Whitefish City Manager Dana Meeker presented a few fiscal year 2027 budget updates to the City Council last week after receiving the city's 2026 certified taxable value $121,346,206 from the Department of Revenue. 

She supplied councilors with four options, including accepting the status quo budget, the budget plus 5 mills and the budget plus 10 mills. 

The council directed staff to prepare the preliminary budget plus 5 mills. That will increase total property tax revenue collected by the city by 31.39% and will not cause the elimination of proposed projects or positions.  

According to Meeker’s report, the addition of the 5 mills will allow for future investment in operations and capital. Primary residence properties with a median home value of $1 million will see about a 1% increase. 

Councilors Rebecca Norton and Andy Feury were in favor of adding 10 mills but the remainder of the councilors present leaned toward 5 mills. 

Feury said the Legislature is likely to take away the mills if the city doesn't pick them up. 

"I think we will get stripped of those mills, and I believe if we don't pick as much up as we can right now ... that would probably be the most irresponsible thing that we have ever done with a budget in my entire 26 years here," he said. "If we look at the million-dollar home, and we look at over a 6-year period of time the increase ... ends up being $1.58 per month ... and that's picking up 10 mills." 

Council also gave direction to adjust non-union wages to bring them to 100% of market rate. The original budget brought them to 97%. 

The preliminary budget shows city property taxes for primary residences decreasing by 5%. 

Mayor John Muhlfeld clarified that the Council was giving direction at the work session and would keep options on the table when the item goes for a vote at its Aug. 17 meeting. 

Muhlfeld thanked Meeker and the department directors for their report. 

"I've never seen a more thorough alternatives analysis presented to the Council that gives us options to maintain our fiscal responsibility for the people that put us into office," he said. 

A public hearing to adopt the final fiscal year 2027 budget is scheduled for Aug. 17. 

Reporter Julie Engler can be reached at 406-862-3505 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at whitefishpilot.com/support.