Kalispell City Council on Monday will consider seeking funds from Montana’s landmark settlement with Meta to help pay for an indoor recreation facility.  

Council meets at 7 p.m., Oct. 5 in City Hall, 201 First Ave. E. 

Following a yearslong investigation and a 2023 lawsuit launched by Attorney General Austin Knudsen, Montana reached a settlement with Meta Platforms Inc. over intentionally making Facebook and Instagram addictive to minors. The agreement also found that the company misled the public about the platforms’ safety, according to an August memo from the state Department of Justice on the settlement.  

Montana could receive as much as $127 million from the settlement but is guaranteed $89 million.  

At least half of the money must go toward remediating harm caused by social media, which includes investing in after-school or summer programs, outdoor activities and youth mental health programming. 

A public recreation center with courts, a pool and activity space could cover all those bases, according to the proposed letter Council will consider sending to Knudsen.  

The letter is meant to spur the idea of partnering with the Attorney General's Office on how the funds could be used for Kalispell’s children, according to a memo from City Manager Jarod Nygren.  

Councilor Jed Fisher during a Sept. 21 meeting first introduced the idea of drafting a letter. He argued that trying to restrict children from social media would be a lost cause, and resources should go toward recreational opportunities instead.  

“I think we need to be looking at how to keep kids more active and busy and off their computers and off their phones,” Fisher said. 

Councilor Dustin Leftridge supported the proposal, noting that “the winters here are long and dark, and we do not have a public indoor recreation center.” 

“Let’s get the tech bros to help pay for this. For the problems that they created,” he added. 

While Mayor Ryan Hunter supported sending a letter, he asked Council to keep its options open on what to spend potential funds on.  

The proposed letter, however, still emphasizes the city’s need for a recreation center to help combat Montana’s youth suicide rate, which consistently runs more than double the national rate.  

Suicide is the number one cause of preventable death for Montana youth aged 10 to 14, according to the Montana Department of Health and Human Services.  

Kalispell's landscape intensifies the risk of suicide through a combination of geographic isolation, cultural pressures, limited mental health resources and high rates of untreated mental health conditions, according to a memo from City Manager Jarod Nygren.  

COUNCIL WILL decide whether to accept a federal grant that would allow the city’s forthcoming fire station to be fully staffed and operational the day it opens, according to Nygren.  

The roughly $1.9 million in funding would help hire nine additional firefighters, covering a portion of their salary and benefits for three years. The grant requires a local match totaling $1.2 million over that time and would be paid for through the voter-approved emergency responder levy.    

The money was awarded through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant.  

COUNCIL WILL also consider using redevelopment dollars to build a new city equipment garage and to make aesthetic improvements at the Flathead County Fairgrounds.  

The city is seeking $10.4 million from the West Side Core Area Tax increment financing fund to build a new storage and maintenance garage capable of accommodating its growing array of vehicles and equipment. The request accompanies Flathead County’s bid for $2.5 million from the same fund to spruce up the Flathead County Fairgrounds, including perimeter fencing upgrades and landscape improvements.  

Councilors signaled their support for using the funds on a garage during a Sept. 28 work session, calling it the best chance at advancing the project and avoiding pushing it further down the road, which councilors feared would increase costs.   

However, several members of the Urban Renewal Agency — the advisory board charged with evaluating redevelopment projects — urged Council to reject using tax increment financing funds. They argued the project wouldn’t generate tax revenue to flow back into the fund, one of its core purposes.  

The Public Works Department is eyeing county-owned property at 815 W. Wyoming St., directly north of the fairgrounds, for the new facility. The city’s $10.4 million ask covers the cost to purchase the property, construct the building, and make site improvements and street frontage upgrades.  

COUNCIL WILL vote on the second reading of an ordinance allowing residents to host block parties on residential streets and use city-owned downtown parking lots for weekend events.  

Council narrowly approved the ordinance in September after debating whether a $1,000 refundable damage deposit was too high for residents looking to host small neighborhood events or too low to sufficiently protect the city. 

Those looking to throw a block party or host a shindig in a municipal lot must obtain a special event permit from City Hall. Block parties can’t extend for more than a day and can only run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., according to the ordinance.  

A revision to the policy requires 80% of residents to approve an event on their street and includes a 15-day window to appeal the application.  

The ordinance also allows the organizers of events in municipal parking lots within the city’s Core Area (B-3) and Central (B-4) business zones to obtain permits to serve alcohol. 

ALSO ON the docket, Council will consider greenlighting the final plat for Eagle Valley Ranch’s fourth phase of development.  

The 20-acre area includes a mix of 37 single-family lots, eight commercial lots, two park areas, four common areas and public streets. The subdivision sits just east of U.S. 93, between Eagle Valley Drive and Ponderosa Lane.  

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.