Kalispell City Council to consider annexing proposed county jail property

Kalispell City Council on Monday will consider annexing property that could host a new county jail.

Council meets Monday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. in City Hall, 201 First Ave. E.

The Planning Commission held a public hearing in October that yielded only one comment, made by a Flathead County representative, before voting to recommend annexation and initial zoning of the land.

Flathead County submitted a request for annexation and zoning of P-1 (public) of 33.5 acres at 225 Snowline Lane. Annexing the land would allow the proposed detention facility to tap into the city’s water, sewer and fire protection services.  

A change in state law now allows Council to approve annexation and zoning in one vote rather than two.   

Voters will decide this week on a $105 million bond to pay for the facility that, in addition to a new jail, would house the Flathead County Sheriff's Office, a courtroom and the county Office of Emergency Services.  

County officials say the existing jail on South Main Street, built in 1986, is overcrowded and outdated. The new facility would double the county’s jail capacity.  

Kalispell’s growth policy designates the property for primarily suburban residential use, but P-1 zoning is consistent with the policy’s intent to reserve land for public safety infrastructure.  

Ballots have been delivered to voters ahead of the Nov. 4 election. Along with the bond issue, voters in Kalispell will decide a host of Council races and select the city's first new mayor in more than a decade.

Anyone who hasn’t turned in or mailed their ballots is encouraged to drop them off at the Election Department, located at 290 B N. Main St. in Kalispell.  

All ballots must be returned before 8 p.m. on Nov. 4 to be counted. 

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