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Hayden's home-rule Charter Commission is all but set.

Nine people have submitted petitions to run for the nine spots on the panel. Hayden voters will decide March 31 whether to elect the commission and move forward with a home-rule charter. The commission then would draft the charter. Voters and the Town Board of Trustees would have to approve the document before it could be adopted.

Hayden is a statutory town, which means it's governed by state rules. Becoming a home-rule municipality could allow Hayden to add taxing options, change rules for ordinance procedures and decide how it runs government.

Gordon Dowling, James Folley, Town Trustee Richard "Festus" Hagins, Bill Irvine, Mayor Lorraine Johnson, James Lewis, Hayden School District Superintendent Greg Rockhold, Bryan Strickland and Hayden High School Principal Troy Zabel signed up to be on the Charter Commission. Dowling and Rockhold also are on the Hayden Economic Development Commission.

Hagins said he wants to participate because he's passionate about going to home rule. He asked town officials to let him know if spots remained open as the deadline for signing up approached.

"This just puts me in a position to fill a spot to have us move forward," he said.

Rockhold said he wanted to increase his community involvement.

"I will bring a school focus, obviously, but it does bring a broader aspect having been in business myself," Rockhold said. "I do have a broader understanding of business needs, et cetera. As businesses grow, hopefully so will the schools."

Lewis has lived in Hayden since 1977. He said he wanted to make sure his ideas were incorporated into the home-rule charter. Folley, who has lived in town for three and a half years, said he wanted to get involved to learn more about home rule.

Folley said he hoped a charter would allow business owners to vote on town issues, even if they live outside town limits.

"There's a lot of business owners in town that actually live in the county and can't vote on issues in the town itself, though they're actually involved through their business," he said.

Town Clerk Susan Irvine said she thought the Charter Commission would have a good mix of people.

"There are some people who haven't had really any involvement, some with a Steamboat perspective, some with a Town Board perspective," she said.

The commission isn't necessarily set in stone, however, and those who missed the deadline to run needn't despair. Hayden residents still may file affidavits to be write-in candidates, Susan Irvine said. Those are due Tuesday.

Voters will make a decision March 31. Balloting will run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the meeting room in Hayden Town Hall, 178 W. Jefferson Ave.

Some Hayden residents have expressed concerns about going to home rule. They fear that the town could limit itself with a charter and end up with unintended consequences.

Rockhold encouraged voters to move forward with home rule.

"They need to understand that it's not anything drastically new," he said. "Craig and Steamboat are each home-rule communities."

- To reach Blythe Terrell, call 871-4234

or e-mail bterrell@steamboatpilot.com