Urban sprawl a top issue for Ward 3 incumbent Rod Kuntz

Q. What are the most challenging economic growth issues facing Kalispell, and what solutions do you propose for handling growth?

A. Making development within the city more affordable in order to slow the urban sprawl we see in the county is our biggest challenge. Many solutions have been implemented under my tenure including the B3 zone in the Core Area Project. Creating the environment to nurture the type of growth desired will bear fruit in the future. [We should] continue pursuit and collaboration to encourage and expand public transportation and trail connectivity to help mitigate increased traffic flows. Growth will never stop in the Flathead Valley and Kalispell must be on the forward end of that growth, which is why I worked on the Growth Policy Committee to draft Plan-IT 2035. If the character and values of Kalispell are going to survive, the approaches outlined in the long-term plan will have to be read and understood without the lens of topical and emotional issues.

Q. Is the city of Kalispell doing enough to address affordable housing and increasing the city’s housing options?

A. Yes. Despite all of the noise on this issue, Kalispell is doing enough, but we should always press forward to do more. Kalispell has some of the most affordable housing options in the entire Flathead Valley, from entry-level homes to apartment choices, all while offering some of the best city services, schools, shopping, health care, parks, police and emergency services. The current council has removed stumbling blocks to development, including a long-term approach to fair and competitive impact fees, and has changed zoning designations to encourage in-fill and vertical development. The result is 151 new multi-family units since 2016, with another 61 available by year’s end. There are also 871 units with preliminary approval in the pipeline, and developers bringing long-range plans for another 300-500 units. If communities want to look at tackling affordable housing in the free market, Kalispell is the gold standard!

Q: What are Kalispell’s biggest infrastructure challenges, specifically regarding streets and utilities?

A: The biggest challenges in Kalispell’s immediate future are the effects of federal and state unfunded mandates on our water, stormwater and sewer systems. Some decisions and regulations require that the city meet expectations for which there is no current scientific solution. Ultimately paying to be in compliance will fall on the backs of taxpayers and rate payers. We all want a clean environment and clean water, but achieving federal requirements and holding Kalispell citizens to standards that are currently unachievable or unaffordable is going to be the biggest challenge facing the city well into the future. Street maintenance projects are scheduled out several years to maximize road life, and capital improvement projects are scheduled out for up to three decades. The city is doing a phenomenal job on a tight budget.

Q: What makes you the best candidate for your ward?

A: I am practical and hard working; I understand the importance of dialogue, collaboration and compromise; and I have a great deal of common sense which causes me to seek simple solutions. My multi-disciplinary life experience, my understanding of government’s historic and intended role in our lives, plus the fact that I raised my family in Ward 3, worked in Ward 3 and have spent three decades as a taxpaying resident of Kalispell make me uniquely qualified to represent my neighbors and constituents. I don’t like to talk about myself so I will allow the note I received from former Councilman Jim Atkinson to speak for me. Upon completion of his 29 years on City Council he wrote the following: “I can say this unequivocally, Rod, you are one of the most conscientious, inspired, ethical councilmen I have ever worked with.”