County will poll 'doughnut' residents

Flathead County commissioners decided Thursday to conduct a poll of property owners in the two-mile zone surrounding Whitefish, in spite of some opposition to the plan.

Commissioner Jim Dupont said doughnut property owners have never been asked specifically by the county if they want to be governed by the city of Whitefish or by Flathead County.

With Whitefish city residents preparing to decide in the upcoming election if they want to repeal the 2010 revised interlocal agreement between the city and county related to planning issues in the zone, Dupont and other commissioners want to know where doughnut residents stand.

County officials plan to mail postcards to owners of the 4,700 properties in the two-mile zone toward the end of October.

The cards ask recipients to check one response to the question “Who do you prefer to regulate your property for zoning and planning purposes?” Response options are “Flathead County commissioners” or “Whitefish city councilors.”

County officials want to know which option is more attractive to the people actually affected by the doughnut regulations, Dupont said.

The survey is similar to one circulated in 2008 to doughnut area residents by the Flathead Business and Industry Association.

The association simply asked doughnut residents whether they wanted their property to be governed by the city of Whitefish. More than 5,100 surveys were sent out and about 90 percent of the 800 respondents at that time said they didn’t want to be governed by the city of Whitefish.

Commissioner Dale Lauman said there have been many public meetings about the doughnut issue in the last 3 1/2 years. And while plenty of input from Flathead County and Whitefish city officials has been given at those meetings, Lauman said “no one has given the doughnut people a chance to say what they think. I would like to hear from them.”

Rebecca Norton of Whitefish told commissioners she was opposed to the poll, calling it “sneaky.”

“I think it’s illegal,” Norton said.

She urged commissioners to reconsider.

Mayre Flowers, executive director of Citizens for a Better Flathead, also asked commissioners not to proceed with the survey.

Flowers said commissioners violated state law by not providing adequate notice of their meeting to discuss the poll and that any such survey must be sent to registered voters, not property owners. She asked that commissioners postpone action so the public could participate meaningfully in the discussion.

Flowers cited violations of election laws to commissioners as part of her request that they delay action on the issue.

But, Dupont said the poll is not a vote, but rather “a pure and simple survey.” He views the poll results as a tool for county leaders to use.

It’s not a binding vote of any sort, he said.

“I don’t feel a survey falls under a voter initiative at all,” Dupont said.

In June, commissioners gave a one-year termination notice to the city of Whitefish for the interlocal agreement.

Whitefish City Council members had 90 days to respond to that notice. On Sept. 28, commissioners agreed to a request from the Whitefish City Council that the council be given additional time to respond, extending the deadline to Dec. 15.

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.