Stacey Schnebel said she will ask the tough questions no matter what issue she’d tackle as county commissioner, and has the leadership skills to get the job done.

“I will do the research, ask the questions and consider all opposing viewpoints in order to make sound decisions — every time,” Schnebel stated.

She’s already been doing her homework, sitting through key commissioner proceedings and meeting with county leaders to learn about the issues at hand.

The Coram businesswoman campaign’s message has been one of bringing a fresh perspective to county government.

‘Doughnut’ aftermath

Schnebel said she believes the Montana Supreme Court made the right decision to give planning jurisdiction to the county for the area outside Whitefish city limits called the “doughnut.” 

“Taxation without representation is un-American,” she said.

But in moving forward, it’s a matter of not throwing the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. The Whitefish Lakeshore Protection Committee, she noted, is a board that has been effective for 30 years.

“If it’s not broke,” why should it be disbanded, she asked. “I don’t see ego at the county level being a good enough reason to disband the committee.

“The issue is so heated now, we need to redefine what the relationships are and move forward without infighting.”

Schnebel said the county is obligated to go through the process of determining how to proceed with governance of the doughnut, be it with lakeshore regulations or zoning.

“If they [doughnut residents] like the protections that the city offers, then we need to think outside the box and come up with some solutions,” she said.

Zoning

Schnebel said the small-business environment is evolving in Flathead County and home-based businesses are the wave of the future.

“We need to allow residents to make a living,” she said about a recent proposal to amend zoning regulations to allow more traffic to and from home-based businesses. 

Green boxes/recycling

Recent discussions over the fate of the Bigfork and Lakeside green-box collection sites that were scheduled to close “demonstrates the impact of the public process,” Schnebel said.

“It’s very encouraging to see the county and Solid Waste District reacting and doing what their constituents want,” she said, referring to a plan to relocate the Bigfork site and consider a special fee district to pay for it. “I’m very happy to see the public process works.”

Schnebel is a big proponent of recycling, and she would like to examine the solid waste budget to determine how the county should handle recycling.

“It is our duty moving forward into the future to be responsible stewards of our county, and recycling is part of that,” she said.

She said she believes that with innovative solutions and collaboration, the county can offer a level of recycling services that future generations can be proud of.

Capital improvements

The renovation of the historic jail building near the main courthouse and the construction of a building to house the Agency on Aging are expected capital improvements that are “a matter of spending the money we’ve saved,” she said.

Schnebel finds the site south of the courthouse an acceptable location for the Agency on Aging.

“It’s a good solution for now,” she said, adding that the current leased facility is overcrowded and “absolutely unsafe” for the county’s seniors.

She doesn’t favor privatizing aging services because private businesses “exist to turn a profit. If there were a [private] niche for these services it would already exist.”

Schnebel believes the county should focus on helping seniors stay in their homes longer; doing that saves government money in the long run.

Regarding the commissioners’ recent decision to reclaim unused property-tax mills from past years and levy them to pay for an expansion of the county jail, Schnebel said she doesn’t disagree with that approach.

“The county has a lot of needs and it makes sense to be planning for the future,” she said.

But she also sees other priorities and room for negotiations in how the extra money could be spent. Schnebel said she would need more information before deciding if she would vote to levy the unused mills.

A community gymnasium is proposed to be partially funded with the extra tax revenue. Schnebel said she’s not convinced a gym is a necessity right now, though it may be in the future.

“I’d need to see exactly what we’d spend the money on and take into account what county residents think,” she said.

Schnebel said there’s room for improvement in how the commissioners communicate with the public.

Water compact

Schnebel said she has faith in the Reserved Water Rights Compact Commission that reached 17 successful agreements with Montana’s six other tribes as mandated by the 1979 Legislature, she said.

“I don’t think it’s the role of the county commissioners to try to impede the process of the water compact,” Schnebel stated.

“I trust the process in place,” she added. “If I specifically wanted to affect the water compact, I would be running for state Legislature.”

Natural resources

The county should be hospitable for businesses in the traditional natural resources development, but it should also anticipate and be welcoming to evolving industries that will choose to locate here in our future, Schnebel said.

“I do believe the county should take a proactive approach to the hazards that accompany the increase in oil train traffic,” she said. “We have both a significant population and extremely sensitive resources nestled up to the BNSF lines. The more consideration we give the issue today will lead to more protection for us all in the future.”

Emergency dispatch center referendum

“There is an absolute need to secure funding for the ongoing upkeep of the high-tech equipment that is the backbone of the EMS service,” Schnebel said. “We know from the efficient countywide response to the [recent] Plum Creek explosion that our new system works. Now we need to commit to supporting it with this mill levy. The price to the taxpayer seems more than fair as compared to the benefits we receive.”

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