CANYON COUNTY, Idaho — What started as a missed city council meeting in Notus has turned into a legal battle—one that ended with a judge dismissing a citation against a local elected official.
At the Canyon County Courthouse Thursday, Councilwoman Lupita Connor faced a trial hearing after being cited for missing a December 1, 2025, city council meeting.
Connor, who has served on the council for one term, said she believes the citation was not simply about attendance.
“I’m the first and only city council member to have ever been cited since that ordinance was ever initiated,” Connor said.
“I really feel it’s based on submitting concerns… and I feel it was retaliatory.”
Testimony in court focused on what unfolded the night of December 1.
Mayor David Porterfield testified that only two of the four council members were present for the scheduled 7 p.m. meeting—short of the three required for a quorum. Because of that, the meeting was adjourned shortly after it began.
Porterfield said he attempted to call Connor but did not reach her and did not try contacting her through text or email.
Connor’s attorneys argued she did notify the city of her absence due to illness, but that message came shortly after the meeting had already ended.
Following the adjourned meeting, council members voted to cite Connor under a city attendance ordinance—Notus City Code 1-5-4A.
According to testimony, the ordinance was adopted on February 7, 2022, after prior attendance issues involving a former council member. It allows for a $50 fine for a first violation, with increasing penalties for repeated absences.
However, Porterfield testified the ordinance had never been enforced in this way before.
WATCH: Citation against Notus councilwoman dismissed after judge cites lack of proof, errors in filing
Connor’s attorneys questioned the consistency of enforcement, pointing to past records that showed previous council members had unexcused absences without facing similar citations.
They also raised concerns about timing—saying Connor had previously filed grievances against city leadership, which the mayor acknowledged in court. Those complaints involved allegations of harassment and impartiality and began in late 2025.
Some community members showed up in support of Connor, including longtime resident and former council member Randall Taylor.
“I served on the city council myself several times, and at this point, Lupita is the only representation that I feel like I have on the city council,” Taylor said.
After more than 30 minutes of testimony, the judge dismissed the case, ruling the state failed to prove the charge.
The judge also noted issues with the citation itself—including listing the wrong date of December 2, even though the meeting took place December 1, and including Connor’s home address instead of the city’s.
Following the hearing, Porterfield declined an on-camera interview, but told Idaho News 6 he is “baffled” and frustrated by the outcome.
Connor says she hopes the case sends a message about accountability and standing up for the community.
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