Kalispell City Council is set Tuesday to confirm the date for a public hearing on how to potentially spend funds made available through the State-Local Infrastructure Partnership Act of 2023.

Council will meet Tuesday because of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday. Council meets at City Hall, 201 First Ave. E., at 7 p.m. For more information on how to attend or participate, including remotely, visit: https://www.kalispell.com/agendacenter.

The city has been allocated $313,674 in state funds for maintaining or repairing existing municipal infrastructure, such as streets, lights, public grounds, or buildings. A local 25% match is required for undertakings funded through the legislation, according to city documents. 

A memo released prior to Tuesday’s meeting proposes Feb. 5, 2024, at 7 p.m., as the time for residents to help Council identify eligible projects. City staff will then establish a priority list with Council for the projects and submit all applications to the Department of Commerce by March 31.

Projects already reviewed by city staff include lead service line replacement at an estimated cost of $250,000; drainage, street and slope repair work along Ninth Street East at an estimated $633,950; drainage and street repair work on Meridian Court, which is projected to cost $453,306; repairing 7,085 feet of deteriorating rooted clay sewer lines for roughly $750,000; replacing playground equipment at Lions Park for about $170,000; and replacing a boiler in the city’s Public Safety building for $60,000. 

COUNCIL WILL also hear a recommendation from the Urban Renewal Agency to amend spending limits within two tax increment finance districts owing to the increasing development costs.

The Kalispell Urban Renewal Agency in December examined the proposed changes to the West Side Urban Renewal - Core Area TIF and Downtown Kalispell TIF, voting to support the changes. 

Documents forwarded to City Manager Doug Russell outline the proposed jumps in spending: the Street Tree Placement Program grant would double, from $5,000 to $10,000; the Sidewalk Placement Program grant would triple, from $5,000 to $15,000; and the Historic Facade restoration projects grant would go from $50,000 to $150,000. 

Among other listed increases, the grant and loan program for site demolition, preparation and cleanup would expand from $50,000 to $250,000. 

Council’s decision Tuesday would create no immediate financial effects, city staff noted in a memo. Still,  the amendments will increase the amount of funding for eligible projects. Those projects would still require approval from both the Urban Renewal Agency and Council according to the TIF policies and would not be automatically guaranteed funding.

Reporter Carl Foster can be reached at 758-4407 or [email protected].