Kalispell City Council work session focuses on panhandling ordinance

Kalispell Metropolis Council is predicted to debate a proposed ordinance geared toward additional discouraging panhandling on public roadways and public parking tons at its Monday work session.

Council meets at 7 p.m. at Metropolis Corridor, 201 First Ave. E. The assembly can be attended through Zoom.

Councilor Chad Graham had requested the evaluate of the town’s present panhandling rules, saying at Council’s March 1 assembly that panhandling had grow to be so prevalent in Kalispell that it poses a security hazard.

At that assembly the Council reviewed pattern ordinances from different municipalities, together with Springville, Utah, whose just lately enacted regulation is the framework for the proposed Kalispell ordinance.

The ordinance as proposed would prohibit pedestrians, drivers or passengers from exchanging

cash or property whereas a “motorcar is inside a roadway or on publicly owned property used as an entrance or exit to a roadway.”

The ordinance would permit such transactions if a automobile was legally parked.

Violation of the ordinance could be punishable by means of the town’s municipal code, which permits for a wonderful of as much as $300.

Graham obtained broad help from his colleagues on the March 1 assembly, with a number of councilors sharing anecdotal accounts of panhandling in and round Kalispell.

Councilor Ryan Hunter questioned the need and timing of the push for the overhaul, saying that he hadn’t seen information that supported claims that it had grow to be a problem within the metropolis.

He requested that Metropolis Supervisor Doug Russell compile site visitors statistics to seize the scope and impression of panhandling. Russell mentioned he would collect related information for the upcoming assembly.

In 2022, there have been 33 police responses to panhandling, and two citations have been issued, in line with information from Police Chief Doug Overman.

CITY COUNCIL WILL ALSO BE discussing proposed price changes for city planning charges and will increase to parks and recreation charges.

Town final up to date its planning charges in 2015, in line with a memo by Improvement Providers Director Jarod Nygren. Nygren compiled the more moderen charge schedules from comparable Montana cities for the council to debate, however didn’t make any suggestions at the moment.

The Parks and Recreation Division is proposing a rise to sure charges, which have been final up to date in 2020, in line with a memo by division head Chad Fincher.

Fincher will not be proposing a rise in pool entry charges, which he mentioned has been traditionally opposed by council to supply broad entry to the neighborhood.

To run the pool at break-even price, Fincher mentioned the division would wish to cost over $17 per entry, which he feels could be prohibitive.

In his memo, he does advocate growing the charges related to swim classes, swim lessons and personal social gathering leases.

The division can be proposing 10% will increase in particular occasion and group reservation allow charges throughout the board.

Lastly, the division can be proposing hikes to merchandising allow and particular occasion allow charges, which have been established in 2003.

Fincher’s memo recommends that Council vote to extend the annual merchandising allow price from $50 to $100, and enhance the particular occasion allow price from $10 to $25.

Reporter Adrian Knowler could be reached at 758-4407 or aknowler@dailyinterlake.com.