Annexation plan in final stages

If all goes as expected, the Kalispell Planning Board should put the finishing touches on a new annexation policy tonight before passing it along to the City Council.

The draft going up for final review at tonight’s Planning Board work session calls for setting a boundary around the outskirts of the city. Land inside that boundary could be annexed in a straightforward process, Planning Director Tom Jentz said.

Outside that boundary, planners would scrutinize any annexation request closely before recommending approval.

Over the course of three meetings since its January discussion with the City Council, the planning board and Planning Office staff have developed a set of policies — the city’s first ever — and a map to guide decisions on whether, where and when to annex.

Staff used a combination of topography, nearness to current city limits and the city’s ability to provide fire protection in drawing up that map.

Generally the boundary runs to Lone Pine State Park and the surrounding hills on the southwest, to the Flathead and Whitefish rivers on the east, and between a quarter-mile and half-mile beyond existing city limits on the north and south.

Landowners typically want annexation so they can receive sewer, water and fire services. For that reason, planning staff focused on those services in setting guidelines.

The new policy would allow for direct annexation when a landowner inside that boundary petitions for annexation.

There are three options for land lying outside the annexation boundary:

n First, land could be directly annexed if it meets at least two of these criteria: It’s adjacent to the boundary, lies in the path of other annexations and would form a logical extension of the city, lies in the fire department’s service area, or meets a growth policy goal or provides infrastructure.

n Second, land outside the boundary could be annexed in the future if a developer agrees to waive the right to protest annexation and if the land meets criteria similar to the above, can provide services in the near term without depending on the city, can get services from existing extensions, or will be adjacent to city in the next 10 or 20 years.

n Third, the city could create an annexation district for property outside the boundary if it meets the above criteria and will be adjacent to or inside the annexation boundary in the next five or 10 years.

If the Planning Board agrees to the draft tonight, it would go up for a vote at the board’s next regular meeting. If it recommends approval, the policy then goes to the City Council.

Tonight’s work session starts at 7 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers.