Hayden creates Public Safety Commission

HAYDEN — The Hayden City Council will form a commission to explore public safety and policing in the city after members approved an ordinance during a regular meeting Tuesday. 

“The City Council declares that the public interest, convenience, welfare and necessity require the appointment of a Public Safety Commission to act in a purely advisory capacity to such Council,” read the ordinance. 

Among the commissioners' duties will be to recommend policies to the City Council, to review statistical data related to public safety and to perform assigned tasks from the council. 

A commission chairperson will also make regular reports to the City Council at their discretion, and by request of the council. 

Council Member Sandra White asked that the safety commission meetings be recorded for transparency, but that was ultimately rejected by other council members. 

“I have a different viewpoint on that,” Mayor Scott Forssell said. “Putting in an ordinance that we are going to videotape it and put it on YouTube seems to me to be over-regulatory. I’m concerned about the city having special rules for the Public Safety Commission, but we have, I believe, six other commissions that have no such rules. To require this of one commission rather than looking at it for all of the commissions I think is a mistake.” 

Chairpersons from other city commissions regularly provide reports to council members on their progress. They can also make requests or recommendations to council members.

Council members may also request an update from a commission at any time, and the cost to record a public meeting is about $300 per meeting. 

“Is it prudent for the taxes to be spent on that?” Council President Matt Roetter said. 

Minutes from the commission meetings will be available online at cityofhayden.gov, and the meetings will be open to the public. 

“I really believe that transparency and clear communication are key for this,” White said. “I’ve been a great advocate for transparency.”

White cast the dissenting vote against forming the commission after her request to record meetings was rejected. 

The mayor will appoint between five and seven Hayden residents as commissioners. 

The safety commission members would have to be approved by the council, and will serve for three year terms. Commissioners can be removed by a majority vote of the council. 

Appointments could begin as early as the next council meetings Nov. 28 or Dec. 12.

Hayden Urban Renewal expansion

Also during the meeting, City Council members scheduled an open house between 4 and 7 p.m. Tuesday Dec. 5 to go over a possible expansion of the Hayden Urban Renewal District. 

Council Member White suggested the open house be put off until January so council members could decide what would go on the signs at the open house. 

“The farther we keep pushing this out the longer it’s going to take to mitigate traffic and so forth,” Council Member Ed DePriest said. 

Expanding the Urban Renewal District could allow the city council to use HURA money on intersection improvement projects. 

The pros and cons will be discussed with the community during the open house. City staff will be available to answer questions, and to take feedback or suggestions from community members.

“We want feedback from the public about where we’re going to expand and where the priority should be to spend the money,” Roetter said. 

Roetter is also a member of the HURA board. 

“Isn’t that the bottom line of this?" Roetter asked. "Because we want your involvement, we want to hear from you.”