10-31-25 City Manager Report1
City of Kalispell
OFFICE OF THE CITY
MANAGER
Information Memorandum
10/31/2025
Parks & Recreation
Park staff recently completed site preparation at Northridge
Park in anticipation of converting the area to turf this spring.
The space previously contained tennis courts that had
deteriorated beyond repair. To relevel the site, staff
imported 24 yards of soil, establishing a smooth, high-
quality surface suitable for future sports and recreational
use.
Annual leaf pickup is now underway in parks throughout
Kalispell. Removing leaves from turf areas helps prevent
snow mold, reduce smothering, and promote healthy grass
growth in the spring. In addition, four Parks staff members
recently completed their annual pesticide recertification
training, conducted by the Montana Department of
Agriculture. This training helps our field staff stay current
on best practices for maintaining safe and healthy park
spaces.
An Eagle Scout from Troop 1901B recently completed an
improvement project at Lion’s Park as part of his Eagle
Scout requirements. The project focused on revitalizing the
monument area by removing overgrown vegetation and
replacing the deteriorated wooden border. Park staff assisted
with vegetation removal, while volunteers, in partnership
with the Lion’s Club, constructed a new border and
replanted the garden bed. All materials for the project were donated by local businesses.
At the Dan John’s Youth Athletic Complex, staff are continuing preparations for the off-season
by winterizing equipment and organizing the maintenance shop. Proper winterization and storage
help extend the lifespan of equipment and ensure it remains in optimal condition for use when
the complex reopens in the spring.
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The 2nd Annual Holiday Pop-Up Shop at Depot Park is
scheduled for Friday, December 5, 2025. Crafters, artists, and
makers are invited to submit proposals to participate as vendors
by November 10, with invitations to vend confirmed on
November 12. The Pop-Up Shop will coincide with the Holiday
Stroll. In 2024, several hundred visitors attended the shop during
the Stroll and tree lighting at Depot Park.
Skip Out Camp took place on October 16 and 17, offering
attendees two days of engaging fall activities. Highlights included
field trips to Sweet Pickins Pumpkin Patch, the local library, and
area parks, all of which were well received by participants.
Registration for winter youth sports programs opened on October
28. Families are invited to enroll their children in a variety of programs, including indoor soccer,
basketball, tennis, and more. For more information you can go to our catalog at
https://secure.rec1.com/MT/kalispell-mt/catalog.
The Fall Little Dribblers program continues to thrive, featuring 481 participants and fifty-seven
volunteer coaches overseeing fifty-two teams.
Through a collaboration with the Daily Inter Lake, the Winter/Spring 2026 Activity Guide was
published and distributed on Monday, October 27. The guide features several new programs now
open for registration, including art workshops with Jenna Justice, Zumba, teen art workshops,
and mindfulness programs.
Public Works
Leaf Collection
Public Works started the collection of leaves for the season beginning on October 20 and will
stop the collection effort on November 21. The leaf collection season is instituted to promote
effective and efficient leaf collection services by the Public Works Department prior to the onset
of the winter snow season.
Residents and business owners are encouraged to rake the leaves from the boulevard onto the
street approximately two feet away from the curb. Residents should rake the leaves past the curb
by the start of their scheduled weekday, to not miss collection.
In an effort to provide routine leaf service in
areas throughout Kalispell, Public Works
has designated areas of leaf collection for each
day of the week. The following link, Leaf
Removal | Kalispell, MT will direct you to the
City’s website with additional leaf collection
information and a map with the designated
collection areas and corresponding collection
days. Public Works will make every effort to
collect leaves on the designated days, however
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unpredictable leaf volumes, weather conditions, and equipment failures may require leaf
collection days to be performed outside of the scheduled areas.
As a reminder, the City does not perform curbside/streetside leaf collection in spring, and the
public is encouraged to contact Public Works for guidance on proper leaf disposal after the Leaf
Collection Season or visit us on our website www.kalispell.com.
Solid Waste Residential Cleanup This month, the Solid Waste Division completed its second
Fall Cleanup. During the summer of 2024, stickers were placed on all rollout containers with
instructions on collection dates, acceptable materials, and proper placement. We are pleased to
report that the event once again ran smoothly. Total tonnage collected and transported to the
landfill was 8.43, in comparison we collected 11.68 tons last spring.
Planning
The Planning Commission will hold public hearings and take public comments on the agenda
items listed below:
1. File #KPP-25-03 and #KCU-25-04 – LBO Properties, LLLP, has submitted applications
for North West View, including requests for (1) preliminary plat approval for 149
residential units (111 detached single-family and 38 attached single-family/townhouse)
on approximately 42.58 acres, including lots, roads, and common areas; and (2) a
conditional use permit to allow the attached single-family/townhouses. The property is
located approximately 750 feet north of the intersection of Stillwater Road and Taelor
Road.
2. File #KPP-25-04 – Roger Foley has submitted an application for preliminary plat
approval for North Meadows Subdivision, containing 44 townhouse/attached single-
family lots (22 parent lots) on approximately 12.13 acres, including lots, roads and
common areas. The proposal includes variance requests relating to setbacks from Ashley
Creek (generally 200 feet to be reduced in some areas to 100 feet), cul-de-sac road length
(generally 600 feet to be increased to about 870 feet), and block length (generally a
maximum of 600 feet to be increased to about 900 feet). The property is located at 1859
South Meadows Drive.
3. File # KZTA-25-02 – The City of Kalispell has initiated a petition for a zoning text
amendment relating to the revocation of conditional use permits. Current zoning
regulations, under Chapter 27.33, detail the processing and review criteria for conditional
use permits, as well as the denial or violation of a conditional use permit. This
amendment would clarify the process for revocation of an issued conditional use permit.
The Planning Commission will also hold a work session on the following item:
1. In the 2023 legislative session, the Montana Legislature passed Senate Bill 382, which
created the new Montana Land Use Planning Act. Under the Act, for cities such as
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Kalispell, the current growth policy, subdivision regulations, and zoning regulations are
largely replaced with a new land use planning paradigm. The concept is that a land use
plan is established with extensive public input. The plan then becomes a guiding
document for land use decisions, many of which, such as subdivisions, become
administrative rather than conducted through a public hearing process. The opportunity
for the public to be engaged comes with the process establishing the plan and regulations,
not with review of a site-specific project.
This work session is the fourteenth in a series the Planning Commission will hold in the
coming months. It is intended that the focus of this work session will be a discussion of
chapters of the preliminary draft land use plan. Future work sessions will be noticed and a
formal hearing will be held before the Commission forwards a recommendation to the
City Council for its action.
Documents pertaining to the agenda items are on file for public inspection at the Kalispell
Development Services Department, 201 First Avenue East, Kalispell, MT 59901, and are
available for public review during regular office hours. In addition, information on the agenda
item is posted on our website at Planning Commission | Kalispell, MT (civicplus.com) under
Planning Commission “upcoming agenda.”
Building
In the last 2 weeks we have issued permits for 2 single-family homes and 4 townhouses. That
will keep the total of new single-family/duplex and townhouse units for the year at 97 compared
to 127 last year at this time. There have been 343 multi-family housing units issued so far this
year compared to 27 last year at this time.
There were a total of 373 combined building and/or fire inspections completed in the last 2
weeks.
Residential – 84 Plumbing – 30
Commercial – 60 Mechanical – 32
Electrical – 29 Fire – 138
Community Devel opment
The City Council held a work session October 27 on the Safe Streets and Roads for All
Demonstration Grant. Staff updated City Council on the FHWA demonstration grant
requirements, which would require temporary improvements vs. quick build permanent
improvements. Given the direction from FHWA, the Council discussed use of temporary safety
treatments and whether those improvements would be warranted. Following discussion, it was
determined that temporary treatments wouldn’t be beneficial and Council directed staff to work
with FHWA on whether the funding could be used for another purpose. Additionally, Council
directed staff to develop a policy for safety treatments to be applied uniformly throughout the
city when safety concerns arise from residents.
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Fire
Incident Summary (October 15 – October 28, 2025)
Type of Incident Number of Calls Details
Fire-Related Calls 1 Vegetation, building, vehicle, other
Vehicle-Related
Incidents 8 5 with injuries, 3 without
EMS-Related Calls 131 Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Basic Life Support
(BLS)
Other Calls 34 False alarms, good intent, cancelled en route
Total 174