Early City Government
The City of Boise was officially founded in 1863, but it took several years for the city government to form. The Idaho Territorial Legislature voted to make Boise the territorial capital in 1864 and took up the responsibility of creating the city charter which defined the organization, authority, and powers of the city government. Boise residents rejected this charter, sparking a debate between pro-charter and anti-charter advocates that lasted for years.
The Idaho Territorial Legislature again attempted to organize Boise City's government during its third legislative session, and on January 11, 1866, incorporated Boise within Ada County. The new city charter did not require voter ratification and ordered that an election be held May 7, 1866 to elect city officers.
During the May 1866 election, candidates for city office were nominated by pro-charter and anti-charter platforms. Newspaper accounts show that one of the main reasons citizens opposed the city charter was due to finances. Some people did not want the added expense of city taxes or the additional costs associated with running an administrative system. The anti-charter platform proposed to elect candidates to city government who would not officially take office which would, in turn, push the question of city government off until the next election. The anti-charter ticket triumphed. Dr. Ephraim Smith was nominated for the position of mayor on the anti-charter ticket and neither he, nor any of the elected city council members ever took office. The anti-charter ticket won the next election in 1867 as well, and again, the winning candidates refused to take office in protest of the city charter.
The chaos finally came to an end in November 1867. Congress amended a law that permitted city governments to register their towns with the federal government. Landowners could then receive legal title to property owned within city limits. To avoid legal battles and entanglements, elected officials in Boise took their seats on the city council, appointed members to replace those who still refused to take office, and filed Boise City's townsite patent with the federal government. Boise's first serving mayor, H.E. Prickett, was appointed by Boise City Council in November 1867.
