Rate increase for garbage collection on Whitefish Council agenda

Garbage rates in Whitefish are set to increase by about 18%. 

City Council on Monday will consider approving a change in the monthly fee for residential customers with a bear cart from $17.25 to $20.34. The last time rates were increased was June 2022.  

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

If approved, rates would increase effective May 15. Rates would also go up by 3.25% in both 2026 and 2027.  

Commercial accounts would also see a similar increase, however, the current $5 administrative fee per business would increase to $7 per utility account with one business and $14 per account with more than one business.  

Republic Services provides the garbage hauling service, while the city bills for the service and provides contact for customers. Garbage service is provided to about 4,100 residential accounts and 470 commercial accounts.  

City Manager Dana Smith in a memo to Council said that the rate increase is necessary to ensure that the solid waste fund remains financially stable by covering costs of operation and planning for future rising costs.

Also on the agenda, Council is set to provide authorization to bid work as part of the Armory Park Master Plan. The park is the city’s largest at 30 acres, and in 2019, the city’s park board updated the plan for the park, outlining future improvements.  

In fiscal year 2025, the Parks and Recreation Department is set to complete the installation of a small children's playground and some identified park amenities. The department is planning to bid construction of a storage garage foundation and drainage improvements and well development for the WAG Dog Park that is part of the larger Armory Park.  

Council will vote on a resolution updating its ethics policy, which was first adopted in 1997. Changes are being made to bring the policy in line with Montana law.

DURING A work session at 5:30 p.m., City Council will discuss how to address the future maintenance of the greenspace boulevard areas along U.S. 93 South.  

The Parks and Recreation Department is providing Council with three potential options to address challenges facing maintenance of the spaces. Challenges include an aging irrigation system, inconsistency with a mix of city and privately maintained areas, and landscaping that is outdated and includes noxious weeds. 

The annual cost to maintain the 5.5 acres of landscaped greenspace along U.S. 93 South is estimated at $28,400. 

The Parks Department maintains about 200 acres in the city. The citywide parkland and greenway assessment goes toward expenses related to maintenance of that acreage.  

In fiscal year 2025, $2,480 assessment fees were allocated per acre of publicly maintained property, while the areas along U.S. 93 received more than twice its allotment.  

Three options are outlined in a memo to Council.  

The first would upgrade the irrigation system and landscaping and increase funding for in-house staffing or contracted services to maintain an appropriate level of maintenance. A second option would upgrade the irrigation and landscaping but then require all property owners to maintain boulevards adjacent to their property. 

The cost for construction alone was estimated at about $300,000 in 2000, according to the memo.

The third option would turn over maintenance to property owners and abandon the irrigation system but allow adjacent property owners to connect to the system by adding an irrigation meter.  

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