(STORY IMAGE:KHQ.COM)
HAYDEN, Idaho -The city of Hayden is addressing two specific items, adding more deputies and road maintenance.
Currently, there are only four Kootenai County deputies assigned to cover a community of more than 14,000 people and as the population continues to increase, city leaders want to double that number.
The city is asking for an additional $1.6 million in the form of a levy override, which would be voted on in November.
Breaking that number down, it would double assessed property values from $1.23 per $1,000 to $2.50 per $1,000.
"In a city our size, a population of about 15,000 we would normally, if we had our own police department, we would have about 25 officers,” Brett Boyer said.
Boyer, the City Administrator for the city of Hayden, says calls have gone up dramatically in the city.
In 2010, the sheriff’s office responded to 7,000 calls.
But, in 2017, law enforcement responded close to 9,000 various calls for service.
Adding the deputies, Boyer says, would help build on relationships with residents.
“It means more than just the county driving through the city,” Boyer said, “it means that those officers get to know our neighborhoods, get to know our streets, know our crime areas and can provide better law enforcement services to our citizens."
The total cost for adding those deputies would be just over $600,000.
The other $900,000 would go towards maintaining roads.