KUNA, Idaho — The Kuna and Nampa fire departments could one day merge into a single agency — and now, Kuna’s Board of Commissioners is taking the first formal step toward figuring out if that makes sense.
On Wednesday, commissioners heard public comment before deciding to look into the proposal further.
“It looks to me like there’s a win-win, obviously, a lot of questions to be asked and answered,” said Doug Davies, who lives in Kuna.
“I would encourage [the fire department] to go forward with that next step,” said Kim Ashmore, who lives in Kuna.
WATCH | Hear from neighbors and union representatives about the possible merger
Neighbors so far seem to be on board, but the Kuna Fire Board of Commissioners still has a lot of research to do.
“They want to investigate if it’s going to be financially feasible and appropriate for their taxpayers to merge these two districts,” said Matthew Smith, Vice President of the Nampa Firefighters Union.
Smith said a merger would offer better service to residents in both cities while allowing Kuna to expand their department's budget.
“We already run calls with each other because we share a border and we all have agreements that we'll come help you and you’ll go help us,” explained Smith.
Kuna Fire’s small staff and limited funding mean neighboring departments — such as Nampa and Meridian — often respond to Kuna calls anyway.
A tax reform bill signed into law in 2021 put an 8% cap on budget growth each year for fire departments like Kuna’s, meaning even if there is more growth in town, the department cannot fully capitalize on it.
“The Kuna firefighters are in support of it,” said Matt Graham with Kuna’s Firefighter Union, adding that a merger would likely mean taxes decrease slightly for Nampa residents and increase for Kuna residents.
“The levy rates would have to meet in the middle,” Graham said.
Some residents at Wednesday’s meeting didn’t see that as an issue.
“I don’t think we should care at all what happens to Nampa’s rates. I think all we should care about is what happens to Kuna, and the service for Kuna, and the cost for Kuna, and if it’s a benefit for us. If their rates go down, so be it,” Davies added.
The board voted to create a subcommittee, beginning the process of gathering information needed to make a decision on merging the departments.
Idaho News 6 will provide updates as the process moves forward.
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