Whatever happens, many on the Kalispell City Council have repeated over recent months, the city must get a handle on its budget this year.

Mayor Pamela Kennedy, running for her third term in office, sees progress in that direction already. Kennedy faces Kalispell attorney Tammi Fisher in the mayoral election. Early voting begins Wednesday; election day is Nov. 3.

The council is teaming with City Manager Jane Howington to begin monthly work sessions this fall. The sessions will focus on laying out priorities and articulating spending and service philosophies, drilling down to specific departmental budgets.

"It is important that we look at the entire budget and look at ways we could (eliminate) inefficiencies," and continually fine tune the budget, Kennedy said.

Bringing the council into the budgeting process early on should eliminate surprises that characterized past years' budgets and make the city's spending process more transparent, important goals for Kennedy.

"Our [cash] reserves are better, but they need to be back to 2007 levels" when they stood at 15 percent of the general fund budget, she said. "We had heavy hits this past year" with fire department and management issues.

"I think we have been respectful of taxpayer dollars. We will continue to try to have the tightest budget we can bring forward."

She would investigate all options to find the least expensive way to provide services without sacrificing quality.

"Are there places we can privatize? There are services the city of Kalispell should and must continue" such as police and fire protection, she said, "but when you look at affordable housing or solid waste," perhaps those can be offered less expensively by private businesses.

She also encouraged partnerships with groups such as Montana West Economic Development to stimulate the economy and create jobs. The city's own Community and Economic Development Office would be the link to focus specifically on Kalispell.

On a broader scale, Kennedy said the city needs to play a role in stabilizing the overall economy.

"It's not just Kalispell's responsibility [but] all cities," she said. "For Kalispell, we've got to be sure we have enough financial mechanisms in place to support what business is here now, and bring more jobs to help stimulate the economy."

To do that, she would focus on being "respectful and mindful of the tax burden to maximize use of the money we have now."

Despite the current stagnant phase, natural amenities here virtually guarantee that growth will resume as people begin moving again, she believes.

"We will have to stay on top of our infrastructure needs," she said. "That's why the city pursued stimulus dollars."

Kennedy also was at the front of the pack pushing for Kalispell's U.S. 93 Bypass - she calls it a truck route bypass - to funnel the heavy traffic around the city but encourage visitors into the heart of downtown.

"That will be an important part of our future growth," she said.

She touted the partnership formed with Flathead Valley Community College to offer work-force training, as well as added capacity to the sewer plant and a continued focus on consolidating emergency services among the county and cities.

But there's a need to continue working out ways to meet an aging population's needs through public transportation, affordable housing and medical care, she said, and to put effort into developing small neighborhood parks for families.

The Kalispell City Airport plays into the economic health equation.

"Our airport is the busiest general aviation airport in Montana," she said. "It has high economic value to the city."

Airport management needs to deal with the Federal Aviation Administration's current safety concerns and realign the runway, she said, but whether to expand the facility is something the City Council still needs to decide.

"The council has been pretty divided on expanding the airport," she conceded. But realigning the runway is a different matter, she said, and land acquisitions could make way for it.

"The airport currently is not utilized to its full extent for hangars and rentals and businesses that would complement the airport, and that is now being addressed," she said.

"There has been an airport plan" for some time, Kennedy said. "The airport plan is one that has been adopted by the city council and the airport manager takes the plan … and brings forward any recommendation to put the plan into action."

As land becomes available, she said, airport Director Fred Leistiko will come to the council to see whether the city should buy it for potential realignment and expansion.

"But will it come to fruition? You adopt a plan and have decision points within that plan and it can be revised or terminated at any point."

It's just one of the pivotal decisions facing the council over the coming years.

Kennedy said she's the right one to guide the council's process.

"I'm fair, I'm balanced in my decision-making," she said. "I'm a good leader that brings people to consensus and can bring compromise when necessary … I have a love for Kalispell."

She wants to see redoubled efforts to communicate with the citizens.

"The mayor's main role is to make sure everyone's voice is heard," she said. She's just one vote on a nine-member council, but she's the person in charge of facilitating council actions, she said, and maintaining an atmosphere of respect and dignity.

"We've been missing the citizens' voice in the decision-making process. We need it," she said. "I don't know if it's apathy or being unable to attend meetings, but somehow we've got to get better communication."

Citizens' support for police and fire services came through loud and clear during the past year's budgeting process, she said, but what else do people want? Perhaps a town hall meeting or a survey mailed along with water bills could generate feedback, she suggested.

"We need to communicate with citizens, continue to make decisions that bring consensus and constructive compromise," she said.

"One of the things I'm really proud about is in the eight years I've been mayor we have seen a real respect brought into city council, staff and citizen [interactions]. Respectful communication is important and as leaders of the community we should be the first ones to demonstrate that."

Reporter Nancy Kimball can be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com