Hayden City Council mixed on ballot language
Hayden Mayor Scott Forssell broke the tie of a mixed Hayden City Council during a special meeting Tuesday evening.
The vote was 2-2 to approve the language for a ballot that will ask voters to decide on whether to raise taxes through an override levy to pay for increased law enforcement in the city.
Forssell's tie-breaker brought the tally to 3-2.
Councilman Ed DePriest motioned to approve the ballot language to increase the base budget from $1,841,019 to $2,438,862, a difference of $597,843. The motion was seconded by Councilman Roger Saterfiel.
After discussion, DePriest and Saterfiel voted in favor of the ballot language, and Councilwoman Sandra White and Council President Matt Roetter voted against it. Forssell cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of the ballot language.
The levy going before voters was recommended to the council on Aug. 9 by the Hayden Citizen Task Force on Public Safety. The task force recommended adding six additional deputies assigned to Hayden and to ask the voters to fund the additional deputies by an increase to the city’s base budget.
In an email to The Press, Roetter said he has very specific reasons why he voted "no" to the ballot override levy language. He referred to data presented to the city earlier this year showing crime statistics in Hayden to be flat with no significant increases. Roetter quoted task force member Raleigh Meason as saying he does not see the crime rate and calls for service that warrants an increase in deputies.
Roetter voted in favor of bringing the ballot language forward at the regular city council meeting Aug. 9. He said his goal was to add maybe three deputies at half of the cost of six.
"Due to the growth of the city, I do see we have a need for more deputies," he wrote in the email. "Therefore, I voted yes."
He said the ballot override levy language approved by the city council, if passed by the voters, would increase property taxes collected by the city of Hayden by approximately 33%.
"The city will collect $597,843 more in property taxes and the Hayden Urban Renewal Agency (HURA), a non-elected board will collect $41,928," he said. "By law the $41,928 collected by HURA cannot be used to pay for any deputies."
He said his goal is to be transparent when creating a permanent property tax increase.
"If passed by voters, the 33% increase will be permanent," he wrote. "Additionally, the $41,928 collected by HURA must be placed on the ballot as the $597,843 collected by the city. If the $41,928 is not on the ballot, the increase is not transparent to the taxpayers. I will not vote for any tax that is not fully disclosed to Hayden citizens. The ballot language passed by the city council did not include the $41,928 that would be collected by HURA. The ballot language is not transparent."
He said if passed by the voters, this will create a discriminatory property tax that will not be fair for all taxpayers.
"We all are experiencing enormous financial pressures," Roetter said. "The inflation rate is at a 40-year high. Interest rates are being raised by the Fed to combat inflation. Gas prices are through the roof. Housing is unaffordable. Food prices are overwhelming family budgets. The stock market took a dive. We are in a recession. And we will vote to tax ourselves $80 million or $8 million for 10 years for the School District 271 bond levy.
"I don’t believe the citizens of Hayden are in the mood to increase property taxes collected by the city by approximately 33%," Roetter continued.
During the special meeting, the mayor and council members discussed holding a meeting wherein the council will hear public comment on the ballot measure.
"Given that ballot language has to be submitted to the county clerk by Sept. 9 in order to be placed on the ballot, time is of the essence," said attorney Katharine Brereton of Lake City Law, which provides legal counsel for Hayden.
Hayden contracts with Kootenai County and the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services. The current contract provides four deputies assigned to Hayden. One serves as the school resource officer for the Coeur d’Alene School District schools in Hayden during the school year.
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office has communicated for many years the need for increased funding for additional assigned deputies to Hayden because of the increasing calls for service in Hayden causing a strain on resources.
In January, the Hayden City Council convened the task force to provide a recommendation to the city council on law enforcement needs. After months of meetings and data review, the task force determined a minimum of two deputies per shift assigned to Hayden was important for community safety and the safety of the deputies, allowing for 24/7 coverage, reduced response times and maintaining the school resource officer program.
The city will hear public comment at the regularly scheduled council meeting Tuesday, Aug. 23.
"Next steps for the city include consideration of the election ordinance, and if approved, submitting the ballot language to the county clerk," Brereton said.
