Kalispell council opts to tighten community-decay and junk-vehicle ordinances, track complaints instead of creating new officer

City of Kalispell staff recommended narrowing and clarifying two existing municipal codes and discussed options for a dedicated code-enforcement officer during a March 24 work session, where councilors and members of the public debated whether to fund a new position or first collect more data.

Doug Russell, a city staff member who led the presentation, described two ordinance changes staff recommends: amendments to the city’s community-decay provisions and to the junk-vehicle ordinance. Russell said the changes would streamline abatement by setting a 10-day initial notice period and then pursuing a civil infraction process that includes a court appearance window, shortening the current timeframe to roughly 31 days from notice to possible court action. He said the community-decay change would move weeds and grasses over 8 inches out of the fire code and into the community-decay ordinance, and retain several exemptions, including lots larger than 15,000 square feet, hillsides, wetlands and areas impractical to mow.

On the junk-vehicle ordinance, Russell said staff adapted language used by other Montana cities to expand the definition of discarded or inoperative motor vehicles and component parts, and to add exemptions for…