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Hayden council directs mayor to negotiate new law-enforcement contract with county
Summary
Council voted to authorize the mayor to work with the Kootenai County Sheriff on a draft FY2026 law-enforcement contract that focuses on manpower, accountability, reporting and cost; the motion passed unanimously.
Hayden City Council on Tuesday authorized Mayor Alan Davis to engage with the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office to negotiate a draft fiscal-year 2026 contract that will revisit staffing, reporting and cost arrangements for police services in the city.
The motion directs staff to negotiate a new contract focusing on four areas: number and deployment of officers, elimination of school resource officer (SRO) language from the city contract (reflecting recent changes at the school district level), strengthened accountability and reporting requirements, and opportunities to reduce costs or limit increases. The council approved a motion to direct these negotiations by roll-call vote; all members present voted yes.
John Spencer, chair of the city's Public Safety Commission, briefed council earlier in the meeting on the commission's recent recommendations, including funding a liaison to coordinate with the sheriff's office. "We did approve, and it was unanimous to fund a leadership position, a liaison here in Hayden for the county sheriff," Spencer said, describing the commission's focus on metrics and a proposal the commission calls "Measure What Matters."
Council discussion during the meeting emphasized the need for a shared vision of law enforcement responsibilities and clearer numerical reporting so the council and public understand the level of service being purchased. Mayor Davis framed staff's negotiating objectives around cost containment: "It will be our goal to guard Hayden taxpayer dollars to our best extent, and any increases, we will absolutely go for the minimum," he said.
Councilmembers and staff said negotiations will require coordination with the Kootenai County Board of Commissioners and county legal counsel and that any final contract would return to the council for approval. City staff also said the work will include review by city legal counsel and county civil counsel and that the schedule aims to inform the FY2026 budget process.
The council motion authorized the mayor to negotiate a draft contract for future council approval; it did not approve any final contract or change the FY2025 appropriation.
