HAYDEN - It's recommended that the city of Hayden work out a formal relationship with the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department, according to a law enforcement feasibility study conducted by an independent organization. The City Council received the final study report Tuesday night at its regular meeting.

The feasibility study was produced during the last two years by an organization called International City/County Management Association, headquartered in Washington, D.C. The study cost the city $15,000, and provided the city with an unbiased study and accompanying recommendations.

"I think it would be very expensive to create your own police department at this time," Leonard Matarese, ICMA's director of public safety services, told city officials.

The city currently has a "hand-shake agreement" with the sheriff's department for services, he said.

It would cost the city more than $2 million per year for its own police force, and that wouldn't cover the cost of a police building.

Matarese deemed contracting with the sheriff's department for services a real money saver for the city. Plus, he has observed a national trend of more cities contracting with large sheriff's departments, or what he called "regionalization."

If the city chooses to pursue that course, it could select a liaison within the sheriff's department that would serve in a role similar to a city police chief.

"Our relationship with the sheriff's department has been good, and we need to build on that," said Councilman Dick Panabaker.

Panabaker said a tax increase - which has zero chance of happening - would be necessary to fund a city police department.

Councilwoman Nancy Lowery said the city should pursue ICMA's recommendation, and have further discussion at a future workshop about what an arrangement with the sheriff's department should look like.

Later during Tuesday's meeting, the City Council voted to pay about $50,000 for data-collection software for the sheriff's department as payment for the department's services to the city. The city had already budgeted that amount to pay for a new sheriff's department patrol car, but will buy the software instead.

In other business, the council voted in favor of a likely solution to the repeated traffic accidents involving a light pole and landscaping on a traffic island on Government Way in front of the Zip's Drive-In restaurant at 9310 N. Government Way.

The city public works department recommended placing decorative wood posts with reflective sign-grade material to improve the visibility of the traffic island, and the council gave that plan the go-ahead.

"This is a great interim solution to see if this works," said Lowery.

Jeff Zaugg, the city's public works director and engineer, said the accidents appear to be the result of driver inattention, and the majority of the accidents have occurred near dusk or early evening.

"This particular island is the only one we've seen multiple strikes on," Zaugg said. "This is a very low-cost solution."

The four posts would cost less than $100.

Removing the traffic island itself would eliminate a crosswalk, and city officials said they want to avoid that drastic course of action.