Whitefish considers pond dredging contract

Whitefish City Council on Monday will consider awarding a contract to dredge the stormwater collection pond at Riverside Park.  

The pond collects water from a broad area downtown before discharging to the Whitefish River.  

City Council meets at 7:10 p.m. at City Hall, 418 E. Second St. 

The last dredging effort took place more than 20 years ago, according to Public Works Director Craig Workman, and the Public Works Department has been planning the next maintenance effort for several years.

“As with all stormwater ponds, dredging is required to remove sediment,” he said in a memo to Council.  

The Public Works Department is recommending approving a contract with Thompson Contracting for about $137,000 for the job. The project includes the excavation and removal of accumulated silt and sediments from the bottom of the pond and the removal of invasive vegetation along the pond fringe.  

The RPA engineering estimated the project at a cost of $210,000.  

Also on the agenda, Council will consider adopting legislative priorities for the 2025 Montana legislative session. The list includes affordable and attainable community housing, environmental quality, renewable and clean energy opportunities, and local control of land use and development practices in the city. Municipal finances, property taxes and funding of grant programs have also been included. 

City Manager Dana Smith has prepared a proposed list of legislative priorities that focus on issues that are of high importance for the city.  

“Identifying the city’s legislative priorities provides the City Council and staff a clear and united platform when addressing our representatives both prior and during the upcoming legislative session,” Smith said in a memo to Council.  

Under community housing, the city’s priority list says it supports the expansion of low-income housing tax credits, expanding tools and grant programs related to housing and new legislation that increases the supply of community affordable housing. While it would oppose a reduction of current housing programs and existing tools available to cities for such housing.  

For municipal finances, it supports the preservation of a resort tax, a fair property tax system that does not disproportionately burden residential property owners especially those who use the property as a primary residence, and the preservation of the city’s authority to place levy questions on the ballot. It opposes legislation to decrease current revenue streams for cities, the elimination of carryover mills and restrictions on voted levies.  

In terms of land-use regulation, the city wants to see legislation providing local control of community development practices and opposes legislation limiting planning and zoning authority or cities and the preemption of local land use policy making such as development standards, density, parking and architecture.  

Deputy Editor Heidi Desch may be reached at 758-4421 or hdesch@dailyinterlake.com.