04-27-15 Work Session MinutesKALISPELL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES
APRIL 27, 2015
View the minutes attached to the audio of the meeting at:
http://kalispell.com/mayor and city council/meetings.php
A WORK SESSION OF THE KALISPELL CITY COUNCIL WAS HELD AT 7:00 P.M.,
MONDAY, APRIL 27, 2015, IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS AT CITY HALL IN
KALISPELL, MONTANA. MAYOR MARK JOHNSON PRESIDED. COUNCIL MEMBERS
JIM ATKINSON, SANDY CARLSON, KARI GABRIEL, CHAD GRAHAM, PHIL
GUIFFRIDA, TIM KLUESNER, ROD KUNTZ, AND WAYNE SAVERUD WERE
PRESENT.
Also present: City Manager Doug Russell, City Attorney Charles Harball, and Planning Director
Tom Jentz.
Mayor Johnson called the work session to order.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
1. Casinos in the Land Use Regulations for the City
Russell briefly explained why the casino discussion was taking place.
Jentz explained the difference between accessory casinos and stand-alone casinos; accessory casinos
are limited to a certain percentage of floor space in a restaurant with a full liquor license.
Jentz and Harball answered questions.
Russell requested direction from council that staff could take to the planning board.
Guiffrida commented that an overlay would create a higher density issue and his suggestion would
be to separate the accessory use casino from stand-alone casinos and only allow stand-alone casinos
in specific zones.
Graham suggested increasing the 300 foot buffer zone.
There was discussion regarding various ways the city could regulate casinos.
Harball suggested sending the issue to the planning board to figure out what zoning districts need to
be "protected" from casinos.
Public Comment
Mayre Flowers, Citizens for a Better Flathead, suggested the planning staff put together some
options for the public and planning board to review and asked council to implement emergency
zoning until the casino issue can be worked out. She also requested that package sales by accessory
use casinos be looked into.
Kalispell City Council Work Session Minutes
April 27, 2015
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Sharon DeMeester, 415 Chestnut Drive, remarked that some of the new subdivisions include a
commercial component and that limiting casinos to those zones would not take care of the issue.
Pauline Sjordahl, 234 3rd Avenue West, compared gambling to a cocaine or heroin high and noted it
is highly addictive. She also requested more money for mental health addictive therapy.
Jenny LaSorte, 275 Sulky Lane, remarked the 300 foot buffer zone is non-restrictive and questioned
whether the Town Pump building site is further than 300 feet from FVCC land; she believes it is not
and there will be city liability from that building site. She requested a six-month moratorium on new
casinos and that a casino overlay district be created.
Roxanne Brothers, 786 4th Avenue West North, encouraged council to take all comments given
tonight to heart and create a policy which would not allow any new casinos in Kalispell.
MAYOR/COUNCIL/CITY MANAGER REPORTS
Russell noted that there will be no work session on May 11 as he, Jentz and Mayor Johnson will be
attending a Team Planning Conference in Bozeman, and that budget work sessions, along with the
Flathead Parking District, will be held beginning at the end of May.
Kuntz remarked that it is nice to see the community and government functioning the way it should
and thanked the public for taking the time to comment on this issue.
ADJOURN
The work session was adjourned at 8:10 p.m.
Attest:
_4ut���Z
Ai ee Brunckhorst, CMC
City Clerk
Prepared by:
Judi Funk
Deputy City Clerk
Kalispell City Council Work Session Minutes
April 27, 2015
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