Hayden law enforcement negotiations continue
As negotiations for a new law enforcement services contract continue between the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office and the city of Hayden, municipal leaders continue to call for transparency in how costs are calculated and accountability for how city dollars are used.
The city's $1.2 million contract for law enforcement services from the sheriff's office expired Sept. 30, after the City Council voted not to renew the proposed contract for fiscal year 2027.
In Idaho, each county's sheriff has a primary obligation to enforce state criminal law within their counties. That means KCSO's obligation to enforce state law in Hayden persists, even without a contract with the city.
In a news release published Wednesday afternoon, the city said three key issues have emerged in recent discussions with the sheriff's office. The release said the city must clarify these issues before reaching an agreement.
"The city of Hayden remains committed to providing high quality, reliable law enforcement services to our residents," the news release said. "As part of that commitment, the city is actively working with the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office to negotiate an enhanced law enforcement contract that is fair, transparent and financially responsible."
The proposed contract requires Hayden to pay more than $20,000 in overtime expenses, according to the city. But it doesn't clearly explain "how overtime will be calculated, what work it covers or how those hours directly benefit public safety within the city."
The contract also includes a 40% overhead rate on top of deputy staffing costs.
"At this time, Kootenai County has not provided sufficient detail for the city council or staff to fully understand what services are included in this overhead or how it is calculated," the city said.
Like all cities in Kootenai County, Hayden contributes through property taxes to the justice fund, which pays for the county's jail and patrol.
"We must ensure we are not being charged twice for the same services," the news release said.
Hayden has also asked for "meaningful accountability" to show how the funds paid under the contract are being used within the city.
"While KCSO has tentatively offered providing timecard information, this alone does not show whether time spent in Hayden directly contributes to reducing crime or improving service," the news release said. "The city is asking for better reporting tools, something beyond raw hours, to demonstrate that contract funding is being used effectively to meet Hayden’s policing needs."
City leaders have long asked the sheriff's office to show how much time the dedicated officers spend patrolling or responding to calls for service in Hayden.
The city's update came the same day Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said he would address the Hayden City Council about concerns about the law enforcement contract.
Norris announced the meeting in a news release Monday, then said Tuesday that it was postponed. The city posted no special meeting notice this week.
"For decades, the city of Hayden and the sheriff's office have successfully partnered to provide law enforcement services to Hayden," Norris said in the initial news release. "Was the system perfect? No. Was there room for improvement? Absolutely. But generations of sheriffs, city councils and county commissioners understood that public safety is a shared responsibility."
After the City Council declined to move forward with the current proposed contract, the sheriff's office told The Press that the agency will conduct no interviews about the Hayden contract, how KCSO accounts for the working hours of the deputies assigned to the city or how the contract's expiration will affect law enforcement services in Hayden.