With an unusual third reading and a few more amendments on Monday, the Kalispell City Council passed an ordinance that offers permits for special public events with beer or wine at more city properties.

The ordinance passed with a 6-2 vote. It was opposed by council members Jim Atkinson and Bob Hafferman. Jeff Zauner was not present.

A third reading was needed after the ordinance was heavily amended during a second and normally final reading. Despite more changes Monday, it will not be coming up for a fourth vote.

Atkinson said he supports trying to help nonprofit groups raise more money but the sale of alcohol in visible public areas where people don’t need to be invited is overstepping the bounds.

Hafferman suggested the ordinance strays from core city functions and should be scrapped. “This business of the city getting into something they’re not even qualified to be in is what bothers me more than anything else and why I’m voting against it,” he said.

Hafferman proposed a couple of amendments Monday. A motion to remove Depot Park and Lakers Ball Fields as places where events with beer or wine would be allowed failed 5-3. A motion to limit special public events with alcohol at the hockey rink area at Woodland Park to between Dec. 21 and March 21 passed 6-2.

At a prior meeting, council members added a provision requiring a Training for Intervention Procedures-trained volunteer or employee at the point of sale or service during such events — a move some people called overly restrictive.

Council members on Monday changed that to more broadly allow those people to be trained in “one of the pre-approved Montana Department of Revenue training courses for sales or service of alcoholic beverages,” because of their greater availability. A motion to require only people at the point of sale to be trained failed.  

Council member Phil Guiffrida III supported the ordinance but briefly questioned how it was crafted with so many amendments. “I prefer to see these things hashed out in workshops, especially with so much back and forth, but this is the way we did it,” he said.

Mayor Tammi Fisher defended the final product and its training requirements for people selling or providing alcohol.

“The idea that the city was not involved in this before is false,” she said. “Insofar as our job is public safety, this actually increases public safety. It is more restrictive. We are openly regulating it and requiring people to come before this council to tell us exactly what we are doing, so we know about it, as does the rest of the community.”

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