Council OKs Priest River SRO

PRIEST RIVER — City officials made quick work of business at Monday's council meeting, including approving an agreement with West Bonner County School District regarding a school resource officer.

Also at the meeting was a workshop on Two Rivers Park, which included updates on shoreline stabilization, and stormwater pipe replacement, parking lot and forest health assessment projects with city officials providing a status update on the park.

The council approved, as part of its consent agenda, a resolution on the transfer of the Happy Agers Senior Center property by Bonner County to city. The issue is slated for discussion by the county Tuesday, Aug. 13.

The council approved a professional services agreement with Merrick & Company in a unanimous vote to draft a technical memo regarding backwash system improvements at the city's water treatment plant. The agreement is for $3,000.

"(We) kind of went through the issues that we've had over the years every year and we feel like it's time to take a different look at it and maybe come up with a different plan," Mayor Jeff Connolly said.

Also approved in a unanimous vote was the approval of a professional services agreement with the West Bonner District for a school resource officer. Under the agreement, the city will continue to assign an officer to the role with the officer on school campuses on days district schools are in session. City officials noted the contract is almost identical to past contracts with the exception the contract will be for one year as opposed to do.

The city welcomed Scott Kennedy as its newest officer on the Priest River Police Department, Kennedy, who has 10 years of law enforcement experience, was sworn in at Monday's council meeting.

As part of a discussion of the city's Parks & Trees Commission, Priest River officials discussed camping by homeless individuals in city parks. 

Homeless camping in city parks is starting to become an issue in the city, with one individual having to be asked to leave both Bonner Park West and Memorial Park. The individual told city officials he's been attempting to get to Spokane, but has no way to get to the Washington city, Priest River Police  Chief Drew McLain told the council.

The city prohibits camping at any city park, shutting the parks down from sunset to sunrise. Failing to address the problem could "open up a can of worms" for the city and result in a larger problem.

"We don't have a city-wide ordinance, per se, so we only can enforce the camping and the overnight stuff, because we actually have an ordinance for that," McLain told the council. "So because if it's open to the general public, it's open to everybody, right? Versus at night, it's not open to everybody. So we can say you got to go somewhere else."

Council members discussed the exploration of a city "sit-lie" ordinance, which prohibits sitting or lying on a sidewalk or other public space. Proponents say the ordinances are a way to direct people to services, such as restrooms, and keep sidewalks open to use and free from obstruction. However, critics say the ordinances not only criminalize homelessness but the activities they are aimed at preventing are already banned by existing laws.

Connolly said the issue was one facing many communities, pointing to Spokane as one example but said it was worth having a discussion about the issue.

"I don't know if there's a certain way to fix it," Connolly told the council. "I think you just continue to try and work through it."

McLain suggested city officials look at other ordinances, especially those in Idaho, to look at ways other communities have addressed the issue.