Southwest Nampa has been in need of a fire station for eight years, according to the fire chief, and the mayor says it could be 2024 or later before funding is available.
The city of over 100,000 people has five fire stations and, given the call volume, needs three more, Fire Chief Kirk Carpenter said. Population has grown by 25% since the last station was built in 2007.
Carpenter said a sixth station should have been built in 2011, along with a seventh between 2014 and 2015 and an eighth last year, to keep up with growth.
Though funding the new station is a top priority, Carpenter said, it’s absent from next year’s $12.2 million budget request. Department officials didn’t think city council would support it, he said. Instead, the department is asking for three new firefighters and some new equipment.
Carpenter said it’s difficult for the fire department to get the funding it needs because it has to compete with police, public works and other departments that also need more money.