By a margin of just under 300 votes, preliminary results show Whitefish voters appear to have approved a ballot question in favor of amending the city charter to allow council members to receive compensation through the city for their work. in the government.

Early last spring, the Whitefish City Council opted to put the question to voters on their fall ballots. Visible results in the Montana Secretary of State website on Wednesday As demonstrated with six of six precincts partially counted, 53% of voters, or 2,330 people, voted in favor of the charter amendment, and 2,042, or 47%, voted against it.

With the ballot question’s approval, City Manager Dana Smith said city staff can receive further direction at the Nov. 18 council meeting on next steps, including whether to schedule a work session for additional discussions.

Assuming the council shows interest in addressing the issue, details of potential compensation will be the subject of a public hearing. Some combination of salary, stipend, health insurance with the city paying the premium, per diem and mileage allowance is possible.

Whitefish is one of the few local governments in Montana that does not currently offer compensation to its city council. During a work session in February, a 2022 salary survey from the Montana League of Cities and Towns (MLCT) was presented to the council, which established salaries for more than 60 local governments in the state and showed Troy as the only another at all levels. -volunteer council.

At the time of the early 2024 work session, some council members showed support for the idea of ​​being eligible for health insurance through the city, with the city paying the premium. At the time, Smith estimated that a family plan could cost between $24,000 and $26,000 per council member who opted for the city’s health insurance.

Councilors at a May meeting voted unanimously to let voters decide after the idea began to gain traction, with some councilors suggesting it could help alleviate some of the financial barriers that prevent younger community members or working class to run for election.

One councilor, Giuseppe Caltabiano, said at the time that he thought it was a conflict of interest for the council to give itself any kind of financial advantage through his position, and that if the ballot question passed, he would advocate that current council members The council will not be entitled to compensation.

Councilwoman Rebecca Norton, a longtime advocate of the idea of ​​municipal compensation, disagreed.

“This is for the future, it is not for us. I know you guys are sensitive about that. I recommended it 11 years ago. Now, we have a great need in our community to encourage participation in the public process. And this is one way to do it,” Norton said in May. “People may not want to receive a stipend if they are elected, they may not need health insurance. But for people who could benefit from that, if they have leadership skills, it could make the difference between running or serving. “I know you guys are sensitive to accepting anything when we’re all volunteers, but this is really about the future.”

Right now, Whitefish City Council members receive some benefits and the city covers the cost of some work-related purchases, including up to $500 to offset the purchase of an electronic device, $150 per quarter for cell phone use or access to a paid city cell phone, a WAVE membership and the opportunity to opt into the city’s health insurance program by paying the full premium for the plan they select. Under the city charter, council members are also eligible to receive per diem and mileage allowances for expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties.

In other Whitefish election news, voters also selected Saundra D. Alessi, Nathan Dugan, Kevin McDowell, Dakota Whitman and Scott Wurster as their five representatives to serve on the local government study commission. Six candidates ran and the top five won a seat on the commission. Dugan received the most votes, with 2,016, followed by McDowell (1,823), Whitman (1,681), Wurster (1,604) and Alessi (1,576). Michael Hein, who came in sixth place, received 1,354 votes.

In June, voters supported the local government’s decennial review commission, triggering this fall’s election to serve on the commission. The Montana Constitution offers voters the opportunity approve said review once every 10 years. The commission is tasked with studying Whitefish local government, soliciting feedback and then potentially crafting changes to propose to voters by November 2026.

At its Nov. 18 meeting, the council will appoint a non-voting member to the study commission, and then commissioners will have 10 days after the election is certified to hold their first meeting, according to Whitefish City Clerk , Michelle Howke. At the first meeting, the commissioners will appoint a chairperson and meeting dates will be determined. Those meetings will be open to the public.

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