01-16-26 City Manager Report and 2025 KPD Case and Arrest Report1
City of Kalispell
OFFICE OF THE CITY
MANAGER
Information Memorandum
1/16/2026
Parks & Recreation
An open house hosted by Michael Terrell – Landscape Architecture, in partnership with the
Parks and Recreation Department, was held on Tuesday, January 13, at the Depot Park Building.
The purpose of the meeting was to provide a 60 percent progress update on the Parks and
Recreation Master Plan and to gather public input. The event was attended by twenty-six
community members, who engaged in discussion and provided feedback on proposed
recommendations and priorities.
Parks staff have initiated stump removal for City-owned trees that were uprooted during the
December windstorm. Work is being completed as conditions allow, with remaining stumps
scheduled for removal once colder temperatures sufficiently firm the ground. This approach is
intended to prevent unnecessary turf damage and reduce future restoration costs.
Seasonal Christmas tree collection along city boulevards will continue through Friday, January
16, 2026. Trees must be placed in the boulevard and be free of lights, ornaments, and stands.
Following this date, residents will be directed to the county landfill for disposal.
Forestry operations continue to progress throughout the community. Structural pruning has been
completed in the Village Greens subdivision, and crews have begun working in Westview
Estates. In 2025, a total of 1,234 trees on municipal property were pruned by in-house staff and
contracted services, supporting long-term tree health, safety, and risk reduction.
The Urban Forestry Committee will meet on January 14, to select the inspiration for the 2026
Arbor Day logo. Designs were submitted by SD5 third-grade students and reflect this year’s
Arbor Day theme, “Don’t Stop BeLeafin,” reinforcing youth engagement and community
education initiatives.
Recreation programming continues to expand during the winter season. Adult Pickleball and
Zumba classes begin on January 14, with space still available for registration. The Winter
Walkers program also launched on January 13 and provides guided walks along the Parkline
Trail led by Parks and Recreation staff, promoting winter wellness and community connection.
2
Planning efforts are underway for the 2026 summer event season. Calls for musicians and food
trucks were released on January 15 and will remain open until February 20. These efforts support
early coordination and diverse participation in summer programming.
The department is introducing a new youth enrichment
program, Art Lab, beginning Wednesday, January 14. Designed
for teens ages 12–18, focuses on developing artistic skills,
creative expression, and peer collaboration in a structured,
supportive environment.
After School Care programming has resumed following Winter
Break. January’s educational theme is Animals, and staff
partnered with the Flathead Audubon Society to secure a free
educational resource box. Students are participating in hands-on
learning activities focused on owls, enhancing environmental
education and experiential learning opportunities.
Registration remains open for Tennis in Elementary Schools
and Spring Little Dribblers. The Kalispell Kickers youth soccer
program began on January 10 and will continue each Saturday
through February 14. The program has 125 registered
participants across twelve teams, supported by twelve volunteer
coaches. The department extends appreciation to Able Body
Automotive for sponsoring this year’s program t-shirts.
The second session of Learn to Skate concludes on Thursday,
January 15. Three additional sessions remain available for
registration for the remainder of the skating season.
Staff have also begun planning for summer operations at
Woodland Water Park. Initial efforts are focused on seasonal
staffing recruitment and operational readiness to ensure a safe
and successful summer season.
Public Works
Public Works Front Office Activity – 2025: In 2025, the Public Works Front Office continued to
serve as the department’s primary point of contact for service requests and public inquiries. Staff
entered 4,531 service requests during the year. The most frequent request types included:
• Utility locate requests: 2,489
• New water meter installations: 173
• Water shut-off requests: 166
• New garbage service requests: 156
• Water turn-on requests: 144
• Missed garbage collection requests: 107 (~75% due to containers not being placed on
curbside)
3
While these numbers reflect requests formally entered into the Cityworks system, they do not
capture the full scope of front office activity. Staff also handle a high volume of daily phone calls
and walk-in inquiries related to utility service coordination, water leaks, solid waste issues, street
and sidewalk concerns, snow and ice response, contractor questions, and general Public Works
services.
In addition to service request intake, the Front Office processed 440 Right-of-Way permits, 182
Stormwater permits, and 10 Encroachment permits, further illustrating the workload and
operational support provided by the front office throughout the year.
Sewer Lift Station 10: the Lift Station #10 maintenance project is being completed this week. On
October 5, 2025, the #2 pump at Sewer Lift Station #10 on W. Nicklaus in Village Greens failed.
The original pump, installed in 1989, had exceeded its service life, with replacement parts
becoming difficult to obtain and costly. To avoid repairing obsolete equipment, staff replaced the
failed unit with a City-owned Vaughan Chopper pump that had been purchased in 2022 for the
Grandview Lift Station and placed into storage after that project’s completion. The pump was
successfully retrofitted to meet Lift Station #10’s operational requirements, providing a modern
and reliable solution while avoiding the purchase of new equipment. This approach resulted in
cost savings and improved system reliability.
Planning
After a year and a half of public outreach and sixteen work sessions with the Planning
Commission, the Commission held a formal public hearing on January 13 on the land use plan.
The Commission supported the plan and forwarded a positive recommendation to the City
Council. At the Council level, we are anticipating holding a work session on January 26. Under
the Montana Land Use Planning Act (“MLUPA”), the plan and necessary zoning/subdivision
updates need to be adopted by May of this year.
4
For the next Planning Commission meeting in February, we have received applications for
additional phases of Starling (west of Stillwater Road near Glacier High School) and a
resubdivision of the Bloomstone Apartments, which is being done primarily for financing
purposes. Additionally, there will be a public hearing on the zoning ordinance updates necessary
for meeting state requirements under MLUPA, including housing strategies that are part of the
proposed land use plan.
Building
In the last 2 weeks we have issued permits for 4 single-family homes and 0 townhouses. That
will keep the total of new single-family/duplex and townhouse units for the year at 4 compared
to 2 last year at this time. There have been 0 multi-family housing units issued so far this year
compared to 0 last year at this time.
There were a total of 181 combined building and/or fire inspections completed in the last 2
weeks.
Residential – 42 Plumbing – 6
Commercial – 35 Mechanical – 18
Electrical – 18 Fire – 62
Representatives from the Building Department attended the Flathead Builders Association
meeting this week. They gave a presentation regarding how to submit building permits online as
well as the type of fire protection required for eaves that are less than five feet from the property
line, which is now allowed due to a recent zoning text amendment allowing eaves into the
setback area.
At the presentation, they also encouraged people to respond to a new survey that has been posted
to get comments on the Building Department, what they do well, and how they can improve. It
is available a number of different ways, including through this QR code:
5
Community Development
The City of Kalispell has begun work on a potential BUILD 2026 grant application in
collaboration with MDT and KLJ engineering. The grant would help fund the completion of the
south half of the Kalispell Bypass.
Fire
Type of Incident Number of Calls Details
Fire-Related Calls 2 Vegetation, building, vehicle, other
Vehicle-Related
Incidents 13 6 with injuries, 7 without
EMS-Related Calls 149 Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Basic Life Support
(BLS)
Other Calls 23 False alarms, good intent, cancelled en route
Total 187
Department Updates:
• Congratulations to FF Andy Zimmerman who has been promoted to Engineer.
• Annual Employee evaluations 90% completed.
• Preparing grant applications for emergency power enhancements at Public Safety
Building.
Offenses
Reported Arrests Offenses
Reported Arrests Offenses
Reported Arrests Offenses
Reported Arrests Offenses
Reported Arrests Offenses
Reported Arrests Offenses
Reported Arrests Offenses
Reported Arrests Offenses
Reported Arrests Offenses
Reported Arrests Offenses
Reported Arrests Offenses
Reported Arrests Offenses
Reported Arrests
Crimes Against Persons
Homicide 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
SIWOC/Sexu
al Assault 5 0 3 0 8 1 8 0 6 1 1 0 9 1 2 1 2 0 2 0 4 0 3 0 53 4
Robbery 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 7 2
Aggravated
Assault 5 2 7 3 4 1 6 3 15 4 5 4 3 1 4 2 5 5 4 3 10 4 5 2 73 34
Assault on a
Peace
Officer 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3
Simple
Assault 10 6 2 3 11 3 8 6 5 3 5 5 11 2 12 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 64 35
PFMA 11 7 7 4 12 11 11 6 17 13 8 9 14 12 11 10 30 21 22 10 28 11 18 12 189 126
Resisting
Arrest 6 7 4 4 4 4 4 3 5 5 3 4 3 3 4 4 17 15 11 12 13 12 11 9 85 82
Crimes
Against
Property
Burglary 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 0 1 0 3 1 8 3
Theft 29 24 22 18 37 25 34 18 22 14 9 10 24 13 22 10 53 17 50 14 39 14 32 7 373 184
Vehicle
Theft/Unauth
Use 4 1 3 1 1 0 5 0 8 0 2 1 0 0 3 1 2 1 2 1 5 2 3 1 38 9
Arson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Forgery/Cou
nterfeit 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3
Fraud 10 6 2 3 11 3 8 6 5 3 5 5 11 2 12 6 5 1 5 4 12 8 8 4 94 51
Theft of
Identity 11 7 7 4 12 11 11 6 17 13 8 9 14 12 11 10 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 94 73
Embezzleme
nt 6 7 4 4 4 4 4 3 5 5 3 4 3 3 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 34 34
Stolen
Property
offenses 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 4
Criminal
Mischief 12 1 14 4 16 4 18 5 11 3 8 4 9 2 12 0 31 9 9 1 11 3 22 8 173 44
Crimes
Against
Society
Weapon Law
Violations 1 1 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 0 0 8 5
Prostitution
Offenses 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Child
Pornography 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 11 0
Drug
Offenses 8 12 14 11 20 19 13 8 18 9 8 9 18 11 20 11 8 7 10 9 17 13 9 3 163 122
Family
Offenses
(non-violent)0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 4 1
DUI 13 10 9 9 9 10 11 10 11 11 9 10 12 11 13 12 9 10 11 9 16 15 17 17 140 134
Possession
of Alcohol 3 2 5 2 5 6 4 4 11 17 1 2 6 6 8 11 2 3 6 4 4 10 2 3 57 70
Provide
Alcohol to
Minor 0 0 9 9 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 5 4 11 7 6 3 40 30
Other
Alcohol
Offenses 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 5
Kidnapping/
Custodial
Int.1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2
Disorderly
Conduct 10 8 9 10 11 11 9 8 6 5 10 13 17 15 19 16 17 15 11 12 13 12 11 9 143 134
Criminal
Trespass 19 14 16 14 16 11 28 20 14 8 9 15 21 18 23 14 11 8 23 13 16 12 22 16 218 163
Kalispell Police Department Case and Arrest Reports
January February March April May June July August September October November December Totals
Violation of
Protective
Order 5 1 6 2 3 2 3 2 4 2 1 0 5 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 28 11
Obstructing
a peace
officer 5 5 2 2 7 7 9 7 7 6 7 8 8 7 6 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 51 49
Juvenile
Offenses
(except MIP)3 1 2 0 6 2 5 2 6 4 2 2 2 2 1 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 30 15
Other
Offenses 21 20 14 13 23 20 19 14 25 17 14 17 19 16 13 11 20 12 12 10 0 0 0 0 180 150
Total 202 147 162 120 232 163 224 134 225 144 119 131 218 146 205 139 223 129 191 107 205 125 176 97 2382 1582
Traffic
Traffic
Stops Cites Traffic
Stops Cites Traffic
Stops Cites Traffic
Stops Cites Traffic
Stops Cites Traffic
Stops Cites Traffic
Stops Cites Traffic
Stops Cites Traffic
Stops Cites Traffic
Stops Cites Traffic
Stops Cites Traffic
Stops Cites Traffic
Stops Cites
408 229 391 223 494 280 624 321 526 306 475 280 496 309 544 339 669 343 669 280 614 329 583 303 6493 3542
Total Calls for Service 2524 2339 2883 2980 3076 2722 342393086 3263 3137 3072 2350 2807