Kalispell council poised to award $286,079 for new vehicles
The Kalispell City Council will consider awarding $286,079 for multiple vehicles at its meeting tonight.
The council will vote on awarding a bid of $204,881 to SWS Equipment Inc. for a new rear-load solid waste truck. There is $260,000 budgeted for this purchase. The city started accepting bids for a new truck on Oct. 24 and narrowed the two choices to SWS Equipment’s proposal because it “met or exceeded all of the minimum specifications,” according to the agenda for the meeting.
The council will consider an additional bid for two new patrol vehicles for the Kalispell Police Department. KPD reportedly needs to replace a sedan and a pickup truck and sought bids for two Ford Hybrid Police Interceptor Utility Vehicles. The department received three bids a year ago, with the lowest coming in at $40,499 per vehicle, but recently received only one bid at $40,599 per unit from Kalispell Ford. This brings the total bid to $81,198.
In business unrelated to vehicle purchases, the council will decide whether to re-establish the Kalispell Tourism Business Improvement District, which is set to expire at the end of this fiscal year. A petition to re-establish the TBID was circulated throughout the business and property owners in the District, so the council will consider this petition and potentially set a public hearing about the re-establishment on Dec. 2.
The first reading of a new stormwater ordinance will also take place at tonight’s meeting. The city’s stormwater program is part of a five-year permit from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, which requires the city “to implement and enforce a new post-construction stormwater management program” in its third year.
The proposed ordinance “consolidates and updates existing city stormwater regulations, prescribes post-construction stormwater management practices and updates enforcement measures pursuant to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality requirements.” A full explanation of the proposed changes is available in the meeting agenda document.
The council previously presented this new ordinance at a work session on Sept. 23 and a public hearing on Oct. 21, but the agenda reported the council has not received any public comments.
In his city manager report for the meeting, Doug Russell provided an update from the process of developing the Kalispell Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan. An open house was held on Oct. 18, and 50 people reportedly attended the meeting. This is in addition to the approximately 300 responses received from an online survey about the plan. Russell’s report stated the open house attendees “provided excellent feedback that will be integral to the development of the plan.”
The city manager report also provided information for the next Planning Board meeting on Nov. 12, at which time the board will hear a request for approval of a major subdivision for Phase 3 of the Kalispell North Town Center.
Eagle Valley Ranch Apartments LLC and the Stillwater Corp. have requested approval for a subdivision described as being located, “east of Kalispell Ford, east of the Kalispell Armory, west of Jefferson Boulevard and north of Lincoln Street. “Phase 3” encompasses 39.3 acres with 22 commercial lots, a common area and a new city street.
The full agenda for tonight’s meeting is available at https://www.kalispell.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_11042019-343
The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 201 1st Ave. East.
Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at bserbin@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.