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Resident urges city action on weeds, speeders, sidewalks and homelessness on North Meridian
Summary
A North Meridian resident told the Kalispell City Council on July 21 that unchecked weeds, unmaintained sidewalks, speeding and vagrancy have created safety and health problems; he asked the city to enforce property maintenance, consider lawn-mowing abatement and install speed control measures.
Kalispell — At the July 21 City Council meeting, Ron Albrecht of 1070 North Meridian detailed long-running neighborhood problems and urged the city to increase enforcement and services for weed control, sidewalks, traffic enforcement and homelessness-related concerns.
Albrecht said he has repeatedly reported tall weeds and unkept lawns in his neighborhood over seven years and described delays in enforcement. "The city should pass an ordinance: if your lawn is left unkept, the city just sends somebody over, mows [the lawn], puts it on their taxes," he told the council.
Albrecht also asked the city to take additional steps on speeding and sidewalks. He said motorists treat parts of North Meridian like a racetrack and described buckled sidewalks adjacent to driveways as a hazard. "Somebody's gonna get hurt over there unless you guys got really good insurance," he said.
He described concerns about vagrancy near an apartment complex across from his home and said the post office had adjusted hours because of people congregating there. He suggested considering speed cameras or other automated enforcement and questioned whether the city has enough police officers to patrol problem areas.
Albrecht also raised snow-removal difficulties where plowed snow is pushed back onto sidewalks and said he had been told the city lacks staff or funds to keep up. He asked the council to find practical solutions and to prioritize maintaining existing areas before approving further growth.
No formal enforcement action was taken during the meeting; residents and councilors discussed existing code-enforcement processes. Staff and councilors later urged residents to contact the city clerk or code-enforcement officers to place items on notice lists and pursue formal inspection processes.
