Kalispell City Council poised to approve fiscal year 2025 budget

Kalispell City Council is expected to vote Monday on the municipality’s roughly $180.7 million fiscal year 2025 budget, an increase of roughly $40 million from last year.

Council meets at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 201 First Ave. E.

The total city levy requested was 197.69 mills for the 2025 fiscal year, according to budget memos. That’s more than the 136.75 mills adopted during the previous budget cycle.

The general city levy requested stands at 120.26 mills, 10 less than the amount the Council is authorized to adopt. The figure is based on calculations from the state Department of Revenue.

Property owners across the board will see a tax increase in fiscal year 2025. For property valued at $100,000, the calculated property tax will be around $267, an $82 increase from fiscal year 2024, according to budget documents. Property valued at $300,000 will be taxed around $801, an increase of $247 from last year. Properties valued at $600,000 will see a $494 increase to around $1,601.

Officials are requesting 19 mills in the health insurance levy, amounting to about $1.5 million in Kalispell’s general fund. This is an increase from 16.15 mills the previous year. The bump is meant to cover the heightened cost of premiums, according to budget memos.

The public safety levy request came to 58.43 mills, slightly less than the 60.9 mills approved by voters in March. Officials shunted 2.47 mills to the emergency responder fund within the permissive health levy to cover insurance costs for additional fire and police personnel. That amounts to about $3.9 million of the general fund.

This is the first year the public safety levy is featured in the municipal budget. It is projected to generate roughly $15.1 million in tax revenue for the city, according to city documents.

The proposed budget represents a $4 million increase from the preliminary budget approved by Council in June.

Kalispell’s general fund sits at roughly $16.5 million. That's up by $300,000 from the preliminary budget. This was partly due to the appropriation of $100,000 for a public education campaign should Council adopt a sidewalks, trails and traffic calming district, according to city documents.

The Kalispell Police Department budget also increased by $10,000 since June to cover building maintenance costs and another $14,000 for a new camera system. The Kalispell

The Fire Department saw its budget increased by $9,600 to host a health and safety officer class, which will be reimbursed by outside agencies.

The water fund saw a $12.7 million addition to address forever chemicals found in the drinking water supply. Roughly $800,000 was also added between the Sewer and Sewer Impact Fee funds to cover consultant costs for the biosolids treatment and disposal project, according to a city memo.

The memo indicated that other adjustments reflect changes from the carryover of the last fiscal year. Officials attribute the larger budget to increases in personnel and capital spending in the facilities and public safety departments. 

Reporter Jack Underhill may be reached at 758-4407 or junderhill@dailyinterlake.com.