5/26/26 Kalispell City Council Session

The City of Kalispell, Montana City Council held a work session on May 26, 2026, focused primarily on addressing downtown parking issues. The discussion centered on a comprehensive parking proposal presented by the Downtown Kalispell Forward Coalition, which included recommendations such as making the Valley Bank parking lot free to the public, procuring modern license plate recognition (LPR) technology for enforcement, increasing parking fines, and improving signage and wayfinding. Council members debated various aspects of parking management including permit pricing, enforcement strategies, and the potential transition to paid parking meters on Main Street. The council also discussed the challenges of underutilized permit parking lots, the need for better enforcement to move employees off street parking, and the importance of phased implementation with data collection from LPR technology. Additionally, the council considered policy adjustments for leasing city-owned lots for events and public-private partnerships. No formal motions or votes were recorded in the transcript, but there was consensus on moving forward with LPR implementation and further evaluation of parking permit structures and enforcement fines.