Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Kalispell council directs staff to begin budget amendment for new central garage; TIF and loan options to be vetted
Summary
City staff said the current central garage is too small for today's fleet and estimated a 13,500 sq. ft. replacement at $6,000,000. Council gave direction to start a budget amendment to transfer $600,000 in FY26 carryover for site selection and preliminary engineering and asked staff to vet loan and West Side TIF financing.
Kalispell — City staff told the City Council on Nov. 10 that the municipal central garage is undersized for the city's current fleet and recommended moving forward with planning work for a new facility, including a budget amendment to use FY26 carryover funds for site selection and preliminary engineering.
City Manager Susie said the city maintains more than 325 pieces of equipment — from patrol cars and ambulances to dump trucks and ladder trucks — and that the existing shop lacks sufficient bays, ceiling height and properly ventilated welding and parts-storage areas. "To be able to facilitate, these features, we need a a facility that's about 13,500 square feet," Susie told the council. She said staff used a construction cost estimate of $6,000,000 in prior briefings.
The council gave general consensus to start the amendment process to move designated FY26 carryover cash into the Central Garage budget so staff can procure professional services for siting and preliminary engineering. On the funding available for that…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
