Business group polls residents over 'doughnut' battle

The Daily Inter Lake

The Flathead Business and Industry Association has mailed ballots to 5,100 households in Whitefish's two-mile planning "doughnut," asking people whether or not they want to be governed by the city of Whitefish.

At the heart of the controversy and lawsuit over the doughnut is the assertion that residents in the two-mile area are controlled by the city but don't get a chance to vote for City Council or other city positions.

The poll also asks residents how they feel about the controversial critical-areas ordinance that tightened construction and water setback regulations in drainage-sensitive areas.

"We simply want to give people an opportunity to weigh in," Denise Smith, executive director of the business association, said in a prepared statement.

She said her organization was approached in January by several business owners in the Whitefish area, asking the group to get involved in the critical-areas and doughnut issues. Since then Smith has heard from 105 doughnut residents and more than 200 individuals asked to be placed on the group's e-mail distribution list.

"There are some at the city who think it is only a select few upset about the CAO and wanting the interlocal agreement between Whitefish and the county rescinded," Smith said. "FBIA wants to find out if that is really the case."

Smith said she will share the results with both the Whitefish City Council and the Flathead County commissioners.

"The CAO is having some very serious consequences," she said. "It's devaluing property and putting incredibly cumbersome red tape around anyone who owns property in Whitefish or in the two-mile doughnut … our concern is that many property owners do not understand yet how devastating the CAO can be to their property values, and even worse, they cannot vote in the elections to decide how their property will be controlled."

The association represents business owners throughout Northwest Montana, with the primary goal of ensuring business interests are represented in the public policy arena at the local, state, and federal levels.