Parking Rules Shift: Kalispell Tightens Street Space and Fines

Kalispell city leaders are set to change how downtown parking works, aiming to free up street spots for shoppers and visitors. The plan comes after a report highlighted that parking shortages might be turning people away from the town’s main shopping area. \ The city council met on Tuesday to discuss ideas from its Parking Advisory Board. The board’s suggestions include raising parking fines, buying license‑plate reader technology for enforcement vehicles, and giving business owners unlimited free permits. It also proposes turning Main Street’s on‑street parking into 90‑minute zones and letting nonprofit groups use city lots on weekends. \ Most councilors backed the tech purchase. The new system would let officers spot violations more quickly than the old chalk‑mark method, which only checked a spot every four hours. City Manager Jarod Nygren said the equipment could be operational by mid‑summer. \ Councilor Dustin Leftridge, who supports stricter enforcement, joked about moving his car every two hours to avoid a $10 ticket. He said the current system lets people use a single parking spot for an entire day without penalty. \ To discourage such behavior, the council is looking at higher fines. The advisory board recommends a $20 ticket, though some members want it even more. With the new readers, a single vehicle could receive multiple tickets in one day. \ The strategy also hopes to push workers who park on the street into the city’s permit lots. Those lots are often full or sold out, yet many permit holders still choose street parking because it feels easier and cheaper than paying a $10 ticket. \Councilor Kyle Waterman admitted that even though he holds a permit for the Eagles Lot, he still parks on Main Street. The advisory board wants to give free permits to businesses and employees, but most councilors prefer higher fees to emphasize the value of parking. \ Current permit costs range from $18 to about $30 a month, a figure some councilors find too low. Wes Walker called the fees “laughable” and urged that parking should be paid for, while Mayor Ryan Hutner agreed free permits send the wrong message. \ The council also debated opening the Valley Bank lot, which is mostly empty but generates significant revenue from high‑demand permits. Most members were reluctant to make it free public parking. \ One councilor, Sid Daoud, proposed eliminating time‑restricted parking on Main Street and the First Avenues entirely, replacing it with meters along the main road. He also suggested opening all permit lots to the public for free, arguing that monitoring spots through law enforcement is too costly. \ While some officials see the need for paid parking as Kalispell grows, they say meters are premature. Leftridge stressed that a short‑term plan is necessary. \ Hunter, another council member, noted the changes are not final and could be tweaked based on data. “We’ll try something, check the results, and adjust, ” he said. \ The city’s parking overhaul aims to balance convenience for visitors with fair use of limited street space, hoping that tighter enforcement and higher fees will encourage drivers to opt for permit lots instead of the street. \