Columbia Falls city employees will see raises of 3% with a 2% step increase as approved by city council recently.

The raise does not include the city manager salary, as City Manager Eric Hanks was just hired a few months ago.

The city council is currently considering the 2026 fiscal year budget. Personnel costs amount to $4.99 million of the city’s budget, or about 20%.

The city currently has 37 employees and is looking to hire an accountant/grant manager this year as well as an additional firefighter later this year. The firefighter cost is split with the rural fire district.

While the city pays a bit less per hour than other municipalities in Flathead County, it pays more for health insurance, about 90% of the premium.

Outside of employee wages and benefits, the city also is looking at improving its parks. The city is considering a pier at the fishing pond at River’s Edge Park that will make it wheelchair accessible.

The pier’s total cost is estimated at $114,000 for the full design, which includes other slabs people can fish from, or $81,000 for just the pier, but Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks grant funding and private funding could help in funding the project, which has been in the planning stages for a few years now.

The pond, when it’s full, is about 14 feet deep. FWP stocks it a couple times a year with native westslope cutthroat trout.

In another matter, the city pool needs upgrades, including a new boiler, which broke down earlier this year. A new boiler is about $55,000. The aging building also needs paint and the city would like to upgrade the splash pad at the pool for young kids and families.

All told, the pool needs about $125,000 in work.

While the pool typically only sees about 10-12 weeks of use, it costs about $85,000 a year to staff and maintain it each year.

The public can weigh in on the budget until it is adopted in late September. The council has kept open a public hearing on the plan at each meeting.