Alcohol change passes final council vote

The Kalispell City Council on Monday passed a second reading of its amended alcohol ordinance, putting the final approval on the city code change.

The change allows for special events at Woodland Park to serve alcohol in a larger area. Instead of being limited to the hockey rink, new language adds “the surrounding area” to the ordinance.

Events that wish to serve alcohol are still subject to permit reviews by city staff.

Another change to the ordinance allows those special permits to be submitted up until the Wednesday prior to a Monday council meeting. The previous ordinance required those submissions three weeks in advance.

One man, Kalispell resident Joe Apple, spoke in opposition to the amendments. He cited statistics from the Centers for Disease Control about the dangers of alcohol use. Ultimately, he warned against expanding alcohol consumption in public places.

“You have no control what happens when people leave these events,”  Apple said.

Like the first reading on May 4, Monday's motion passed on a split vote. Council members Phil Guiffrida, Tim Kluesner, Chad Graham and Jim Atkinson voted against it.

Guiffrida cited concerns about the permit deadline. He said that the language “in time to be scheduled on the next regular city council agenda” was too vague. He said that a set amount of time was preferred.

City Manager Doug Russell said the language usually means Wednesday at noon prior to a council meeting.

The City Council will meet on Tuesday, May 26, for a work session on parking provisions around Flathead High School.

Reporter Matt Hudson may be reached at 758-4459 or by email at mhudson@dailyinterlake.com.