'Make us an offer': Heated exchange marks Hayden Area Regional Sewer Board meeting

Tensions ran high Friday at Hayden City Council chambers during a meeting to discuss dissolving the Hayden Area Regional Sewer Board.

The meeting brought together Hayden Lake Sewer Board members, city of Hayden officials, and Kootenai County commissioners to work toward dissolving the board, which oversees sewer service for Hayden, the Hayden Lake Sewer District and Kootenai County's airport.

A key point of contention emerged when Hayden Lake board member Barb Neal stated that the city of Hayden wants to acquire the 487.78 acres HARSB owns on the Rathdrum Prairie, citing a conversation with a former city administrator. 

When Hayden City Councilor Matt Roetter asked if she expected the city to pay millions for the land, Neal responded, "Make us an offer."

Roetter quickly shut down that possibility. 

"If we're talking about millions of dollars, if you're talking about fair market value, we're done," he said.

The discussion comes after years of deteriorating communications on the board, which led Hayden and the county to file a letter of termination in September to dissolve HARSB. Service expansion has been another major source of conflict, with the Hayden Lake Sewer District opposing expansion projects due to costs and objecting to using capacity replacement funds for future growth.

Neutral party attorney Ben Allen noted that replacement and expansion are often interconnected in sewer projects. Hayden Councilor Ed DePriest cited a lack of trust in past HARSB meetings as a source of friction and denied allegations that the city intended to sell HARSB land.

Attorney Michael Schmidt, representing Hayden Lake district, said that while the district might want expansion later, board members oppose having fees extracted for future expansion. 

County Commissioner Leslie Duncan noted that 13% of HARSB land currently sits unused.

"I have said all along that I want to facilitate the two entities coming together to create a solution," Duncan said, adding that the intention is to create a beneficial result for Hayden Lake and Hayden. "Until there is an agreement between the two other entities we (Kootenai County) don't have much of a role."

The city of Hayden has initiated a rates study to determine equitable sewer service fees for area residents. When Schmidt requested access to the study's "instructions and assumptions," DePriest asked if Hayden Lake would help cover the study's cost since they were concerned about its impact.

"Sure, if our input is followed," Schmidt replied.

County Commissioner Bruce Mattare summed up the challenge ahead: "A heavy lift if everyone has a different rate study."