Excessive personal items can’t be stored in public areas
HEIDI DESCH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years, 12 months AGO
The gazebo in Depot Park downtown has become a place where people are leaving personal items. (Heidi Desch/Whitefish Pilot)
DEPUTY EDITOR, FEATURES Heidi Desch is the Deputy Editor at the Daily Inter Lake, overseeing coverage of arts, culture, lifestyle, community, and business. Desch leads reporters in developing stories that highlight the people, traditions, and events shaping Northwest Montana, guiding content across print and digital platforms. With more than 20 years of journalism experience, including serving as managing editor of the Whitefish Pilot, Desch is a graduate of the University of Montana School of Journalism. She has received multiple Montana Newspaper Association awards, including part of the team leading the Daily Inter Lake to Best Daily Newspaper in Montana Award and the General Excellence Award in 2024 and 2025. IMPACT: Heidi’s work connects readers with stories that deepen the understanding of the community beyond daily news. | July 14, 2020 3:27 PM
Personal items, such as duffel bags, backpacks or suitcases, can no longer be left to clutter public spaces in Whitefish, under a city new ordinance.
City Council last week approved the ordinance that says storage of “excessive personal property” is not allowed on public property as it interferes with the use of public property.
Police Chief Bill Dial said the police department gets complains every year about people storing personal items in public areas such as on a bench on Central Avenue or in the gazebo at Depot Park.
“There was really nothing we could do to make them relinquish the bench,” he said. “This ordinance will help manage people who don’t want to share public areas.”
Dial says that those who leave items in public areas are doing so for their personal use and that has an impact on businesses and residences.
The ordinance defines excessive as “more than what a reasonable person would carry with them for the enjoyment or use of the public property” or an amount that would “interfere with another’s sue of public property.”
Items can not be left or stored in parks, parking lots, streets, sidewalks or any other public right-of-way.
Violation of the ordinance could result in a fine of up to $500 and up to 6 months in jail.
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