KALISPELL — Parking in downtown Kalispell could soon look very different.
On Thursday morning, the city’s Parking Advisory Board recommended several major changes to enforcement, though all proposals must still go before the city council for approval.
The board unanimously voted to advance three proposals to the council: adopting modern parking technology, raising ticket fees and enforcing a new block ordinance.
The city previously enforced parking limits by chalking tires.
If approved by the council, the board wants to replace that method with license plate recognition technology and Passport parking management.
The board also voted unanimously to increase parking ticket fees.
Under the recommendation, regular parking tickets would cost $20, safety violations would cost $50 and boot removal fees would increase to $100.
Additionally, the board agreed in principle to allow parking enforcement to issue multiple tickets to the same vehicle in a single day.
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Currently, a vehicle can remain in a downtown parking space all day and receive only one ticket.
The board has not set a limit on how many tickets could be issued under the proposal.
Another proposed change targets drivers who move their vehicles just one space forward after the two-hour limit expires.
The suggested block ordinance would require drivers to move their vehicles at least a block away from their last parking space.
None of these changes are in effect.
The city manager will review the budget before presenting the Parking Advisory Board's recommendations to the Kalispell City Council for further discussion and possible adoption.
