Kalispell City Council approved $180.7 million budget for fiscal 2025

Kalispell City Council approved Monday a $180.7 million budget for fiscal year 2025.  

Though the fiscal roadmap calls for tax hikes, the bulk of the property tax increases stem from the public safety levy voters approved in March, officials said. The levy added 58.43 mills to the city’s general levy that amounted to $3.9 million in the general fund.  

The city’s general fund was authorized at roughly $16.5 million. 

“The increase comes from the voted-on responder levy, the rest, if you take that out, we are basically flat from where we were last year,” City Manager Doug Russell said on Monday night.  

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 the previous year. Properties valued at $600,000 will see a $494 increase to around $1,601. 

The health insurance levy was authorized at 19 mills, amounting to around $1.5 million in the general fund.  

While 60.9 mills were authorized for the public safety levy, 2.47 mills were shunted to the public safety fund within the permissive health levy to cover insurance costs for additional fire and police personnel.  

“What we did not want to do, out of fairness to the taxpayers, is we did not want to leverage 60.9 and add into the permissive health levy,” Russell said after the Aug. 19 meeting.  

Council approved 197.69 mills as the total city levy, with a general city levy of 120.26 mills. The figure is based on the mill value calculation provided by the Montana Department of Revenue. The general city levy stands at 10 mills less than the amount Council was authorized to adopt.  

The budget approved by Council was an increase from the 2023 budget of $140 million. And the finalized budget stands at $300,000 more than the preliminary budget adopted in March. 

“We’ve had presentations, we’ve had discussions; So just know that your council is not just passing the budget willy nilly. We’ve had a lot of discussion about this in early May,” said Councilor Sid Daoud.  

ALSO DURING the meeting, Rebecca Anderson, district traffic engineer for the Montana Department of Transportation, presented a speed study conducted on Three Mile Drive and Farm to Market Road that assessed traffic levels and crash frequency and types.  

The study found that current speed limits in the area are reasonable, but recommended extending the two 45 mph transitional speed zones near West Valley Elementary School.  

During public comment, Paula Mindell, a resident of a subdivision on Meadow Vista Loop, voiced her frustration with speeding along Four Mile Drive in front of the recreation fields at Kalispell Youth Athletic Complex.  

“It is really getting scary,” she said.  

The posted speed limit is 25 mph, but Mindell said she sees drivers going 40 to 60 mph.  

Last year, a vehicle hit and knocked over a light pole late at night on the east entrance of the development, she said.  

“He could’ve gone through our wrought iron fence and gone right into somebody’s bedroom,” she said.  

Mindell also said that she sees police vehicles driving well over the speed limit along Four Mile Drive as well.  

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at junderhill@dialyinterlake.com and 758-4407.