Hayden spends more for law and order, none for JobsPlus

The city of Hayden will defund JobsPlus, start around 15 construction projects and spend about $39 million in 2024, according to the final draft of the city budget that was tentatively approved Friday in a special meeting.

The budget is scheduled for a public hearing and final approval in the next City Council meeting Aug. 8 at Hayden City Hall.

Hayden opted not to pay $10,000 a year to JobsPlus while increasing the law enforcement budget through a community levy and cutting small costs in areas like operations, advertising and vehicle rentals.

“I used to see the benefit to JobsPlus," Councilman Roger Saterfiel said. "I don’t see it now."

JobsPlus, also known as the Coeur d'Alene Area Economic Development Corporation, was founded 40 years ago to bring businesses and industry into the area, but focuses heavily on economic prosperity by addressing the needs of existing businesses.

“We’re very disappointed, of course, that they’ve decided not to continue funding our organization,” JobsPlus CEO Gynii Gilliam said. “We’re probably going to have to do a lot of fundraising.”

JobsPlus also works to promote long-term economic prosperity in the region. It does this by not only bringing high-wage businesses and diverse opportunities to the Idaho Panhandle, but also by supporting local businesses with research, incentives and collaborations that address common problems.

“What are the things we’re going to see two or five years down the line?” Gilliam said. “If Hayden thinks we should stop what we’re doing, they’re not looking into the future.”

Business owners are already seeing challenges with workers finding affordable housing, so JobsPlus collaborates with developers to help answer those housing shortages.

Councilman Ed DePriest asked what JobsPlus has done for Hayden, specifically, and not Coeur d’Alene or Post Falls, but Gilliam rejects that question.

“When cities ask how many businesses have you brought to our community specifically,” she said, “they’re not thinking about how connected we are. People don’t stop at the border. We’ve always been connected. Let’s make our community strong while it’s growing. We don’t control the growth — we can’t do that. But we want higher wage jobs, we want more opportunities for workers. If we’re not growing we’re going to start dying.”

Growth also comes with costs, though, and the operating costs in the city do not typically go down.

For example, paying for law enforcement will cost the city over $1 million next year. That’s on top of the cost of adding two vehicles for Kootenai County Sheriff's deputies who will be assigned to Hayden after a levy measure to support law enforcement was approved by voters in November.

The law enforcement budget climbed by 20% in 2022, 40% in 2023 and is expected to grow by 53% in 2024.

Overall, the law enforcement budget will be 2.67 times what it was in 2022 after passage of the levy, which will increase patrol coverage in Hayden from three deputies to 10.

Hayden typically spends less than it earns to build up savings for long-term projects, such as intersections or sewer projects. The city also consistently applies for grants to help fund projects and stretch taxpayer dollars.

“I think that staff … have done a fantastic job of living within our means — of doing more with less,” DePriest said.

The city’s biggest expenses are operating costs and construction projects. Sewer improvements, for instance, will use around $3.5 million for projects likely to start in 2024. Around $4.1 million will cover roadway or intersection improvements, but the Hayden Urban Renewal Agency will reimburse the city for $1.64 million of roadway improvement projects and grant money will cover another $1.132 million, so not all the money for roadway projects will come directly from city savings.

“Our city does an incredible job with the amount of money that we do collect in property taxes,” Hayden City Council President Matt Roetter said. “Especially when you compare it to the higher rate of other cities.”

Hayden has another $36 million planned for city projects that will begin in 2025-2028. Those would include more intersection improvements, sewer projects and parks as the city grows. Many could be completed if grant money comes available. The cost of some will be covered by the urban renewal agency or the Hayden Area Regional Sewer Board.