliss? Yes. Halliburton? Yes. Morales? Yes. Nash? All in favor, motion carries. All righty. Next up, development impact fee hearings.

And then the final one is the development impact fee public hearing. This is to address the rising project costs. So this would adjust the development impact fees by 4.2%. And this is consistent with the engineering news records national building cost index. So that's the national increase to keep up with inflation. Happy to take any questions on this one.

Is anybody here to testify on impact fees? All right. With that, I'll close this public hearing.

Madam Mayor, I move the appropriation ordinance for the fiscal year 2027 to be placed on the reading calendar for August 11th, 2026. This is for the fiscal year 2027 development impact fees.

Second the motion.

We have a motion and a second. Discussion? Clerk? Dead. Yes. Willis. Yes. Corliss. Yes. Halliburton. Yes. Morales. Yes. Nash. Yes.

All in favor, motion carries. Madam Mayor, with that, I move to adjourn. Second the motion.

All in favor? Aye. Opposed? We are adjourned. Thanks, everybody.

Pretty close to this guy. There you go. I know that's a very important thing. I'm really excited. Good.