There’s still no recommendation from the Flathead County Planning Board about how the county should handle lakeshore protection regulations for Whitefish and Lost Coon lakes.

At a public hearing on Wednesday, the board took more public comment and received more written comments spurred by a lakeshore regulation work session in September. 

With all of the new information, the board discussed the lakeshore situation and then opted to wait until its Dec. 10 meeting to consider a recommendation.

“The Planning Board was very concerned with ensuring that they have time to read everything submitted and carefully weigh all options and all the many perspectives that have been provided to them,” Planning Director BJ Grieve said. “Since the public comment [period] has been closed, there will be no more public comment scheduled for this agenda item... they can move forward with discussion and a recommendation.”

The county commissioners will make the final decision on how to regulate the two Whitefish area lakes. 

When a Montana Supreme Court ruling in July switched planning control around Whitefish from the city to the county, the court action suspended the Whitefish Lake and Lakeshore Protection Committee, a joint city-county group that has dealt with lakeshore issues for nearly three decades. 

Currently any lakeshore permit applications for Whitefish and Lost Coon lakes that involve county property are being processed by the county, with the commissioners giving final approval for lakeshore permits. 

Previously the city of Whitefish handled all lakeshore permits on the two lakes, which are located within the former 2-mile planning “doughnut” that was thrown out by the high court.

Six options are under consideration by the county:

• Amend the Flathead County lake and lakeshore protection regulations to include Whitefish and Lost Coon lakes.

• Include the two lakes in the county lakeshore regulations but review, revise and update the regulations within the next year.

• Continue using Flathead County’s Whitefish area lake and lakeshore protection regulations that were used prior to the interlocal agreement that created the planning “doughnut” around Whitefish.

• Adopt Whitefish lakeshore regulations used by the city of Whitefish when the interlocal agreement was in place.

• Work with the public and Whitefish to create new Whitefish and Lost Coon lakeshore regulations agreeable to and adopted by both governing bodies.

• Discuss with the city of Whitefish a mutually agreeable arrangement to give the city lakeshore jurisdiction for the two lakes.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.