Kalispell council OKs $78M preliminary budget

The Kalispell City Council on Monday approved a $78 million preliminary budget for the coming fiscal year, which is about $12 million under last year’s budget.

The city will not receive state valuations until August, so the budget cannot be finalized until the council’s meeting on Aug. 19. The council also will not know how property taxes might be affected by the proposed budget until then, but council members agreed to move forward with the preliminary plan.

During a public hearing on the budget. Alisha Shilling from the Kalico Arts Center expressed the group’s interest in becoming involved with the art that will be placed along the trail.

Representatives from Americorps NCCC introduced themselves and talked about the work that they have been doing with the local United Way.

Sam Nunally, a Kalispell resident running for election to City Council for Ward 2, also spoke during the public hearing on the preliminary budget. He said that community members he had talked to were interested in seeing transportation and emergency services as focus areas for the budget.

The council also approved two action items. They approved a revised preliminary phase I plat and improved security agreement for the Montana Basecamp recreational vehicle park. They also approved a phase 1A final plat and Subdivision Improvement Agreement for the Meadows Edge residential subdivision located on Mountain Vista Way.

The Montana Basecamp project required a revised plat because it’s a recreational vehicle park, which is exempt from the typical Montana subdivision surveying requirements. Senior planner Jarod Nygren reported that two-thirds of the work has been completed on the Montana Basecamp park. He said it has been a “monumental task from the developer, and the city, and the state and numerous agencies to get it to this point.”

The preliminary plat encompasses the eastern portion of the park, which includes 62 RV spaces. Nygren said, “They’re looking to open their doors the weekend of [July] 13th.” The council discussed questions about traffic and road conditions before ultimately passing the resolution to revise the preliminary plat.

The council also approved the resolution for the final plat of the Meadows Edge subdivision. The subdivision encompasses 45 residential lots and spans about 15 acres. Nygren said that two-thirds of the work has been completed on this project as well, and the council approved the revised final plat.

There will be a work session next week, during which the council will look at a facilities plan for additional infrastructure in the city and a wastewater collection system. The work session will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, July 8, at City Hall Council Chambers, 201 First Ave. E.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at bserbin@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.