Kalispell City Council on Monday voted to double their salaries over the next two budget cycles.  

The increase marks the first pay adjustment Council has received in nearly three decades. The elected body's salaries will increase by 50% in fiscal year 2027, which began July 1, followed by another 50% increase in the following fiscal year. Future annual raises will be capped at 3% and tied to changes in the consumer price index, which measures the way the cost of goods and services change over time. 

Council hasn't touched its pay since 1997. The mayor made roughly $9,000 a year while councilors made roughly $5,000. Under the new resolution, the mayor will make roughly $18,000, and councilors around $10,000 by fiscal 2028. 

Councilors also receive retirement and health benefits along with a stipend to cover additional costs related to the position. 

Council salaries are paid from the city's general fund, which is supported primarily by property tax revenue. The fund's expenditures are projected to reach about $17.8 million in fiscal 2027. 

City staff's original proposal would have bumped Council pay by 108% in just one year to bring salaries in line with current market conditions and include annual adjustments tied to the consumer price index, but Councilor Dustin Leftridge successfully amended the measure to phase in the increase.  

Leftridge argued that while people should seek elected office because they care about their communities, councilors also need the financial security to devote the time necessary to perform their duties effectively.  

He added that if past Councils had incrementally raised their salaries over the years, the pay bump would have been less jarring.  

But Councilor Sam Nunnally, who cast the lone dissenting vote on Leftridge's amendment*, said the body should honor past councilors' decisions not to increase their pay.  

"Such an adjustment effectively overturns, or discounts, the deliberate actions of previous councilors, which made compensation decisions based on the information, priorities and fiscal conditions that existed at that time," Nunnally said.  

He proposed creating a compensation board, similar to Flathead County's, composed of councilors and residents to recommend pay levels, but the idea failed to gain support.  

Councilor Sid Daoud proposed scrapping Council salaries altogether. He said he could not support an increase at a time when inflation is on the rise, the U.S. dollar has weakened, and gas and food prices have soared.  

"My entire time on Council, I had the same feeling. We shouldn't be raising our own salary when people are hurting. And unfortunately, things haven't gotten better for the last six years, they've gone the other way," he said.  

No positions on any other city board are compensated, he noted.  

"A good Planning Commission board member works almost, if not harder than the average City Council member," Daoud said.  

However, most Councilors agreed that increasing the pay would make the position more accessible and attractive for younger people living and working in Kalispell.   

"We had all retired people here when I got on," said Councilor Kari Gabriel, who has served since 2004. She said that the body's responsibilities and time commitments have increased since then, and higher pay would make public service more accessible.  

"How much time has been wasted on this issue over the years? We have the same discussion every year, and in past years we've been shamed into not making any kind of adjustment," she said.  

"We need to be attracting qualified talent, and we are not going to do that if we stay where we're at or go backwards," she added.  

COUNCIL ALSO gave the green light to Habitat for Humanity of Flathead Valley's proposed mixed-income subdivision in North Kalispell.  

Council approved Habitat Flathead's request for annexation, initial zoning of R-3 (residential) and planned unit development approval to build 95 residential units on 21.32 acres located just east of the U.S. 93 Bypass and south of Four Mile Drive.  

While Habitat Flathead owns the site, only a portion of the homes will be built by the nonprofit. The rest are being erected by Iron Star Construction, Westcraft Homes and Kalispell Student Built Homes with the intention of creating a neighborhood with a diverse mix of home prices.  

"I do believe that we're being presented with something really truly unique, and I hope it leads to future partnerships," said Council President Kyle Waterman, who presided over the meeting in Mayor Ryan Hunter's absence.  

Gabriel cast the only dissenting vote against the proposed planned unit development. A longtime resident on Northridge Drive, she shared her neighbor's fears that significant traffic would flood local roads to the south in the absence of a northern path onto Four Mile Drive.  

"I cannot support it as it is, and look at my neighbors tomorrow," she said.  

The project received praise from local housing nonprofits and advocates, including the Samaritan House and NeighborWorks Montana.  

"It creates opportunities for home ownership, not just housing. It gives working families the chance to build equity, stability and a future," said Jamie Goguen, a Whitefish resident who serves on Habitat Flathead's board of directors.  

KALISPELL FIREFIGHTERS Chris Albrecht and Zachary Lanz received a standing ovation from councilors and friends, co-workers and family in the audience for their rescue of a person trapped in Stillwater River during high, fast-moving and frigid water conditions.  

After the victim failed to catch ropes thrown from the shore, the firefighters volunteered to initiate an in-water rescue despite limited equipment and significant risk, according to Fire Chief Jay Hagen. 

Lanz entered the water secured by a rope tended by Albrecht and brought the victim safely to shore, according to Hagen. 

Hagen said the firefighter's action "reflect exceptional professionalism, decisiveness and dedication to life safety."  

*The story has been updated to clarify that Sam Nunnally cast the lone dissenting vote on Leftridge's amendment. 

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 406-758-4407 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.