Urban renewal leadership changes in Hayden
A new Hayden Urban Renewal Agency executive director is in, the chair is out and the future of urban renewal districts in Hayden will be more thoroughly explored in the near future.
Welch Comer project manager Melissa Cleveland was elected in a near-unanimous vote to replace Rob Wright as the agency's executive director during a Monday meeting of the board. Cleveland resigned from the city of Hayden in August 2021 after nearly three years as the community development director. Board member Matt Roetter cast the one dissenting vote.
Wright, who was the executive director of the board for five years, is also a city engineer.
"I'm wearing two hats," Wright said after the meeting. "I think it boiled down to me not having enough time to do both my jobs. Now I can re-focus on my city tasks."
Wright said he plans to continue to attend meetings for a few months to assist Cleveland as she transitions into the role.
"Our hope is to have the agreement signed, and then she would start at the January meeting," Wright said.
Board Chair John Young announced his resignation via email Monday evening. His decision to step down followed the meeting, which included a discussion about urban renewal district board members and land ownership within the district.
Roetter disclosed during the meeting that he had asked former Sen. Mary Souza, a Republican from Coeur d'Alene whose term ended Nov. 30 after serving since 2014, to solicit information from the Idaho Attorney General's Office on the issue.
"I'm guilty," Roetter said.
He said he first asked the agency's attorney, Pete Bredeson, about board members' abilities to buy property in the urban renewal district.
"He did respond, and I appreciate that, that that would take an analysis and so forth, so what I did was I asked our senator, Mary Souza, to ask the AG to answer that question," Roetter said.
Roetter distributed Deputy Attorney General J.J. Winters' response, stating that if a board member voluntarily acquires real property within the urban renewal project area, that board member violates Idaho Code 50-2017.
"If the board member owns — or owned within the previous two years — real property he or she knows is included or planned to be included and fails to disclose the ownership and/or votes on the project, the board member violates Idaho Code 50-2017," Winters wrote.
The remedy, Winters wrote, is removal by a majority vote of the local governing body only after a hearing.
Young, who has served on the board since 2010, purchased property within the district three years ago.
"I did the right thing; as soon as it was brought to my attention I resigned," Young said.
Young said he was surprised by this new information, as he sought legal counsel, spoke with the executive director and announced to the board when the purchase was originally made. The confusion lies in whether the entire urban renewal district is considered an urban renewal project, as described in Idaho Code. Young's counsel found the purchase to be legal.
"The assistant attorney general interpreted it that you cannot purchase property when you’re a member of the board," Young said. "If I would have known three years ago, I would have resigned then."
Winters stated that his analysis was not a finding that any violation occurred and limited to a very specific factual scenario presented in the inquiry.
"I've enjoyed this opportunity to make a difference for the city of Hayden and its residents," Young said. "It’s been a pleasure to work with my fellow board members, city staff and the city council to get a number of great projects done during my time on the board. It's an unfortunate situation, that the legal opinion that was just shared with me and the one I had based my continued participation on the HURA board when I purchased our property didn't align."
Hayden Mayor Scott Forssell accepted the resignation with regret. He said Young has honorably served Hayden in several capacities, giving much of his time to ensure the city is prosperous as it grows.
“The city really appreciates all of the work John does," Forssell told The Press. "We hope he will continue to work with us in the future."
The urban renewal agency board may function for a time with a vacancy. Forssell will begin looking at potential candidates to fill the volunteer position, who will have to be approved by the city council.
The board discussed what lies ahead for urban renewal in Hayden. The present district encompasses a northern section of Hayden along the south side of Lancaster Avenue from Ramsey Road to Government Way and south along Government to Prairie Avenue, with sections crossing to the west of U.S. 95.
Expanding the district is one option, as well as creating a new one. The topic was tabled and will be resumed at future meetings.
Established in 2005 by the Hayden City Council, the Hayden Urban Renewal Agency works to "enhance the quality of life for the citizens of Hayden and the region through remediation of blighted properties, redevelopment partnerships and construction of public infrastructure," according to its mission.
The next meeting of the Hayden Urban Renewal Agency will be at 3 p.m. Jan. 9 in the city council chambers.
