At least in its early stages, the structure and mission of the Blaine Regional Leadership Council should be an informal one, officials representing Blaine County's five municipalities and county government concluded Wednesday.
The meeting was the second such get-together of elected officials and administrators since the group first met April 20. Wednesday's meeting was held at the Old County Courthouse in Hailey.
Present during the meeting were Sun Valley Mayor Jon Thorson, Ketchum Mayor Randy Hall, Bellevue City Administrator Tom Blanchard, Carey City Councilwoman Vonnie Olson and Blaine County Commissioners Tom Bowman, Larry Schoen and Sarah Michael.
Also in attendance was Hailey Mayor Susan McBryant, who on Monday stated at a Hailey City Council meeting that her city would decline an invitation to participate as a member in the newly formed council.
"We are not prepared to enter into a leadership council with by-laws and rules that by necessity position one member of the municipality's elected government to vote on actions that will affect Hailey," McBryant said Monday.
From the very outset of Wednesday's meeting, McBryant's unease with the amount of authority the regional council will exert over the various jurisdictions was equally apparent. McBryant said she originally thought the organization of the council would stress idea sharing more than decision making "so that we could talk about topics of mutual concern."
"The (Hailey) City Council does not want to enter into a formalized process at this time," she said.
Joining McBryant with similar concerns was Vonnie Olsen, a member of the Carey City Council. Olsen said Carey and Hailey have much of the same concerns.
"The structure is something we maybe question a bit," she said.
Showing real concern for the prospect of potentially losing two of the regional council's members—the cities of Hailey and Carey—Blaine County Commissioner Larry Schoen suggested a more informal route may be the most logical choice at first.
"What is it going to look like? I don't know," Schoen said.
The group's primary goal should be building bridges, he said.
Referring to the various jurisdictions in Blaine County, Schoen noted the area's "tradition of independence and territoriality."
"We ought to commit to speaking our minds," he said.
Despite its somewhat rocky beginnings, the meeting ended somewhat agreeably.
One issue all in the room agreed on is the need to develop a more comprehensive regional economic strategy that involves local governments. Among its many goals, the regional economic strategy could work to lure new businesses into the county, the officials agreed.
"What I'm hearing is that we're all on board on this," Bowman said.
Hailey Mayor Susan McBryant told the Blaine Regional Leadership Council Wednesday that Hailey would not immediately join the group. Photo by David N. Seelig
