After weeks of more abbreviated meetings, the Kalispell City Council will take on a substantial list of proposals at its Monday tonight.

Two resolutions will address development plans. One request asks the council to amend the city’s growth policy and annex and rezone a property at 1100 Two Mile Drive in order to connect the property with updated city sewer services. This is the second reading of the request to zone a single-family property belonging to Connie Behe as city R-2 residential zoning.

Another proposal would extend the preliminary plat for Northland Phase 5, a development that received its original preliminary plat in 2017. Adjustments due to COVID-19 would allow the project to exceed its initial deadline, scheduled for this year. They are requesting an extension of the preliminary plat for two years.

Two other proposals set to be discussed at Monday’s meeting would focus on budget and staffing questions for the city. One resolution would set a July 6 public hearing on the preliminary budget for fiscal year 2021. The budget likely won’t be finalized until the city receives exact property valuations from the state in August. This resolution would also include a provision for the early expenditure of some FY 2021 funds to cover certain costs, such as salaries, maintenance, operations, and some projects, before the budget is approved.

Another resolution would increase the salary of non-union city staff members for fiscal year 2021. The council is proposing an approximately $155,000 increase for city employees who are not represented by any of the three collective bargaining units in the city workforce. Their annual increases are calculated using a matrix that compares Kalispell city employee salaries to those in five cities with a greater population and a smaller population than Kalispell, respectively. This increase would be paid through several city funds in the 2021 budget, including general funds, enterprise funds and special revenue funds.

The final two resolutions on the docket concern organizations that work with the city: the Kalispell Users’ Association at the Kalispell City Airport and the Tourism Business Improvement District Board of Trustees. The Kalispell Users’ Association is requesting an amendment to the master plan for the Kalispell City Airport in order to provide “additional locations for hangar development and associated parking areas.” The city entered into a lease with the Users’ Association for the operation and maintenance of the Kalispell City Airport in 2017. The amendment reportedly would not require any additional city funding.

Finally, the council will consider board appointments for the Tourism Business Improvement District, which was renewed in 2019 with updated regulations.

At the meeting there will also be a public hearing about a potential amendment to the Kalispell Growth Policy to accommodate a 3.27-acre multi-family project located at 216 Hutton Ranch Road, known as Colton Lee Communities. The proposed growth policy amendment would change the land use designation on the Kalispell Growth Policy Future Land Use Map from “Urban Residential” to “Commercial.”

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 201 First Ave. E.

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