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Columbia Falls council adopts consolidated fee schedule and approves pay increases for two director posts
Summary
The Columbia Falls City Council approved a consolidated fee schedule and adopted FY27 wage recommendations, including a proposed 10% pay increase for the fire chief and public works director and a 5% general wage increase; staff highlighted large short-term rental permit fee changes and a pending wage study.
The Columbia Falls City Council voted July 6 to adopt a comprehensive fee schedule and approve recommended wage adjustments for fiscal year 2027 after an extended presentation and council discussion.
City Manager Eric Arndt laid out the staff recommendation to consolidate decades of separate fee resolutions into a single annual-reviewed fee schedule to improve transparency and align user charges with service costs. "The purpose of the comprehensive fee schedule is to consolidate decades of separate fee resolution into a single unified framework that improves transparency, consistency, and administration," Arndt said.
The fee package includes a range of administrative and program fees. Staff proposed reclassifying short-term rentals from business registration to an administrative special provisions permit and raising the initial and recurring permit fees; Arndt described an initial-permit fee (discussed at $400) and a substantially higher recurring fee to fund enforcement and inspections. The council debated enforcement options, late remittance fines for the resort tax and higher administrative enforcement penalties for businesses that fail to register or comply.
Parks and recreation fees were standardized so clubs and seasonal associations pay a single rate rather than differing fees by activity. Staff also proposed matching building and trade permit fees to the City of Whitefish under the existing interlocal agreement because Columbia Falls processes those permits through Whitefish.
On utilities and capital-recovery fees, Arndt said plan investment fees — last updated in 2004 — exist to help recover costs for large projects such as the forthcoming treatment plant and water tank investments. He recommended no immediate change to wastewater volumetric rates pending an ongoing utility rate study and a fuller fall briefing.
The council also considered human resources proposals tied to the budget. Arndt told the council he recommends a city-wide wage study for FY27 and proposed a 5% wage-schedule increase for represented employees, with a 10% increase this year for the fire chief and the public works director to narrow a multi‑year director-level pay gap. "Some of our directors are approximately two-thirds of comparable positions in neighboring cities," Arndt said, adding that the proposed adjustments aim to be competitive enough to recruit and retain qualified staff.
Councilors questioned the size and timing of the proposed director raises and asked where funding would come from; Arndt said director salaries are paid from multiple funds (general, enterprise, building maintenance and street funds) and that staff would present further detail if the council wanted more time. After discussion, the council voted to adopt the resolution implementing the fee schedule and the wage recommendations.
The resolution (19-71) passed on a council motion and second; the council recorded a voice/roll-call approval. City staff will implement the consolidated fee schedule and continue work on the recommended wage study and related job-description revisions.
Next steps: staff will return with detailed line-item impacts and the results of the wage study during the upcoming budget hearings and workshops, and the new fees will generally take effect in the following calendar year unless otherwise specified.
