Council delays vote on district boundaries

Kalispell City Council Feb. 6 delayed a planned vote on its business improvement district after council member Phil Guiffrida stated the meeting materials prepared by city staff did not address questions and comments raised during a public hearing last month.

The council voted 7-2 to push the vote back and address the proposed district expansion during its Feb. 27 work session before taking action.

The Kalispell Business Improvement District uses taxes collected from business owners within the district boundaries to fund beautification projects, host downtown events and invest in marketing. It expires June 30, and downtown business owners have proposed an expanded district that would last for 10 years. Creating the expanded district requires the approval of at least 60 percent of its property owners. The expansions proposal has won the support of about 63 percent.

During a Jan. 18 public hearing on the issue, half of the affected property owners who spoke said they opposed the expanded district, and argued the investments in the downtown area fall short of the added tax burden.

Pam Carbonari, the district’s current coordinator, urged the council to resolve the issues quickly, with the expiration deadline approaching. She also noted the district’s board of directors typically develop their annual budget in February.

“If this does not go forward at this point, or if boundary modifications are made, we will have to wait one year before starting the process over again, and after waiting one year it will be 2019 before the business improvement district would be resurrected,” Carbonari said. “I would venture that the city of Kalispell is going to need to have this information move forward in a rather quick fashion.”

At the end of the meeting, Mayor Doug Johnson said the issues raised during the public hearing warranted taking the time to pull more information together before making a decision.

“I heard some things in that meeting that I believe — I haven’t proven it yet — but I believe are unfounded,” Johnson said. “... I don’t want to rush into bad legislation. I want to make sure we have all the answers to the public comment as we move forward and make decisions.”

Reporter Sam Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.