Kalispell City Council to vote on 2017 budget

Tonight, Kalispell City Council will vote on its roughly $68,000,000 budget plan for the 2017 fiscal year.

The City of Kalispell has a general fund of $10,880,178 and council members will vote on how to allocate more than $68 million of those funds throughout city departments over the next year, according to its preliminary budget.

Last year the city adopted a roughly $50 million spending budget.

Mayor Mark Johnson noted in his annual budget message that the increase is due to significant capital projects, including the federal grant to fund redevelopment of the city’s core downtown area and rail park, a state grant for improvements at the Kidsports complex and reconstruction work on Fourth Avenue East.

Johnson also said the 2016 budget brought an increased amount of growth to the budget that marked the beginning of looking at these services.

“While we aren’t forecasting as much revenue in growth in this year’s budget, we are recommending the increase in our service delivery operations for these functions,” while at the same time keeping a tax level that is at the same as last year,” Johnson said.

Among other items, the council will considering approving roughly $250,000 in funds to the City-County Health Department and $574,00 to the Tourism Business Improvement District.

On July 5, a public hearing was held to discuss the 2017 budget. Following that meeting the council included the addition of a School Resource Police Officer at a total first-year cost of $79,870 — to be partially funded by School District 5, $218,280 to purchase and upgrade the U.S. Forest Service building and property on Airport Road and $30,000 for police body cameras.

To fund its budget, the city would levy a total of 212.7 property tax mills, 5.5 less than the maximum allowed under state law.

In other business, the council will vote on a motion to amend its five-year agreement with the Flathead Valley Hockey Association to operate a portable ice rink in Woodland Park. The change to the agreement will allow the organization to install a permanent concrete slab in the park’s ice rink to extend its hockey season and reduce installation costs, along with a fire pit and Zamboni storage. The hockey association will be responsible for all costs.

City Council will also vote to either approve or deny an alcohol addendum for the Taste of Kalispell’s special event permit. The event is an annual fundraiser for the Museum at Central School.

Tonight’s meeting begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 201 First Ave. E.

To view the meeting agenda and supporting documents, visit www.kalispell.com/mayor_and_city_council/agenda.php.