PRIEST RIVER — City councilors voted to delay a decision on a request to keep a gate in the area of Rogers Way and Bodie Lane until all members of the council are physically present.

Two of the councilors — Billy Mullaley and Sandy Brower — attended the meeting in person, while Councilor Doug Wagner attended via phone. Council President Candy Turner was absent.

The June 1 request to keep the gate on the road follows a recent decision by the council to remove the gate — created as an emergency exit from Bodie Lane — at the request of developers and with the support of the city's emergency services and police departments.

"This will have a negative impact on the lives of the property owners on Bodie Lane," said resident Roger Gregory, one of several residents on the road to ask the council to revisit its decision.

Priest River Mayor Jeff Connolly told residents the roadway, like others in the city, is considered a connector due to anticipated traffic load and connectivity with future developments. That point was brought up with Bodie Lane developers in 2007 when the original agreement was signed. Under that agreement, paved sections of the road can be as wide as 28 feet, with a minimum of 24 feet.

"There's been a lot of talk about why do you just change (the gate," Connolly said. "These are city streets that are public right of way that the public has a right to actually use as they see fit, because they're public and they're paid for by all taxpayers throughout the city.

Connolly said there could have been, and "apparently should have been," thought given to making Bodie Lane a private gated community, which would have allowed that development to keep the gate without the city's input and to control "any or all traffic coming and going" as they saw fit.

Gregory said he was unaware a proposal was before the council and found the matter upsetting, saying removal of the gate would dramatically change residents' quality of life and could jeopardize local youth who can sometimes be found playing on the quiet street, essentially made into a cul-de-sac by the gate.

"The property owners at Bodie Lane bought the property there for peace, quiet, and solitude," Gregory said.

The Bodie Lane residents said they feel developers of the nearby subdivision have thrown them "under the bus" in an effort to improve their project at the Bodie Lane residents' expense.

"We feel you can't trust big-time developers," Gregory said.

While Gregory and other Bodie Lane residents said they did not know of the proposed gate removal until after it was approved, Priest River officials said the meeting was noticed with the item included on the agenda.

"We urge you to honor the original agreement and restore our faith in the city of Priest River and reinstate the gate requirement to restore the rights and pleasant life of the property owners on Bodie Lane," Gregory said.

The newest resident on Bodie Lane, Mike Hargreaves, said he and his wife moved to the area two years ago and specifically chose the street due to its quiet nature and slower pace created by the de facto cul-de-sac.

"Government's first responsibility is to its citizens," Hargreaves told councilors. "Keeping the gate is about safety. With the traffic (that would be created), you only have to have one misoccurrence with all the kids on the street. There are a lot of young families and kids are constantly playing on our street... that's a recipe for disaster."

Other residents said when they moved to Bodie Lane they were told the gate was for emergency use only and questioned what had changed to prompt the city's reversal. Turning what has been a rarely-used egress into a full-access road is at their expense, they contended.

"It's been peaceful," resident Alyssa Smith said. "Every resident on that street knows to go slow. Making this a full access road is going to take from my child and the others we know their security blanket."

City officials said police and fire crews support removal of the gate, noting it will improve emergency access in that area of Priest River. Previous correspondence also noted the future likelihood of the road being developed into a full-access road as part of the city's long-term plans.

Changing its mind on the gate could put the city in a "very unusual position" and could require Priest River officials to reopen negotiations on the Highland subdivision, city administrator Jake Gabell said.

In the end, the council voted 3-0 to pause a decision on the residents' request to revisit the gate issue until all councilors are physically present.