Republican says he'll talk more to the public

Republican county commissioner candidate Phil Mitchell, 61, has given a decade of public service to Whitefish — four years on the city council and six years on the school board — and he believes that experience gives him the ability to step into the job of county commissioner.

The Whitefish businessman said he will bring the same style of fiscal conservatism to the commissioner job.

“I’ve always asked, ‘Do we need it or do we just want it?’” he said. “And if we want it, how do we pay for it and how does it affect the taxpayer?”

On planning and zoning, Mitchell says he supports a proposed change that would allow more people to operate home-based businesses, but he doesn’t want to see dozens of cars coming and going in rural neighborhoods.

“This country was founded on capitalism, and I’m for this, within reason,” he said. “I don’t like rules, but I want rules [to protect] neighbors. There are ways to work things out.”

Regarding a recent reduction in the number of recycling sites across the county, Mitchell said it’s the county’s responsibility to support recycling unless it’s putting an unfair burden on taxpayers.

“What do taxpayers want?” Mitchell asked. “We need to look at the costs. I’d like to see more public input on all issues, and this is an example. I think there are a number of areas where I don’t think the commissioners spend enough time talking to the public.”

Speaking on the capital improvements program in the new county budget, Mitchell said he’s not sure he supports the commissioners’ plan to reclaim unused property-tax mills from past years and levy them to generate money for a future expansion of the county jail and to build a county gymnasium.

The additional tax money would be levied over seven years and could generate close to $10 million.

“I’m struggling with using previously unused mills,” he said. “It’s like paying your taxes twice.”

Mitchell said it’s difficult to know if county voters would support a bond issue for the jail and gym projects, he said. He also questioned the recent decision to relocate the Agency on Aging to a new building south of the courthouse on First Avenue West.

“I’ve yet to see a needs study that tells me what size building” the Agency on Aging needs, he said. Mitchell acknowledged the agency needs to be relocated from the leased building on Kelly Road, but he feels there are a number of design issues with the proposed new building that haven’t been addressed, such as access for trucks in a congested area that has a lot of traffic.

“I think it was pushed through too quickly,” he said. “It’s possible there could be other options that are cheaper and better,” he said. “I’m struggling with the amount of money the county is spending” on the new building, which will also house other county services and offices in addition to the Agency on Aging.

While Mitchell believes the county’s seniors need a safety net of aging services, he’s not sure whether those services should be provided by the county or a nonprofit organization.

Mitchell said he supports the emergency center referendum, which calls for charging homeowners $25 a year and businesses $50 per commercial unit to raise $736,000 annually for the 911 center. Mitchell said it would provide a way for all taxpayers to pay their fair share.

“We need something equitable, and this is closer than what we have now,” he said.