Joan Cox recently shared new laws that will be effective in her state as of January 1st, 2023. I thought doing that was a great idea - to share information about new legislation so residents would be aware. So I decided to do the same thing for Montana and subsequently did a bunch of research online. I used various search terms to find out what was going to be new in terms of Kalispell or Montana laws. And here's what I found:
The minimum wage in Montana is rising to $9.95 on 1/1/2023.
That is it! I couldn't find anything else in terms of new laws - which is part of the reason most Montanans love Montana - regulations are not onerous.
So then I thought, well, maybe it would be useful instead to share laws or ordinances that were put in place in Kalispell during 2022. Perhaps there are things you were not aware of. So here is that list:
Amendment to the Montana Constitution:
In 2022 Montana voters approved by a huge margin (82% to 18%) an amendment to the Montana Constitution which specifies that "electronic data and communications" are protected from "unreasonable searches and seizures." That's the only new amendment I could find. So then, what about new Kalispell city ordinances?
Ordinances (the number in parenthesis indicates the ordinance number):
- Age restrictions for firefighters and police officers were removed (#1871)
- The requirement when hiring city employees to provide preference to those who live in the city of Kalispell was repealed. At the same time, the requirement that city employees live in Flathead County was also repealed (#1872)
- Residency Requirements for Kalispell firefighters was also repealed (#1888)
- With proper permitting and proof of liability insurance, alcoholic beverages may be consumed at approved events that are held on the Parkline Trail between 11am and 11pm (#1876).
- Temporary water restrictions were established which provided for various stages of water usage. For example, if Stage Two restrictions were in place, watering of lawns could only be done on specific days between specific hours. This ordinance was only in effect for three months and has expired (#1887)
- The International Building Code, International Fire Code and International Energy Conservation Code were adopted as of 2021 international codes (#1889, #1890, #1891)
Please note I did not include any PUD (Planned Unit Developments) or any zoning changes in the above list. As best as I could ascertain, the above list summarizes the 2022 law updates, Kalispell ordinances and one new 2023 law.
That is it! I didn't find much to share.
For more on Kalispell check out this link. To check out any ordinances and resolutions in Kalispell, you can use the city of Kalispell website. You can search back to 1900 - there are some interesting items to be found! I am considering starting a new series about interesting Kalispell ordinances...
Feel free to call me if you ever have questions about Kalispell or Flathead Valley/County! I'm on 406-270-3667, or can me emailed at kat@thehousekat.com.
Originally posted at thehousekat.com.
Justice photo: Pexels: Ekaterina Bolovtsova
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