Hayden council directs mayor to negotiate new law-enforcement contract with Kootenai County Sheriff

The Hayden City Council on April 22 approved a motion authorizing Mayor Alan Davis to engage with the Kootenai County Sheriff to negotiate a draft FY2026 contract for law-enforcement services and bring a proposed contract back for council approval. The roll-call vote was unanimous.

Staff told the council they plan to renegotiate the contract around four priorities: staffing levels and how officers are deployed (manpower), eliminating specific references to a school resource officer in the contract, funding a lieutenant/quasi-police-chief position to provide on-site leadership, and strengthening accountability and reporting requirements. City staff said they will coordinate negotiations with the sheriff’s office and county commissioners and route draft language to county legal counsel as part of the review process.

Council members discussed the need for a shared vision for law enforcement and clearer numerical details on staffing and costs before finalizing a contract. Several councilors said they want to minimize increases to the city’s FY2026 budget; staff said the work is still in a negotiation phase and no final dollar figure has been proposed. One councilor noted that funds associated with an existing school resource officer position could be repurposed toward an internal lieutenant/chief role, but staff cautioned final cost implications remain to be worked out with the sheriff and county.

Staff said a working group would be formed to develop precise staffing and budget numbers and that the city’s counsel and county civil counsel would review any final draft. The mayor and staff said the goal is to maintain or improve current capabilities while guarding taxpayer dollars and seeking cost-effective arrangements.

The council directed staff to pursue talks and return with a draft contract for formal council consideration.