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That’s How Bad Kalispell’s Finances Are

By Beacon Staff

To fully grasp how bad Kalispell’s finances are, look no further than its cash reserves compared to Whitefish’s.

From Dan Testa’s story last month (my emphasis):

Kalispell’s city council received an update on the city budget Tuesday night and the numbers were, unsurprisingly, grim. In November, City Finance Director Amy Robertson anticipated a cash reserve at the end of the current fiscal year, June 30, of $258,788. In a Jan. 20 memo to city council, Robertson revised that estimate downward to $171,700, but emphasized that these numbers were her “worst case scenario.” By most estimates, a city of Kalispell’s size should have a cash reserve of somewhere between $1 million and $1.5 million.

From Myers Reece’s story this week (again, my emphasis):

Stearns points to the city’s flush cash reserves. Whitefish’s budgeted reserves are $8.2 million, compared to city’s overall budget authority – including transfers – of $29.1 million. That means the reserves are equivalent to nearly 30 percent of the total budget, which in Stearns’ financial experience is robust.

Montana Census’ 2007 Population Estimates
Kalispell: 20,298
Whitefish: 8,083