Kalispell City Council will hear tonight about a possible move by the FedEx Ground shipping company to build a large new facility in south Kalispell’s Old School Station industrial development. That discussion will take place in a work session after the regularly scheduled meeting tonight at 7 p.m.
City staff is recommending Tax Increment Finance (TIF) funds be used to offset Special Improvement District (SID) assessments as an incentive for Devon Property Services Inc., the developer for FedEx Ground, to build the 18,000 square-foot building. Construction on the facility could be underway as early as August or September. The expanded facility would add one part-time job, and retain the two full-time and 7 part-time jobs at the existing FedEx operation in the county.
Tax Increment Finance districts are a tool used by cities to improve certain areas, by allowing new tax revenues for certain areas to be put in a fund to improve those same areas – as opposed to having the tax dollars go into city coffers. All TIFs have an eventual sunset clause allowing them to expire, and are used as incentives to improve and develop certain areas more rapidly. For more on TIFs, check out this Beacon story.
Also on the agenda for tonight:
–Council will vote on whether to adopt, revise or reject the Kalispell West Growth Policy Amendment for the area west of Stillwater River and Road, north of Two Mile Drive, east of Farm to Market Road and south of Church Drive.
–AGAPE Home Care has applied for a $42,500 loan with the Community Development Department to purchase the United Way office property on Appleway Drive.
–Council will vote again on a zoning change which paves the way for a planned expansion of the Hockaday Museum of Art.
–Council will fill appointments on a large number of boards, including: Board of Adjustment, Business Improvement District Board, Conrad Mansion Board of Directors, Economic Development Revolving Loan Committee, Impact Fee Committee, Parking Commission, Planning Board and Zoning Commission, Police Commission, Street Tree Commission, Technical Advisory Committee and the Emergency Communications Center Governing Board.
Whitefish
The Whitefish City Council will receive a briefing on emergency preparedness from Joe Russell of the Flathead City-County Health Department at a special work session tonight from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. at City Hall.
Following that session, the council will interview candidates to fill several city committee openings. The committees with openings are: the police commission, resort tax monitoring committee, weed advisory committee and ice rink advisory committee.
When those two work sessions are wrapped up, the city council will hold its regularly scheduled public meeting at 7:10 p.m. at City Hall.
To be discussed at the regular meeting:
-Leo Keane’s application for a conditional use permit to operate a professional office at 844 Baker Ave.
-Ordinance concerning amendments to the architectural review standards and zoning code
-Parking options during Central Avenue construction, including leased parking in the lot on Second Street and Spokane Avenue, as well as the construction of temporary lots
-Resolution approving an amendment to the I.A. O’Shaughnessy Cultural Arts Center’s building lease between the city and the Whitefish Theatre Company
-Appointment of an elected official or designees to the Flathead Emergency Communications Center Board