Whitefish’s climate committee on Monday is set to lobby City Council on creating a system that would charge visitors for parking downtown.  

The committee is proposing to have motorists pay to park on city-owned street parking spots and in city-owned lots from Lupfer Avenue on the west side of town to Spokane Avenue and from Railway Street on the north edge of downtown to East Fourth Street. The parking garage attached to City Hall would remain free for parking.  

City Council will take up the proposal at its work session on Monday at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 418 E Second St. The regular meeting begins at 7:10 p.m.  

The climate committee, which has a purpose of assisting in implementing the city’s Climate Action Plan, is recommending Council investigate the feasibility of a dynamic paid parking system with the goal of reducing vehicle miles traveled, reducing parking congestion and ultimately constructing more pedestrian and bike-friendly infrastructure.  

Even before an official presentation, the idea has garnered pushback from some downtown business owners.  

In a letter to Council, Kristen and Joe Tabor, owners of Stumptown Snowboards, say paid parking downtown would hurt local businesses greatly.  

“This has been tried before in Whitefish and was rescinded when it had negative effects on downtown merchants,” they wrote. “This will push visitors, and locals especially, to shop elsewhere and locals already have a less than positive view of downtown as it is.”  

The proposal suggests $2 per hour for parking spaces from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., with the first 15 minutes free. The plan would use license plate scanners on city parking enforcement vehicles to verify who is a resident or worker and thus exempt from paying for parking.  

The area proposed includes about 500 parking spaces.  

The revenue raised could be used for downtown district maintenance and improvements, and the remaining funds to build and expand public transit options in Whitefish, according to a presentation included in the Council packet.  

COUNCIL HAS several items on its regular agenda.  

Following a public hearing, it will vote on whether to annex a chunk of property along the Whitefish River adjacent to JP Road. The property is just under an acre in size.  

A proposal to bid construction of a boat ramp extension and boat inspection drive lane at City Beach is before Council.  

Maria Butts, director of the parks department, says in a memo to Council that the existing boat ramp has experienced extensive erosion due to boat propulsion and it has undercut the base of the ramp, displaced lakebed sediment and significantly weakened the ramp’s structural integrity.  

"The current condition creates safety concerns for users and contributes to environmental degradation,” she said.  

To mitigate this, the parks department proposes reinforcing the ramp.  

In addition, the boat inspection station drive land has historically had a tight turning radius, resulting in boats hitting the roof of the inspection station. And the parks department would like to fix the issue by widening the drive lane.  

Preliminary construction costs are $120,000 for the boat ramp extension and $73,000 for the drive lane improvement.  

Fire Chief Cole Hadley will present Council with options regarding the purchase of a ladder truck. Based on operational needs, anticipated response demands, and growth within the response area, the department has prioritized the acquisition of a quint aerial ladder apparatus, according to a memo to Council.  

The estimated cost is between $1.5 million and $2 million. Projected delivery would be three to four years from the date of the order.  

The department currently does not have a ladder truck, limiting aerial access during structure fires, particularly multi-story commercial and residential buildings.  

“With the city’s increasing vertical development and the growing demand for advanced fire and rescue capabilities, the addition of a ladder truck has become a critical infrastructure priority,” Hadley said. 

During a July 13 structure fire in Whitefish, two ladder trucks were required to protect neighboring buildings and fight the fire, which destroyed an abandoned building at the corner of Edgewood Place and Wisconsin Avenue.  

The fire department will outline three financing options for Council to purchase the truck: through the state INTERCAP Loan Program, a voted levy with bond or through cash with an annual mill levy.

Council will consider adopting a social media policy for the city and also vote on a resolution establishing its annual goals.  

Deputy Editor Heidi Desch may be reached at 406-758-4421 or [email protected].