Sheriff drops deputy from graveyard shift in Hayden
Former Hayden citizen task force member Russ McLain addresses the Hayden City Council on Tuesday during a regular meeting.
The Hayden City Council approved a contract again Tuesday for law enforcement coverage with Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris.
Norris had requested a change to the previously accepted agreement that would reduce law enforcement coverage in the city during the graveyard shift from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
“It is physically impossible for the county to provide two deputies per shift (days, swings, and graveyard) with 10 deputies, seven days a week” wrote Hayden Mayor Scott Forsell in a memo to council. “There are simply more shifts than bodies available.”
The revised agreement would reduce coverage during the graveyard shift from two deputies to one.
The contract was written to fulfill a property tax measure passed by voters providing $543,000 to pay for 10 sheriff's deputies to cover the city.
The ballot language was guided by a citizen task force that reviewed Hayden’s law enforcement in 2022.
“I just want to remind you that Norris guaranteed us, the panel, that we would have 10 deputies,” task force member Russ McLain said in public comment to the council. “And we’re not getting it but he wants the money. So you have to be concerned where the money is going that he’s getting. I think it’s going to helicopter joy rides with Leslie Duncan.”
Council President Matt Roetter cast the dissenting vote, citing a need for more accountability and transparency for when deputies are in the city.
“Trust but verify,” he said.
Roetter asked the city attorney if the contract still meets all the services outlined in the ballot measure.
“Yes,” attorney Fonda Jovick said. “The contract says the services provided shall include routine motor patrols during daytime and nighttime hours using 10 full-time deputies specifically assigned to Hayden.
The contract used to read “the county shall provide a minimum patrol of at least two (2) dedicated officers/deputies each shift to provide patrolling services."
The new draft also added an exception for the graveyard shift allowing for one law enforcement deputy.
During Tuesday's meeting, the council members also agreed to hold an open house to gather public input on expanding the city’s urban renewal district.
The open house would seek and also provide information on what the URD does, where it is, how it is funded, what it can fund and where it could grow.
“Urban renewal is a very complex complicated thing and we need to educate the people on how it actually works,” City Councilman Roger Saterfiel said.
Some properties will be presented during the open house as possible expansion locations for the district.
The city's URD will dissolve Dec. 29, 2039, and until then the money from the district can go toward funding projects like intersection improvements or the elevator project in Hayden City Hall.
“I believe we’re going backwards by expanding,” Councilwoman Sandra White said. “I believe we need to talk about how we’re going to taper it down, how to finish it, how to end it at this time. Not give them six more properties and say go for it.”