Kalispell City Council on Tuesday will consider reapplying for a federal grant to fund the completion of the south half of the U.S. 93 Bypass.  

City offices were closed for Presidents Day, so Council meets at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 16 in City Hall, 201 First Ave. E.  

The U.S. Department of Transportation has made available $1.5 billion in funding through its Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development competitive grant program for 2026. The city, in partnership with the Montana Department of Transportation, has unsuccessfully applied for funds twice in the past two years. 

Council will decide whether to again pursue $25 million in funding, the maximum that can be requested. Any additional cash needed for the project will be provided by the Montana Department of Transportation.  

If awarded, the money would push the bypass project across the finish line.   

Construction at the south end of the bypass includes replacing the roundabout at Airport Road with a double-roundabout interchange similar to the one completed at Foy’s Lake Road in 2022. The interchange would feature an overpass and four access ramps, according to the state Department of Transportation. 

The Basecamp Drive/bypass intersection to U.S. 93 would be fitted with dual northbound left-turn lanes on U.S. 93, doubling turning capacity for vehicles accessing the bypass.  

The Foys Lake Road section of the bypass received $12.75 million from the program in 2018.  

COUNCIL WILL consider removing a 30-minute parking restriction from the parking stall on Fourth Street East beside Kalispell Fire Station No. 61.  

The singular spot sits just west of the First Avenue East/Fourth Street East intersection.  

The city’s Parking Advisory Board recommended removing the restriction, and the Kalispell Police Department agreed, saying the change would increase parking availability without affecting traffic flow or public safety.   

The restriction is no longer necessary, and removing the time limit will improve parking efficiency, according to a memo from Police Chief Jordan Venezio.   

To make the change, Council must ax a subsection of city code that restricts the curbside to 30-minute parking. 

Council will also consider a final plat approval request for a subdivision containing 13 single family lots on around 4 acres at 249 Three Mile Drive.  

Michael Sandefer submitted the application for Bitterroot Heights No. 2, which is located just east of the U.S. 93 Bypass.  

Council approved the preliminary plat in April 2023, and all infrastructure has since been installed and accepted, according to a memo from Assistant Development Services Director PJ Sorensen.  

Council will also consider granting Stillwater Village a two-year preliminary plat extension.  

Council originally approved the preliminary plat in 2023, which allowed for 181 lots — 67 detached single family and 114 attached single family homes — on around 47 acres located off U.S. 93 between Silverbrook Estates and the Northern Pines Golf Course. 

COUNCIL WILL weigh modifying fees for public records requests following changes in state law.  

The state Legislature last year passed House Bill 100, which requires local governments to provide the first hour of staff time for non-routine records requests at no cost and caps any additional staff time at $25 per hour. 

Non-routine records requests are for documents that are not made directly accessible to the public — such as agendas or meeting minutes — and therefore must be formally requested.  

The city will also tack on a $5 filing fee to help offset request management software meant to help streamline the redacting, storing and packaging of records requests. It will also give requesters an option to pay online via credit card, which is currently not an option, according to a memo from City Clerk and Communications Manager Aimee Brunckhorst. Credit card payments will incur a fee.  

The software was purchased due to “a significant increase within the last five years in the number and complexity of non-routine records requests, and the importance of ensuring all requests are handled efficiently,” according to the memo.  

“With 75 to 150 non-routine general records requests, 175 police records requests, and several hundred municipal court requests each year, requests can take significant staff time, reducing time available for other duties,” read the memo. 

FOLLOWING THE meeting, Council will move into a work session and continue reviewing the new land use plan meant to guide the city’s growth for the next 20 years.  

Council last week mulled over the first three chapters and is expected to review each chapter before the document must be adopted by May 2026, per the Montana Land Use Planning Act.  

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