On a 4-4 vote Monday, Kalispell City Council denied a proposed resolution that would have rescinded the helmet requirement at Woodland Skateboard Park. Members of the skateboard advisory committee had recommended the change, arguing that the rule singles out skaters and diverts local law enforcement from more pressing needs.
But they couldn’t persuade opposing councilors, who uniformly cited concerns over head injuries in voting against the resolution. “I would feel compelled to err on the side of safety when it doubt,” Councilor Wayne Saverud said. “We’re talking about life-altering and life-threatening accidents.”
Fellow councilors Kari Gabriel, Duane Larson and Tim Kluesner, also voted to keep the rule in place. And with Councilor Randy Kenyon’s absence, four “nays” were enough to deny the resolution.
The councilors supporting the move argued that, since the helmet law is nearly impossible to consistently enforce and often ignored by skaters, there’s little reason to have it on the books. Mayor Pam Kennedy said the ordinance is ineffective and there’s no money in the budget to hire someone to watch the park.
Councilor Bob Hafferman agreed, saying, “You just can’t (promote) safety with an ordinance, you have to have people.” He said stretched law enforcement should be fielding emergency calls instead of policing the skate park to see who is wearing a helmet. Councilors Hank Olson and Jim Atkinson also voted for the rule change.
During the public comment period, skateboard advisory committee members argued that rescinding the law could improve relations between skaters and law enforcement and lead to fewer problems at the park. And committee spokesman Patrick Brooks pointed out that there aren’t helmet laws for other sports, such as bicycling.
But Councilor Larson, while acknowledging that it’s impossible to force everyone to wear helmets, said overturning the existing law would “send the wrong message.”
Also at the meeting:
The council unanimously passed a resolution to use Tax Increment Financing funds as an incentive to build a new FedEx Ground shipping facility into the Old School Station industrial development.
The council voted 7-1 to extend the conditions of the existing contract with members of the AFSCME, local union 256, for one year.