Council adopts police and fire impact fee reports but stops short of raising fees

The Kalispell City Council on Oct. 6 voted to adopt Resolution 62-94, accepting updated police and fire impact fee reports and associated fee schedules. The resolution removes a prior administrative fee and adds an annual price-index component consistent with Senate Bill 133.

Planning staff explained the action was largely a cleanup and record-keeping measure: the report had not been updated in more than a decade, state law requires local governments to approve such reports, and the proposal before the council did not increase impact fees beyond prior discussion. Staff said adopting the report preserves the council’s ability to consider impact fees as a housing-strategy tool in the future.

Council debate focused on whether the council should have increased the fees. Mister Dowd, who moved the resolution, stressed that it does not raise fees but formally adopts the report as findings of fact. Mister Hunter said he would not support the resolution because he favored raising impact fees per earlier recommendations and believes assessment of development impacts should be borne by developers rather than added to the cost paid by homebuilders or buyers.

On a roll-call vote the resolution passed; every named member voted Aye except Counselor Hunter, who voted No.

The adopted resolution amends prior resolutions to accept the September 2025 police and fire impact fee reports as findings of fact and adjusts the fee schedules accordingly. Staff noted the adopted report will be part of the administrative record and that future council action could change fee levels.