Council work session to tackle business district

A Kalispell City Council work session on Tuesday, March 21 will invite public discussion on the renewal and expansion of the downtown Business Improvement District that is set to expire this summer.

Revenue from the tax district goes toward beautification projects, hosting downtown events and marketing.

Some property owners have expressed that the amount they would have to pay is not worth the benefits their business may or may not receive in return. Others, however, said that by being included in the district, they would no longer have to pay for services provided and would benefit from additional marketing as well.

Renewal of the district required signatures from 60 percent of the property owners within the proposed area supporting the new boundaries. About 63 percent, or 104 property owners, approved the new lines.

Discussion at the council’s last work session raised new questions regarding the method of assessment and the fairness of the petition process.

The expiring district calculates the amount each property must pay into the district based on square footage and taxable value of the property. This means those payments vary from a few hundred to thousands of dollars.

This tax would be based on a fixed method of assessment but would fluctuate based on the increasing or decreasing of each property value.

Council members also wanted to implement a way for businesses to decline or object to the new proposed boundaries and their inclusion in them.

The meeting will be held at Kalispell City Hall at 7 p.m. at 201 First Ave. E., Kalispell.