The Daily Inter Lake

Jim Atkinson sees local government as a needed key player in Kalispells economic development efforts.

Private-public partnerships allow the public some say in how the community will be developed, he said.

If developers operate independently of the city, that means the city will lose some control over how it grows and over the quality-of-life issues that come with growth, he said.

That puts Atkinson, 56, with 18 years on the City Council, at philosophical odds with his Ward 3 challenger, Jayson Peters, who advocates a less-active city role in development issues.

Atkinson believes the ripple effects of city-backed economic development efforts including infrastructure improvements and tax-increment districts help other local businesses.

When the water level rises, all boats rise with it, he said.

While he often backs city staff proposals, Atkinson says he is a not a rubber stamp for the bureaucracy.

If I dont agree with them, Ill make it known, he said.

He pointed to an Oct. 17 council vote in which he opposed a city staff recommendation to allow a subdivision two miles outside of Kalispell to use part of the citys sewage plants capacity arguing that sets a bad precedent that would encourage other rural subdivisions to seek use of the citys plant.

However, Atkinson said the council should use the citys staff to provide expertise and background information on issues. If you discount the expertise of the staff, youre limiting yourself in your decision-making ability, he said. I think we need to hear all sides of an issue.

A tax proposal would have to be necessary and equitable before he would vote for it, Atkinson said.

Atkinson is unsure how to balance Kalispells inevitable outward growth with rural fire districts fears about losing their tax bases. The city of Kalispell has offered a lot of olive branches to the rural districts, he said. Fortunately the politics go away when the fires start in cases where both city and rural fire departments respond.

Atkinson sees more annexation and growth impact issues surfacing in the future. He would like the city and School District No. 5 to cooperate more on dealing with the impacts of Kalispells growth.

Reporter John Stang may be reached at 758-4429 or by e-mail at jstang@dailyinterlake.com.