Kalispell council to hear improvement district reports

July 1 hearing planned for $78.8M preliminary budget

By LYNNETTE HINTZE

Daily Inter Lake

The Kalispell City Council will get financial information and proposed project reports tonight from the Kalispell Business Improvement District and the Tourism Business Improvement District as the city moves toward approval of its proposed $78.8 million fiscal 2020 budget.

The Business Improvement District has a proposed budget of $173,803 for the coming year. The district board of directors has a number of improvement projects on tap for 2020, including the development of a program to place bike racks throughout the district and a program to promote public art.

The district board also is contemplating a program to assist with sidewalk snow removal throughout the district, and will continue the façade improvement program. It will further collaborate with Kalispell Parks and Recreation to replace more missing and dead trees within the district and intends to provide 115 hanging flower baskets and 54 corner planters and maintain them.

The Tourism Business Improvement District is projecting $658,000 in revenue, with a $10,000 carry-over from the last fiscal year, for a total proposed budget of $668,000. Staffing accounts for 37 percent of the budget, at $244,500, while marking support is penciled in at $80,700; consumer marketing at $75,500; and groups/meetings and conventions at $89,000.

The council will vote on a motion to authorize limited expenditure of funds within the fiscal year 2020 budget until the final budget is approved, and will set a July 1 public hearing to consider the preliminary budget.

The proposed $78.8 million budget is about $7.6 million less than last year because of a roughly $7 million decrease in the city’s enterprise funds, where a decrease of $12.6 million in five sewer projects was offset by an increase of $6 million in stormwater projects, according to City Manager Doug Russell’s council report. A decrease of $3.3 million in capital project funds was related to a portion of the Glacier Rail Park project being completed.

A proposed resolution on tonight’s agenda would allow non-union employees of the city to receive a 3.18 percent pay raise in the coming budget year, which is consistent with the average collective bargaining agreement wage adjustments of the union represented by city employees.

Another proposed resolution would authorize the city manager to enter into a rail-banking purchase agreement with BNSF Railway Co. for BNSF property interests in the Kalispell rail corridor.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Monday at Kalispell City Hall,, 201 First Ave. E.

News Editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.