An avalanche of facts and opinions on road impact fees hit the Kalispell City Council on Monday - causing it to delay its discussion on the topic until Jan. 20.
Not an inkling of a consensus emerged from Monday's workshop session - other than most council members had plenty of questions and wanted to spend a lot more time talking about the issue.
"We've beaten this horse to death," council member Bob Hafferman said.
Twenty-six people, as well as the city's consultant and staff, voiced opinions on the proposed road impact fees during a Monday public hearing.
During the public hearing:
- Developer representatives said the current road impact fee proposals would indefinitely stall the huge Glacier Town Center project and likely would kill a project to build a Kohl's department store in Spring Prairie Center on U.S. 93.
- Construction representatives said that the hard-hit local construction industry needs a boost from new commercial and housing projects.
- Justin Sliter - an impact fee advisory committee member who was absent last week when the committee split 2-2 on recommending that the current fee study be adopted - said he would have voted to keep the proposal in the committee for more work.
Most of the 26 people speaking at the hearing represented big and small developers, the construction industry, some small businesses, the Northwest Montana Association of Realtors (which threatened a lawsuit if the current plan is adopted), the Flathead Business and Industry Association and the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce.
These interests opposed the current road impact proposal, arguing it is flawed legally and from a traffic-engineering standpoint, as well as being expensive in tough economic times.
"It's dollars and cents. It's too expensive," said Richard Filler, executive vice president of Chicago-based Harlem Irving Companies, which is working with Spring Prairie developer Mark Goldberg to set up a Kohl's in northern Kalispell. Filler said the current road impact fee plan likely would sink the Kohl's project.
"Impact fees will likely put our project on hold indefinitely," said local attorney Ken Kalvig, representing Wolford Development, which wants to build Glacier Town Center.
City Attorney Charles Harball, Public Works Director Jim Hansz and the impact fee committee's consultant, Randy Goff of HDR Engineering's Portland Office, said the legalities, traffic figures and fee calculations are solid and based on the best nationwide numbers and formulas.
Interim City Manager Myrt Webb said no evidence has surfaced that road impact fees have harmed economies in other towns.
For more on this story, read Wednesday's Daily Inter Lake.
tled
Photoguy, how many people do you employ smart guy. How many out of work construction workers will make great wages and feed there families until this recession ends with these projects. The city is not giving any tax breaks to these companies to lure them here. How do you know what the wages are have you had personal contact with the CEO's. If they do not pay enough then no one will take the job, and they will cease to exist. If you have a better Idea while many of the large employers who pay good wages fade away during these tough times spit it out, other than a bunch of BS and rhetoric about "wants and needs."
JT
Photoguy, you need to feel the sting of unemployment. Perhaps then you would put aside such foolish statements. It is not for your wagging tongue to decide what jobs are high enough paying to belong in our valley. The ability to spell the word "job" does not an economic scholar make. What this valley needs is people like you to stop fighting job creation. What you want is to see the world through a lense of idealism. You are right, let's put needs first shall we?
Rob123
Something absolutely has to be done to fix the damn roads, infrastructure. It's become stupid and dangerous, instead of a mere hassle. The Oregon model will work, yet, as a frequent traveler to the Portland area, if you fix it nice, they come faster and clog it all up again. Has been a problem since the early 70's, but they tend to stay ahead of the curve.
Ted
Now is the time to kick these parasites out.
tled
Photo guy I actually work in the medical field. I would still like to know how many people you employ and what wages you pay since you seem to be such a caring fellow. Perhaps you will expand your business and hire more people at $25.00 an hour to reduce un-employmnet. Oh and you seem to keep skipping over the blue collar jobs that are being lost. Or do you not feel that an electrician or concrete workers pay is high enough to fit your standards?
Rebel Rouser
"Photo guy I actually work in the medical field", yes Photoguy, his job is very important in the medical industry as he specializes in removing heavy burdens from the rectums of honest hard working tax payers. What would we do without people like TLED to care for us? People in need will work for the paltry wages offered if there is no other choice, that is what TLED is trying to say. I say let them build stores till their hearts content but DO NOT SHOP IN THEM! It's a win-win for us.
Rebel Rouser
So, all of these people standing in line to make a profit from their capital ventures are completely happy with the tax payer fighting the crowds and footing the bill? Bull5h1t!!!!
tled
These people pay huge property taxes already. Let the city clean up there budgets and use those tax dollars approriatly. They also provide employment. We need Jobs and work.