The Kalispell City Council approved three resolutions related to building and development within the city limits on Monday evening at its first public, in-person meeting in about two months.

City councilors and members of the public were present in the City Council Chambers for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down most public gatherings earlier in the spring.

At the meeting, the council passed a resolution of intent to hold a public hearing on June 15 for a Kalispell Growth Policy amendment for Colton Lee Communities. The proposed 3.27-acre property at 216 Hutton Ranch Road potentially would pave the way for a “multi-family residential project with a potential commercial component.” Councilor Sid Daoud wondered why this project had not been included in earlier development plans for the area, but the resolution of intent unanimously passed nonetheless.

The council also unanimously approved a request to annex property at 155 Three Mile Drive into the city and zone it city R-3 residential. This proposal from Matthew Vander Ark was previously proposed in 2019 but the applicant withdrew the proposal before it reached the council. Senior Planner P.J. Sorenson said a cost-of-service analysis for the 2.4-acre property predicted a net gain of over $1,200 for the city, although he also pointed out no specific development plans are in place yet.

The council’s final development request at the meeting included a 0.5-acre parcel at 1110 Two Mile Drive. The council unanimously approved the first reading of a request to annex the property and zone it city R-2 residential, since the septic system currently in place there is failing. Sorenson said the cost-of-service analysis for the project, proposed by Connie Behe, would provide a net gain of more than $1,500 to the city.

However, the council apparently received a comment about concerns over future annexation in the area, and Planning Director Jarod Nygren said, “now that sewer’s out there, you’ll likely see more requests for annexation in the future,” referring to the Two Mile Drive sewer main recently installed in the area.

In other business, the council also approved a motion to accept a $33,000 Bureau of Justice Assistance Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding Grant for the Kalispell Police Department to access COVID-19 sanitation measures. Police Chief Doug Overman explained the grant would primarily be used to provide first responder filtration masks for every person on patrol at a time and ozone sterilization equipment to sanitize contact points like steering wheels on police vehicles.

During the meeting, the council also heard committee reports from the Kalispell Tourism Business Improvement District, the Kalispell Business Improvement District and the City-County Health Department. Representatives from each organization presented their proposed budget outlines for fiscal year 2021.

Diane Medler with the tourism district presented a budget of $560,000, based on revenue reductions from hotel collections anticipated to occur throughout the year.

Pam Carbonari with the Business Improvement District proposed a budget of $228,000, including a $15,000 grant from the Montana Main Street Program. She urged city officials to support the downtown corridor and “keep downtown alive and vibrant.”

“We already lost two businesses downtown, we don’t want to lose any more,” she said.

Flathead City-County Health Department Public Health Administrator Hillary Hanson presented a $14.4 million budget and discussed the budget’s health fund component, which she said accounts for about 21% of the overall budget. She pointed out Flathead County approved a 3% cost-of-living increase for the upcoming fiscal year and reviewed funding changes related to the COVID-19 outbreak, such as decreased revenue from travel immunizations.

City Manager Doug Russell reported the city has reached a revised rail-banking agreement with BNSF Railway for the core trail that includes a few hundred feet of additional property the company had not originally requested. While he was happy to report, “we came to an agreement,” he also stated this update will delay progress on the trail by about six to eight weeks.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at (406)-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.