Whitefish council tackles looming utility upgrades

With roughly $42 million in water and sewer upgrades bearing down on the city of Whitefish over the next several years, the Whitefish City Council will pore over those topics at a work session on Monday, Oct. 15.

Water treatment expansion will be discussed at 5 p.m., followed by a review of the city’s capital improvements program and impact fee recommendation update at 5:30 p.m.

The lion’s share of Whitefish’s projected capital improvement budget of $59.6 million for the years 2019 through 2023 are related to sewer treatment plant upgrades to meet state and federal mandates and water system improvements.

According to a staff report from city Finance Director Dana Smith, the capital improvements program adopted in August now has been bumped up another $10 million because staff determined significant changes were necessary for the water utility based on recent information from the city’s consulting engineering firm.

“While the capital improvements program is a planning document that frequently changes based on department needs and economic factors, it is also a basis for the recently completed impact fees report,” Smith said.

With the projected increased costs for expansion of the water utility, the council may have to consider an increase in water impact fees from $1,667 to a maximum of $3,074, the report noted. Since costs are still preliminary, city staff recommends keeping the rates at the current level until numbers can be refined.

Current Whitefish impact fees based on a new single-family home total $6,658 for water, sewer, stormwater, City Hall, Emergency Services Center, parks maintenance building and paved trails.

The new maximum total of impact fees in the updated capital improvement plan would be $10,641. However, staff is proposing total impact fees of $7,946 effective Jan. 1, 2019.

Smith is asking the council for direction during the work session on any further changes to the capital improvement plan and impact fees so staff can prepare the plan for council consideration on Nov. 5, and an impact-fee ordinance to be considered following a Nov. 19 public hearing.

During the regular council meeting that begins at 7:10 p.m., the council will consider a preliminary plat request from Bevill Limited Partnership and Jules Simonson for a three-lot minor subdivision at 415 ½ Colorado Ave.

An ordinance amending snow and ice removal requirements will be considered for approval. The amended ordinance addresses maintenance of sidewalks and shared-use paths and enforcement of snow and ice removal by the public.

Both the council work session and regular meeting will be held at Whitefish City Hall.

News Editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.