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Kalispell council approves revised junk-vehicle ordinance after debate over poverty exemptions
Summary
The Kalispell City Council adopted Ordinance 19-35 to tighten definitions for junk vehicles and improve enforcement. Amendments limiting scope of the definition passed; a proposal to exempt the first two inoperable vehicles for low-income residents failed. The ordinance passed on a 5-3 vote.
The City of Kalispell City Council on April 21 approved Ordinance 19-35, amending Chapter 19 of the Kalispell Municipal Code to revise the city’s definition of junk vehicles and to streamline enforcement.
City Manager Doug Russell told council the change is intended to remove vague wording from the current code and provide clearer criteria for enforcement, including an exception allowing 60 days for repairs and a shielding option for vehicles under repair. "All we had in there was a discarded, ruined, wrecked, or dismantled motor vehicle… It isn't very highly defined," Russell said.
Supporters said the updated list of characteristics — such as component parts, flat tires, or an accumulation of refuse — gives code enforcement objective examples to act on. Councillor Graham successfully moved an amendment to change the ordinance text from "or" to "and" in a clause that ties the listed characteristics to the base definition of a discarded, dismantled or inoperative vehicle; that amendment passed on a roll-call vote with only Councillor Dahlmann opposed.
Councillor Ryan Hunter argued for a targeted exemption to avoid penalizing residents with limited means, saying, "My wife grew up in poverty, and she had junk vehicles in her yard growing up." Hunter moved to exempt the first two inoperable vehicles from enforcement except where they posed safety or environmental hazards, but that amendment failed in a roll-call vote.
After further discussion about subjectivity in some criteria and how the city’s current enforcement (series of 30-day notices) would change, the council voted 5-3 to adopt the ordinance as amended. Voting yes were Councillors Fisher, Carlson, Gabrielle and Graham and Mayor Mark Johnson; voting no were Councillors Hunter, Dowd and Dahlmann.
The ordinance is a first reading; it declares an effective date and authorizes the city attorney to codify the changes into the Kalispell municipal code. City staff noted the ordinance is intended to provide clearer grounds for issuing a municipal citation or follow-up letters when property conditions meet the defined criteria.
