HAYDEN, Idaho — The Hayden City Council received a progress update Tuesday evening on the City’s law enforcement strategic planning study, with consultants reporting the project is back on schedule after earlier data challenges and remains on track for completion by the end of August.
Tim Donohue, a consultant with Matrix Consulting Group, told the Council that an interim report will be delivered to the City this week, marking a significant milestone as the study enters its final phase.
“We’re on track,” Donohue said, noting that while the project experienced delays earlier this year due to issues obtaining and cleaning data, those challenges have been resolved sufficiently to complete the analysis.
Interim report expected this week
The first major deliverable, titled the Operational and Staffing Needs Assessment Report, is expected to be submitted to the City by the end of the week.
According to Donohue, the report will evaluate Hayden’s current operational and staffing needs using workload data provided by the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office. It will also examine patrol, investigations, and administrative support positions, benchmark staffing against industry best practices where local data was unavailable, and propose an organizational structure for Council’s review.
Once City staff review the draft and provide comments, Matrix will begin the final stage of the project.
That final report will combine the workload analysis, proposed organizational structure, transition planning, and a cost comparison between Hayden’s current contract for law enforcement services and staffing levels associated with a standalone Hayden Police Department.
Donohue said the final report is expected toward the end of August, consistent with the project’s original schedule.
Data issues largely resolved
Donohue acknowledged that Matrix did not receive all of the information originally requested from the Sheriff’s Office but said the consulting team ultimately received enough data to complete its analysis.
“We did not receive all the data we asked for, but we definitely received enough to do analysis,” he told Council.
The consulting team spent much of the past month cleaning and analyzing the available information before completing the workload-based assessment now nearing completion.
Community survey reaches 203 responses
Donohue also provided an update on the public survey that has been available throughout the study.
As of Tuesday morning, 203 responses had been received.
He noted that participation increased noticeably during a two-week period earlier this month after what he believed was additional promotion through social media or the City’s website.
“So I think there must have been some type of social media or website campaign,” Donohue said. “So thank you for that.”
The community survey is one component of the broader strategic planning effort, which also includes operational data analysis, stakeholder interviews, organizational planning, and financial analysis.
Council discusses next steps
During Council discussion, Councilman Matthew Roetter asked whether the City should begin exploring potential future options before receiving Matrix’s final recommendations.
Roetter asked whether it would be prudent to begin preliminary work now so the City would not feel pressured to make decisions later.
Donohue responded that while there was no reason the City could not begin researching potential options, he recommended waiting until the final report is complete before making any significant decisions.
“I would say wait until you receive that final report with all the information,” Donohue said. “There’s certainly no reason you can’t start doing the research on your end, but any hard, fast decisions or anything like that, I would certainly wait for the final report.”
Background
In March, the Hayden City Council approved a professional services agreement with Matrix Consulting Group to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the City’s future law enforcement needs.
The study is examining current service levels provided through the City’s contract with the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, evaluating staffing needs, organizational structure, operational practices, and long-term service options. The project also includes financial modeling and transition planning should the City ever choose to establish its own police department.
No decision has been made regarding Hayden’s future law enforcement model. Matrix’s final report, expected later in August, is intended to provide the City Council with the information necessary to evaluate available options before considering any future policy decisions.
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