Kalispell’s new city manager, Doug Russell, planned to start work bright and early this morning for his first day on the job.

He hoped to be in the office by 7 a.m. to meet with staff and department heads and prepare for a packed agenda at tonight’s Kalispell City Council meeting.

“I’m just really excited all the way around,” Russell, 38, said of his new job in Kalispell.

Russell was hired in April and arranged for the June 18 start date. He replaces former City Manager Jane Howington who resigned in January after accepting a job in Newport, R.I.

Russell spent the last three and a half years working as the city manager of Yankton, S.D. His final day on the job there was last Thursday, when he presided over an evening budget hearing.

With a busy first day, he will hit the ground running in Kalispell.

Tonight, the council will take up a lengthy agenda. The 7 p.m. council meeting follows a one-hour work session at 6 p.m. on the $46.75 million preliminary budget proposed for fiscal year 2012-13.

Council will consider “me-too” raises of 2.5 percent for Kalispell’s nonunion employees. The raises would cost the city about $84,000 and follow the 1.3 percent pay raise that nonunion workers got for the current fiscal year, after three years of no raises.

Firefighters, police and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees workers negotiated for raises of 3.5 percent, 2.05 percent and 2.55 percent. Those raises are costing the city $50,000, $56,000 and $84,000 next year.

Council members are to consider refinancing Kalispell’s general obligation bonds for Fire Station 62 and Woodland Water Park, a move that would result in lower interest payments and save the city more than $565,000 in the next decade.

One resolution on tonight’s agenda would set a public hearing for the creation of a special improvement district to pay for an estimated $392,556 of storm water improvements to the Willows subdivision. The proposed project would be financed through the state’s revolving loan fund and then paid off with special improvement district fees paid each year by 87 lot owners in the subdivision.

And for the third time, council members will take up an annexation request submitted by Josh and Shelby Farnham, who want 3.5 acres at the corner of Three Mile Drive and West Spring Creek Road annexed into the city so they can open a small drive-through coffee stand there.

Mayor Tammi Fisher and other council members have twice tabled the request because of concerns about a routine cost of services analysis that found the Farnham property costing the city more in services than it would generate in property taxes.

While continuing to work for the city of Yankton, Russell said he’s been keeping up on issues confronting Kalispell.

“But I’ll have to rely a lot on staff,” Russell said. “The first few weeks will be spent getting acquainted with everyone. It should be a couple of fast-paced weeks.”

Other items on tonight’s agenda include:

• Consideration of a $155,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security for the Kalispell Fire Department to buy a new vehicle to transport hazardous materials team crews and equipment.

• Appointing Joel Schoknecht to the Parking Advisory Board and Sean Conrad to the Street Tree Commission.

Reporter Tom Lotshaw may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at tlotshaw@dailyinterlake.com.