Council goals also include new city hall, EMS building and affordable housing

By RICHARD HANNERS / Whitefish Pilot

The city's budget may see an increase for the 2008-2009 fiscal year, city manager Gary Marks warned city councilors during their March 24 goal-setting workshop.

The councilors were talking about lobbying the legislature about ways to mitigate the next six-year property reappraisal cycle when Marks broke the news.

He attributed the possible increase to two things — union contract talks with the city's police department and the need to provide 24/7 fire and ambulance coverage. Whitefish was unable to secure a federal grant this year to help transition the city to full-time emergency services.

Last year's operating budget increased by about 15 percent. Additional funding was budgeted for two new positions and planning for citywide transportation, downtown infrastructure projects, a new emergency services building and a new city hall.

The EMS building and city hall are the No. 1 priorities for city staff on the goals list compiled by Marks prior to the workshop. The councilors ranked city hall No. 2, while the EMS building fell to 11th place, but several councilors' votes were not tabulated.

The No. 1 goal for the councilors, they strongly agreed during the workshop, was addressing the issue of "regulation without representation" in the city's two-mile planning and zoning jurisdiction, the so-called "doughnut" area. Tied for second place on the councilors' list was affordable housing and open space conservation.

Councilor Nick Palmer expressed concern about relinquishing control to "doughnut" residents. He said the city should not give up authority over the critical areas ordinance or protecting gateway entrances, but he was willing to let "doughnut" residents have their say on things like the city's decay ordinance.

"They can have as many 1950s-era cars as they want in their lots," he said.

Mayor Mike Jenson said he was also concerned about how much the city gave up.

"I don't want another Evergreen sprouting up next door," he said.

When councilor Turner Askew asked about how goals on the list would be funded, Marks explained that staff and councilors choose goals that they want "explored." The list is not set in stone, and funding issues are one thing that would be "explored."

After several hours of discussion, the councilors' short-term goals list boiled down to "doughnut" representation, city hall, EMS building, affordable housing, downtown plan catalyst projects, downtown plan zoning, bike path construction, growth policy implementation and 24/7 fire and ambulance.

Also on the short-term list — city attorney John Phelps' suggestion to develop a code enforcement system for all departments. The councilors want a way to enforce regulations prohibiting vacation rentals in some zoning areas and to provide "teeth" for two volunteer organizations — the Architectural Review Committee and the Lakeshore Protection Committee.

On the long-term list is open space conservation, implementing the A Trail Runs Through It project and developing a new city cemetery. City land near the sewer plant is a possible cemetery site, but there were concerns about isolation and the potential for vandalism.

The councilors talked at length about where to locate a new city hall. In an effort to save money, Jenson proposed keeping city hall at its current site by constructing a half-block building complete with underground parking, retail on the first floor and city offices on the second floor, all connected with a large atrium.

Councilors Palmer, Nancy Woodruff, Shirley Jacobson and Ryan Friel, however, said they preferred the site proposed in the latest version of the downtown master plan — between the library and the train depot. Marks agreed, describing changes to city hall plans as "exhaustive."

Palmer emphasized the need for city hall to be a "green" building. He claimed employees at The Wave suffered headaches caused by breathing "VOCs" — volatile organic compounds.

"It's worth it to invest more and do a quality job," he said.

The council discussed the possibility that BNSF Railway might sell downtown land on the south side of the tracks and build new facilities on the north side. Several of the downtown master plan projects call for using BNSF land.

Askew expressed concern about how downtown infrastructure projects would be funded. Jenson suggested a business improvement district (BID) could be established to help pay for some of the downtown street reconstruction projects.

"In exchange, the downtown merchants could get the top floor of the new parking garage for employee parking," Jenson suggested.

That didn't sit well with Palmer, who said the parking garage is not a foregone conclusion. He said the $5.2 million figure for building the garage doesn't include interest on the bond and the loss of future tax-increment financing (TIF) money. He suggested raising the parking fine from $5 to $25 to open up parking on downtown streets.

"Five dollars is cheap for parking," he said.

Palmer also wanted stronger architectural standards for downtown businesses. While corporate colors and symbols on the outside of buildings are already regulated, Palmer suggested the regulations be continued inside — including banning corporate colors on restaurant menus.

"The hope being that they don't come here at all," he said of chain restaurants and businesses.

The rest of the council, however, thought Palmer was going too far. Another idea that stayed off the goals list was a landscaped median on the U.S. Highway 93 strip.

"Planting a garden in the middle of the highway" would only increase the number of deer hit by vehicles, Askew said. Noting the concerns of businesses along the highway, the councilors agreed that pursuing the median would "stir up a hornets nest."