Nearly three years after the former Outlaw Inn was left vacant, Kalispell City Council may add teeth to the municipal code to address dilapidated properties.  

Council is expected on Tuesday to vote on an amended fire code addressing vacant buildings. Councilors also are poised to tap into a federal loan to fund service line replacements and consider a request from the Buffalo Hill Golf Course to drill a new well.  

Owing to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, Council meets on Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. in City Hall, 201 First Ave. E.  

The proposed amendment to the city’s fire code would target structures deemed unsafe due to fire hazards, squatting, inadequate maintenance and being unsecure against trespassing.  

The amendment would also expediate compliance with the code from the typical 60 days to 10 days of receiving notice of violation. A fire code official can then abate the unsafe property “either by repair, rehabilitation, demolition, or other approve corrective action.”  

The code could be wielded against the former Outlaw Inn, which has been left vacant since Oregan-based real estate enterprise, Fortify Holdings bought the south Kalispell property in 2022 with a goal of converting the building into multi-family studio units.  

While a chain link fence has recently popped up around the property and ground level windows were boarded up, the former extended stay-hotel was left unsecured for months, becoming a hotspot for trespassing and vandalism that left neighbors and nearby businesses concerned for their safety. 

Councilors expressed interest in adopting the provision when it was first presented at a Jan. 13 meeting. City Manager Doug Russell warned that enforcing the rule would take resources that the city currently lacks. Unlike the other large cities in Montana, Kalispell is without a code enforcement program.  

“At least it's something other than where we were, other than sitting there watching it,” Councilor Jed Fisher said during a work session last week. 

AFTER SEVERAL meetings to deliberate funding options, Council will vote whether to tap into a federal loan program to fund replacing all lead and galvanized service lines in the city.  

The move comes after an October mandate from the Environmental Protection Agency requiring drinking water systems nationwide to identify and replace all lead pipes within 10 years of 2027. 

A majority of councilors during a Jan. 13 meeting expressed interest in using the loan over putting the replacement costs on affected homeowners.  

Per city code, service line maintenance is the responsibility of the homeowner. Historically though, Council has replaced leaky pipes from the water main, which exists under the street, up to the curb.  

To avoid setting a precedent for future contaminants, the resolution is considered “a one-time exception from city regulation,” according to city documents.  

If adopted, the city would look to grab $2 million from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program that offers up to 60% loan forgiveness. The remaining debt would be paid back through Kalispell’s Water Fund. 

Letters have been sent out to all inventoried households. Homeowners who received a letter indicating their service line is “unknown” should contact Public Works at 406-758-7720.  

THE KALISPELL Golf Association is looking for approval to drill a new well on the upper bench of the Buffalo Hill Golf Course.  

The well would be drilled adjacent to Whitefish Stage Road and Fairway Boulevard and is intended to allow for irrigation improvements.  

Council authorized a new 30-year lease with the association in October, allowing the association to make improvements of up to $75,000 without city approval.  

Operations and maintenance of the course is fully funded by the golf association. Since 2014, the association has not made any lease payments in exchange for fronting a portion of the maintenance costs. 

COUNCIL WILL also vote on appointing Annie Canfield, recommended by Mayor Mark Johnson, to the Architectural Review Committee. 

Established in 2010, the committee was intended to “encourage originality, flexibility and innovation in site planning and development, according to the city.  

On the consent agenda, Council will consider awarding a bid from Precision Builders to remodel the old Parks and Recreation building on First Avenue East into a new a police evidence facility.  

The remodel will cost $250,000 with funding coming through the West Side tax increment financing district. 

Another item is the potential purchase of a 2025 Ford F-450 4x4 Super Cab and Osage Ambulance Body remount from Sawtooth Emergency Vehicles/Balcer Ambulance Sales for $212,700.  

Lastly, Council will consider picking AE2S as a consultant for the 2025 Water, Sanitary Sewer, and Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility Plan Updates.  

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and [email protected].