At a work session on Monday night, the Kalispell City Council considers changing a policy that bans special events with alcohol in city parks but allows them at other properties including Conrad Mansion, Museum at Central School and Hockaday Museum of Art.

Meant to be a test-case, council members made a “one-time exception” for the Craft Brewers Cup Hockey Challenge and Brewfest in March.

Organized by the Flathead Valley Hockey Association and Montana Brewers Association, the event at the Woodland Ice Center in Woodland Park reportedly was a well-run success, raising substantial money for the nonprofit hockey group to pay down the mortgage for its ice rink while causing no problems.

Special events with alcohol require organizers to obtain a permit from the city manager’s office. That means buying adequate insurance coverage and working out various security and safety details in advance with city officials.

With the Flathead Valley Hockey Association and Montana Brewers Association hoping to hold another Craft Brewers Cup next year, council members now will decide if or how they want to amend that permit process to allow events with beer or wine in city parks.

At tonight’s work session the city council also considers the equality of its agreements with sports groups that lease or have arrangements to use public property.

Facing a pending request to pay the Kalispell Legion Baseball Association back for $17,189 of work that it paid to have done at the Lakers Baseball Complex, several council members said they want to see equitable agreements in place — something that could be challenging to assess, let alone implement.

“Prior to moving forward with decisions on these user agreements, it is requested that we discuss how to assess the relative uniformity across agreements as there are variables that change for each user group that may impact the respective measure that is being used,” City Manager Doug Russell writes in a memo to the council.

IN OTHER BUSINESS, city council members will review a proposed update of the city’s Solid Waste Division Business Plan.

Council members cannot take any formal actions at tonight’s work session. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in Kalispell City Hall, 201 First Ave. E. It is open to the public.

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