The Kalispell Planning Commission is inviting the public to weigh in on a proposal to annex into the city property for the potential new county jail in South Kalispell.  

The commission will hold a public hearing on the proposal Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. in City Hall, 201 First Ave. E.  

Voters in November will decide on a $105 million bond to fund the new Flathead County Public Safety Facility. In addition to a new jail, the building would house the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, a courtroom and the Office of Emergency Services. 

If approved, the bond would result in a $35 per year increase in taxes for a home valued at $300,000. For a home valued at $600,000, the increase would be about $80 per year. 

Flathead County submitted a request for annexation and zoning of P-1 (public) of 33.5 acres of property at 225 Snowline Lane. Annexing the vacant county land would allow the proposed detention facility to tap into the city’s water, sewer and fire protection services, according to a report from city staff recommending approval of the request. 

County officials say the existing jail on South Main Street — built in 1986 — is overcrowded and outdated. The new facility would double the county’s jail capacity.  

“Relocating and expanding these services will enhance law enforcement operations, provide adequate inmate housing and improve public access to justice services,” read the report. 

Kalispell’s growth policy designates the property for suburban residential and industrial use, but P-1 zoning is consistent with the growth policy’s intent to reserve land for public safety infrastructure, according to the city report. 

A traffic impact study recommended improvements at the intersection of U.S. 93 and Snowline Lane to accommodate increased traffic.  

THE BOARD will also hold another work session regarding Senate Bill 382. 

Also called the Montana Land Use Planning Act, the law passed by the state Legislature in 2023 is intended to streamline housing construction by requiring cities to create a new land use plan and adopt zoning regulations meant to free up development.  

The law will also limit public input on site-specific developments, frontloading public input to create the land use plan and ditching public hearings in front of Council.  

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