Whitefish wants input on government

If you have an opinion about city government in Whitefish, now is the time to voice it.

The Whitefish Local Government Study Commission is holding a public meeting on Wednesday, July 8, to hear from city residents about what they believe is wrong, or right, with their city government. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish.

Whitefish voters last fall decided they want an independent, citizen-led review of city government. The Montana Constitution requires that residents statewide get this opportunity every 10 years.

The Whitefish study commission includes former City Council members Turner Askew and Ken Williams; Whitefish businesswoman Rebecca Norton; and Whitefish Assistant City Clerk Vanice Woodbeck. The committee has been meeting twice a month over the past several months, but feedback from the citizenry has been sparse, Askew said.

“We’ve had one or two people come,” he said. “We’ve been out inviting people to see if can get serious feedback [at the July 8 meeting]. We’re aggressively pursuing it.”

Askew said representatives from the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce and North Valley Hospital are among those who have committed to attending the upcoming meeting.

“We’re looking for citizen input, because it’s hard to represent the citizens if the citizens don’t tell us what they want.”

One idea that has been brought forward by a Whitefish resident is to create a ward system for the Whitefish council, similar to how Kalispell’s City Council is organized, to allow for better neighborhood representation.

The purpose of the study is to allow citizens to evaluate their government and decide whether changes need to be made. The commission has the ability to examine several different aspects of local government, including its form and powers, its structure and how well it provides essential services.

Study commissions have two years to complete their reviews.

In 2004, Whitefish was the only local government where voters favored a review and accompanying levy to fund the study.

After a yearlong review, the 2004 commission, which included Sarah Fitzgerald, Shirley Jacobson and Norm Nelson, recommended increasing the term for mayor from two to four years, which was done. The commission also recommended City Council members be paid, but that recommendation was turned down.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.