Kalispell City Council to put local government review before voters

During a short meeting Monday, Kalispell City Council unanimously approved a slate of resolutions, including one putting a possible review of local government before voters this spring.

Municipalities must query voters on whether to review local government every 10 years under state law. If residents back the idea at the ballot box during the June 4 primary election, officials will form a commission tasked with carrying out the reappraisal. 

Council will still need to decide how many people would serve on the commission and how much money would need to be raised to support the effort. City Manager Doug Russell told Council that Billings and Bozeman have both proposed putting $200,000 behind their respective review efforts, and Belgrade has pitched $135,000.