Association of Idaho Cities

Idaho Gives is finally here and we're excited to announce that our 501(c)(3) affiliate, the League of Idaho Cities, is participating this year!

The League of Idaho Cities has program priorities ranging from Youth Leadership & Civic Engagement through Mayor's Youth Advisory Councils and Readers Becoming Leaders to Mental Health through the First Responders Mental Health Training and previously The Tandem Tour.

Help us continue to provide integral programming benefiting Idaho's communities by donating today!

https://www.idahogives.org/organizations/league-of-idaho-cities

Idaho Gives is just one month away! Join the League of Idaho Cities (LIC), the 501(c)3 affiliate of the Association of Idaho Cities, and non-profits across Idaho in supporting Idaho based philanthropy. Taking place from May 4th – 7th, Idaho Gives encourages collaboration not just between non-profits and their sector, but the community at large as non-profits encourage each other and their donors to give to these important missions.

For more information about Idaho Gives: https://www.idahogives.org/

Visit our website to learn more about LIC and the programs we offer: https://idahocities.org/page/LIC

Do you have an educational, non-commercial workshop that you think would benefit the elected officials and staff of Idaho's cities?

Tomorrow is the last day to submit workshop proposals for the happening June 10-12, 2026, at the Boise Centre!

To submit a workshop, please visit our website at https://idahocities.org/page/annualworkshopsubmission. Workshops must be submitted by 11:59 PM on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, for consideration!

The memorial service for Mayor Rick Hogaboam has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at 5:00 PM at the Ford Idaho Center. Our thoughts are with the family, friends, and colleagues of Mayor Hogaboam, as well as the City of Nampa, as they celebrate his life and legacy.

Please see the below press release from the City of Nampa with additional details.

________________________

March 27, 2026
For Immediate Release

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE CITY OF NAMPA
Memorial Service for the late Nampa Mayor Rick Hogaboam

The memorial service honoring the late Mayor Rick Hogaboam will be held on Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at 5 p.m. at the Ford Idaho Center. Doors will open at 4 p.m.

The general public and media are invited to attend and are asked to park in the west parking lot, nearest to the Idaho Center Boulevard, and use “Entry 1”.

Family members, close friends, colleagues and dignitaries are asked to enter from Franklin Boulevard, park in the south parking lot, and use “Entry 5”.

There will be a security screening, and weapons will not be allowed. Guests are encouraged to limit personal items to expedite security screening time.

The service will be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/. Ways to support the Hogaboam family can be found on the City of Nampa website: https://www.cityofnampa.us/1782/Honoring-Mayor-Hogaboam.

As a reminder, City of Nampa offices will be closed at 3:30 p.m. to allow employees who wish to attend the memorial service to do so.

Today is the LAST DAY to register for the AIC Spring District Meetings happening around the state this April! Join the Association of Idaho Cities, ICRMP, and Idaho Advanced Energy Consortium (IAEC) for discuss legislative updates, employment law for Idaho's Cities, Idaho's energy future, and more!

We will also have a concurrent workshop for Newly Elected Officials that is included in the cost of registration.

Monday, April 6 - Boise
Tuesday, April 14 - Coeur d'Alene
Wednesday, April 15 - Moscow
Tuesday, April 21 - Idaho Falls
Wednesday, April 22 - Chubbuck
Thursday, April 23 - Twin Falls

For the full agenda and to register, please visit the Community Calendar on our website here: https://idahocities.org/events/event_list.asp

The Association of Idaho Cities would like to extend our thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of Mayor Jackie Hutchison, as well as the City of Middleton, as they gather to honor her life, commitment to her community, and legacy of service on Friday, March 27, 2026.

It is with the deepest sadness that we must report Mayor Rick Hogaboam experienced a medical emergency tonight and has passed away.

We ask the community to please keep his family and loved ones in your prayers during this incredibly difficult time.

As we begin to mourn this unbelievable loss, please provide grace while we navigate the loss of not only our Mayor, but also our friend.

Tonight, we all lost an advocate for our local communities with the sudden passing of Mayor Rick Hogaboam. The Association of Idaho Cities extends our deepest sympathy and prayers to his wife Mimi, children, and family. Together we are all grieving with the City of Nampa and all those who knew him. - Mayor Robert Simison, AIC President & Mayor, City of Meridian

Today, we want to talk about something we've been talking about for the last few years - the effects of HB 389 (2021) on Idaho's cities.

What is HB 389? HB 389 created a cap on the amount a city could grow their budgets based on new construction, annexation, urban renewal expansion, and reclassification. Because of this cap, growth is not paying for itself, forcing cities to either reduce services or for costs to be absorbed by existing homeowners.

What do property taxes cover? In 2025, city budgets spent $654,558,027 on fire, police, and EMS while only collecting $636,344,375.

How does this cap effect cities? This cap means that 157 of Idaho's cities could not build a neighborhood, McDonalds, and grocery store without hitting the cap. 143 cities would be taken over the cap by the development of a 50 household neighborhood, and 85 cities would be taken over the cap by only building TEN houses!

The average house in Idaho as of 2025 is valued at $507,400. An average McDonalds in Idaho is valued at around $2,220,532. An average grocery store in Idaho is valued at $7,875,249.

So, what's the compromise? Adopt a three-tiered approach:
- No cap for cities under 10,000
- 15% cap for cities between 10,000 and 30,000
- The existing 8% cap for cities over 30,000
This compromise allows growth to better pay for itself in smaller and mid-sized communities while maintaining current constraints on larger cities.

The 2026 AIC Annual Conference is coming up June 10-12, 2026, at the Boise Centre which means there are only a few weeks left to submit your workshop proposals!

Sessions must be educational, non-commercial, and provide takeaways for attendees to bring back to their communities. If you're looking for a way to engage local elected officials and their staff, this is a great opportunity! Workshops will be 60 minutes in length, including any Q & A, and AIC Affiliate Partner have priority. If you're not yet an AIC Affiliate Partner, feel free to email Cieara Davis, our Events, Communications, and Programs Manager, at [email protected].

Link to submit a workshop proposal: https://idahocities.org/page/annualworkshopsubmission