Kalispell City Council to review public safety spending at Monday meeting

Kalispell City Council on Monday will vote on the final plat approval for a single-family housing development on the municipality’s north end and continue with its Fiscal Year 2024 budget deliberations.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. and will be held in City Hall, 201 First Ave. E. Residents and other interested parties also can attend virtually via Zoom.

The owners of Bloomstone received preliminary plat approval for the third phase of their development, which is located at 1070 Treeline Road, and are now seeking the final green light for the plat, which is slated to include 47 single-family homes on approximately 10 acres.

The developers have now met the 30 conditions for approval, according to a memo by PJ Sorenson, a senior planner with the city, and the Planning Department is recommending that Council approve the request.

COUNCIL WILL then go over the upcoming fiscal year’s preliminary budgets for the Police Department, Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, and the Parks Department.

Funding for public safety and emergency services takes up the largest part of the city’s roughly $15.5 million proposed operating budget. The Police Department’s preliminary budget is for $6.7 million, an 8.61% increase over the current fiscal roadmap, while the Fire Department’s proposed budget comes in at $4.8 million, a 4.89% increase.

The Parks Department’s budget is funded in a variety of ways, including permit and usage fees, developer’s fees and from property tax levies. Tasked with maintaining 292 acres in Kalispell, the department’s budget is expected to total just over $4 million.

Council voted in March to raise certain recreation and special event permit fees to keep up with increasing expenses.

Reporter Adrian Knowler can be reached at 758-4407 or aknowler@dailyinterlake.com.