BOISE — Supporting Mayor Lauren McLean’s bid in prioritizing affordable housing, Boise City Council approved a $6.7 million investment into the mission Tuesday at Boise City Hall.

Sporting cozy winter sweaters, city council members held the last meeting of the year, wrapping up tough budgetary decisions as 2026 approaches. Council members narrowly approved the allocation in a 3-2 vote with council members Luci Willits and Kathy Corless voting against it.

The proposal utilized unassigned funds in the city’s general budget, overflowing from the 2025 fiscal year budget. While there was some confusion on where the funds came from, Council President Colin Nash said that it aligns with the council’s mission.

“We asked you to get creative,” Nash said, commending McLean.

On Thursday, McLean announced in a press release that she was aiming to allocate the $6.7 million to boost the city’s total investment into affordable housing to $68.4 million. Boise has currently supported the construction of 600 new affordable units since 2020 with 300 more on the way, according to the city.

Just a week prior, on Dec. 9, the city celebrated the opening of the Denton Apartments off Curtis Road. The new apartment complex added 191 new affordable housing units to central Boise.

McLean said the city has been working to tackle housing affordability despite a lack of support from the state or federal government.

“We want to meet this need as the highest priority of our residents,” McLean said at Tuesday’s meeting.

Before coming to a vote, Willits made it clear that she believed there were other ways the funds could be utilized.

“We know that there are huge needs in the city, including a capital fund that has been drained to zero,” Willits said.

She listed off the need for more firefighters and police as well as funds to address a growing backlog of park maintenance.

“To unilaterally appropriate this surprise money to housing is unwise,” Willits said. “It lacks strategic budget discipline in the context of the greater needs of Boiseans.”

In contrast, Corless, who also came to a “no” vote, said she does believe in the prioritization of housing.

“Housing is a No. 1 priority in the city, and it is very, very important,” Corless said. “The city has done a lot in this way and we are going to continue to fund these programs.”

Corless’ concern came from McLean’s seemingly abrupt proposal. She expressed that the proposal came as a surprise and left little time to consider other uses for the funds.

“We haven’t had an opportunity to think or to talk about those other areas in the city,” Corless said.

Instead, Corless suggested leaving the funds unallocated and having further discussion.

Council President Pro Tem Meredith Stead agreed that she wishes there had been further discussion before the proposal was brought forward, but also noted that growth won’t pay for itself.

Finance Director Eric Bilimoria noted that the budget surplus was only recently confirmed.

“I would say that the number probably became finalized probably 15 days ago,” he said.

Nash said that the council needs to continue moving at a quick pace when addressing affordability as well as tackling homelessness.

“We have to keep our foot on the gas pedal,” Nash said. “Because if you miss one year, six years from now, we’re going to have that drop off.”