Whitefish City Council reviewed two draft elements of the city’s growth policy update, Vision Whitefish 2045, at a work session last week. Mayor John Muhlfeld said the council would not be making changes to the draft, nor providing direction during the meeting.

City Planner Alan Tiefenbach gave a brief background of the growth policy and an overview of the framework of the document. The finished draft includes everything but the land use element, which is still in development, including housing, economic development, transportation and environmental, natural resources and hazards. 

The Montana Land Use Planning Act requires towns to make a 20-year plan and to get a population projection one of three ways: from the Department of Commerce, the local government or from a professional firm specializing in population projections. 

“We got the demographics from the Chamber of Commerce. We also looked at generating ourselves, and then we also had three different firms,” Tiefenbach said. “We had an economic development, we had a housing firm, and then we had land use, and they also looked at these population projections to make sure that these were copacetic.” 

Those numbers say the full-time and seasonal population in Whitefish will grow by 3,000-5,000 people over the next 20 years. 

“Those numbers correlate with what the state gave us, correlate with what the consultants gave us ... if you look at our history of what our population is, all those numbers work out. All the other different formulas and theories … those are all just opinions, but this is backed up by the state and backed up by what our population growth has actually been,” Tiefenbach said. “And actually going out there and counting houses, which I did.” 

Key points from the economic development element include that roughly 43% of the jobs in Whitefish are tourism-based, and that 76% of the people who work for Whitefish businesses do not live in Whitefish. 

With input from the community and business organizations, the economic development element is, perhaps, the most controversial chapter of the plan.  

Work on the Environment, Natural Resources and Hazards element included 26 agencies including personal meetings with the Climate Action Committee, Whitefish Lake Institute, BNSF Railway, F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber, Big Mountain Fire, City Farmland and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. 

“Remember that this growth policy doesn't mean this is all the goals of the city over the next 20 years,” Whitefish City Manager Dana Meeker said. “Council has given us many goals that are not within the growth policy.” 

Nearly a dozen community members made public comments. 

On Feb. 2, the City Council will review the transportation and housing elements at a work session, and on Feb. 17 have another work session on the land use element. 

The Planning Commission is set to have a public hearing on the finished draft on Feb. 19 and 25. City Council has scheduled a public hearing on Vision Whitefish 2045 on March 2 and March 16. 

WHITEFISH PARKS and Recreation proposed increasing boat launch fees for 2026. Residents are people whose watercraft is registered in Montana. The daily fee for residents is proposed to increase from the current $10 to $15 and season passes from $50 to $100. 

Proposed non-resident fees are $30 per day and $200 for the season.  

The council directed staff to look at a tiered schedule for commercial permit fees and an increase in non-resident fees. Staff will present options at a public hearing in the future. 

The report to council said total revenues generated by the City Beach boat ramp in 2025 were $32,590, which only covers about 20% of the costs to run the ramp, maintain City Beach park, and perform inspections and decontaminations at City Beach and Whitefish Lake State Park.