Hayden, Kootenai County remain at odds over law enforcement contract

The Hayden City Council declined to hold a vote Tuesday night to enter a month-to-month contract agreement with the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office after Hayden said the Kootenai County Board of County Commissioners and the city couldn’t agree on the terms of a deal. 

“It is my understanding today that the Board of County Commissioners met to discuss the contract,” Mayor Alan Davis said. “It is my understanding they are proposing to once again go down to four patrolling deputies and still try to collect a full amount of a million dollars, despite us not having a full contract this month.”

Council member Ed DePriest said that changes to the deal made by the KBOCC were “significant.”

“The three elements in particular that did not fit were the overtime, the lack of accountability and overhead costs” DePriest said, referencing the Sheriff’s Office’s previous inability to track overtime hours, unaccounted for deputy working hours and explain overhead costs. “They did not give us an acceptable response related to the accountability issue, nor the overhead and overtime issue.”

Councilman Matt Roetter said the city proposed paying 10 to 15% of overhead costs while the county wants them to pay 35 to 40%. Additionally, Roetter added that in his view, the city is being asked to pay double the overhead costs.

“Everything's included in all the overhead, yet they want to charge us again for overhead,” Roetter said. “That's double taxation. Bottom line.”

Hayden and the Sheriff’s Office have been going back and forth to negotiate a contract with no success. DePriest and Roetter took issue with an unnamed KBOCC member holding things up.

“There's one member of the Board of County Commissioners that seems to be very unreasonable, and that's what I have a problem with,” Roetter said. “There's another member of the County Commissioners that I think is very reasonable and she wants to solve the problem, which I really respect moving forward.”

Councilman Tom Shafer said that after the council had declined to renew its contract with the KCSO for fiscal year 2027, the city and Sheriff Bob Norris amicably came to an agreement for a new enhanced law enforcement contract. Shafer agreed with Roetter that the KBOCC is getting in the way of negotiations.

“There's no dispute between the city and the sheriff any longer,” Shafer said. “The dispute is between the city of Hayden with the sheriff versus the Board of Commissioners.”

Negotiations for law enforcement contracts are supposed to take place between Hayden and the Sheriff’s Office. DePriest said that with the KBOCC’s involvement, and ultimately needing them to approve a deal, it’s unclear who the city is actually negotiating with.

“Somehow or another, in the last year or so, the sheriff has been, by my observation, pushed out, and the county commissioners have taken over the negotiations,” DePriest said. “They give him a yea or nay, and if they give him a nay, he comes back and negotiates with the city.”

Although the city still does not have a contract with the county for law enforcement services, residents can call 911 and get a police response if needed as Idaho law requires one for criminal calls. 

“The word political theater keeps being thrown around, and yeah, that's what's happening,” DePriest said. “I am not going to agree to something that I don't think is in the best interests of the city.”

    Councilman Matt Roetter gives his opinion on the law enforcement contract dispute.