A few weeks ago, the Kalispell City Council Work Session was used as a follow-up to earlier requested Council action about the safety and security of the former Outlaw Inn, which had fallen into disrepair. At that time, the City Ordinance addressing concerning security and safety at vacant buildings was modified to allow action to be taken.
City Manager Doug Russell has researched what other Montana cities are doing. In short, he discovered that of the 8 largest cities in the state, Kalispell is the only one that has no dedicated personnel for Code Enforcement. Missoula and Billings, for example, has a Code Compliance Manager and 5 Compliance Officers.
There was a time, in the not-distant past, when Kalispell did have a Compliance Officer. Should they revisit that? Council Member Jed Fisher wants to “…get some real numbers to see if this is a seasonal, six-month position or nothing at all. I get that too, that people don’t like heavy handed from the government.”
And so, Monday night, the Council will again approach the idea of what to do with unsightly properties and, perhaps put some more teeth into existing ordinances.
