Sign code amendments approved

Whitefish City Council approved 5-1 an

ordinance for various amendments to the Whitefish Sign Code.

Councilor Chris Hyatt was the lone dissenting vote.

At an earlier work session, council

requested revisions to the code to allow temporary removal and

repair of non-conforming signs and to provide additional variance

criteria for signs with historical or community significance.

The planning board recommended to not

allow temporary removal of non-conforming signs for maintenance

purposes, but did unanimously support temporary removal for road

construction projects. The board also recommended special variances

for historic signs that are at least 40 years old or signs that are

recognized as a popular focal point of an area “that exemplifies

the city’s cultural or architectural history.”

Councilors Ryan Friel, Bill Kahle and

John Muhlfeld each noted that the amendments were a good balance

between meeting business owner’s needs and upholding the sign

code’s intent. Councilor Phil Mitchell liked that the amendments

allowed the council to have more control, as opposed to a smaller

planning board.

Hyatt was concerned about possible

hardships put on business owners who need to repair signs, but

can’t remove them. He noted that new signs can cost thousands of

dollars.

Planning director David Taylor said

most signs can be repaired with a cherry picker. The idea behind

the code, he said, is that all non-conforming signs will eventually

conform as businesses repair or replace them. He noted that with

the amendments, businesses with historical and unique signs that

need to be repaired will be able to apply for a variance to

temporarily remove them.

The sign code had its last major

overhaul in 2000.

• Council unanimously approved a

Whitefish Lakeshore Permit to reconfigure and reinstall an existing

320-square-foot floating dock at Resthaven for community use.

• The proposed 9-1-1 budget recommended

by the 9-1-1 Administrative Board was unanimously approved by the

council. Councilor Turner Askew is the city’s representative on the

board.

• Council unanimously voted to change

the parking lot at Central Avenue and Third Street from two-hour

parking to three-hour parking. There was some debate about how much

to charge for the leased parking in that lot.