The Garden City Council voted Nov. 10 to adopt Ordinance 10-58-25, which prohibits motorized watercraft on the Boise River within the city's jurisdiction. The ordinance was approved as amended to include a definition of "Boise River" in the ordinance text that excludes ponds and tributaries from the river definition and to reflect corrected statutory authority.

City attorney Wadhams told the council he discovered a clerical error in a packet citation and recommended correcting the Idaho Code citation to "Idaho Code 67-30-7031, subsection 25." He also recommended explicitly defining the Boise River for purposes of the ordinance so the rule does not apply to ponds or tributaries. "So my recommendation for this third reading... is to add the definition to the ordinance," Wadhams said.

Wadhams also reported that the city police leadership (Chief of Police Corey Stanbaugh and Lieutenant Domini) advised keeping the municipal offense an infraction rather than elevating it to a misdemeanor; Wadhams explained that misdemeanors under state code (e.g., leaving the scene of a boat accident) remain enforceable under Idaho law, while the city ordinance would operate as a civil infraction for motorized watercraft presence on the Boise River.

Council president moved to read the ordinance by title with the amended statutory reference and the clarified definition excluding ponds; the motion passed and council then voted to adopt and publish Ordinance 10-58-25 "as amended." The adopted ordinance will take effect per the publication and effective-date language recorded with the ordinance.

The council's action narrows the local prohibition by statute‑level citation and by a clear definition that distinguishes the Boise River from privately managed ponds and tributaries, a point Wadhams flagged to avoid unintended coverage of neighborhood ponds or HOA facilities.