The Nampa City Council voted on Dec. 1 to convey the Ford Idaho Center complex — including the amphitheater, arena and Horse Park — to the College of Western Idaho, approving a bundle of agreements intended to transfer ownership and protect continuing community uses.

The action came after a lengthy staff presentation and legal review and an extended public hearing that drew more than 30 speakers representing education, venue management, horse-industry groups, the Stampede, and residents both for and against the transfer. Proponents said CWI can unlock funding and programmatic opportunities and deliver long-term stewardship; opponents argued the city is giving away a taxpayer-funded asset that remains publicly valuable.

Mayor Debbie Kling cast the deciding vote after the council’s roll-call produced a 3–3 tie on the ordinance authorizing conveyance. Councilmember Reynolds moved the ordinance; the motion was seconded and then carried when the mayor voted in favor. Council votes on the subsequent implementation items — the Use Agreement, the Conveyance & Acquisition Use Agreement, the Special Warranty Deed (which reserves identified water rights to the city and contains a reversionary clause), assignment and amendment of OVG’s management agreement, and food-and-beverage assignments — each passed on recorded roll calls (most 4–3 with the mayor’s tie vote where required).

Why council members said yes

Supporters on the dais and in public comment pointed to three main rationales: (1) financial sustainability — city staff presented historical budget trends for the complex showing multiple years of operating losses and significant city investment over prior decades; (2) access to funding and fundraising tools available to a public college and its foundation (speakers from CWI and the CWI Foundation said the college and its foundation have tools the city does not, including philanthropic commitments and financing options); and (3) academic activation — CWI representatives described plans to integrate applied learning and workforce-training programs (veterinary, equine science, venue management and others) that would use the site while preserving core community events.

CWI leadership also provided written and oral assurances that key stakeholders would retain long-term access: the Snake River Stampede, Horse Park Foundation and Oak View Group representatives all testified they had negotiated protections and were comfortable with the proposed arrangements.

Why others objected

Opponents told the council the property is not "underutilized," citing recent profitable years, ongoing public events (including free community events), and contracts with Oak View Group that, they said, had improved operations. Several speakers urged delaying a transfer until the incoming mayor and any new councilmembers take office in January so new leadership can weigh the decision. Others asked whether alternatives — renegotiating operator agreements, using auditorium district funding, or seeking private buyers with protective contracts — had been fully explored.

Key protections written into the agreements

- Reversionary language: The conveyance documents include a reversionary right that would allow the city to reclaim title if CWI abandoned the property or conveyed it without the city’s written consent.
- Reserved water rights: City engineers identified and reserved specified water rights; those are not conveyed to CWI.
- Surviving obligations: Several commitments — including many of the representations and required uses — are written to survive closing.

What happens next

Council approved the first-reading ordinance authorizing the conveyance and then a series of implementing agreements at the same meeting. The city clerk will record the transaction documents. The approved package directs the mayor to execute the agreements (with minor, staff-approved technical revisions allowed by the city attorney). The move transfers operational, capital and maintenance responsibility for the complex to CWI under the terms the council approved. CWI and its foundation indicated they will pursue capital fundraising and program development; venue operations will continue under Oak View Group’s management arrangement as amended and assigned to CWI under the agreements.

Who spoke (examples)

Several public speakers and organizational representatives urged the council to approve the conveyance; among them were Nick Miller and Ashley Smith from CWI (who described academic and workforce opportunities), Mike Pena for the CWI Foundation (financial capacity), Andrew Luther of Oak View Group (venue operations experience), and leaders from the Snake River Stampede and the Horse Park Foundation (who said they had negotiated protections for their events).

Opposition testimony included local residents and business owners who said the city has previously invested tens of millions in the facility and opposed giving it away without monetary consideration. Several asked for more time, an advisory ballot or additional review of alternatives.

Bottom line

The council voted to transfer ownership to CWI with legally enforceable protections written into the agreements. The decision concludes a months-long process of study, outreach and public hearings that sharply divided public opinion. The transactions are now in the record and will move to closing steps and implementation under the terms the council approved.

Sources: City staff presentations and the public hearing record at the Nampa City Council meeting on Dec. 1, 2025; statements from College of Western Idaho representatives and community stakeholders.