School Board amends budget for maintenance work

The Whitefish School Board on Nov. 13 approved a budget amendment that will help to address building maintenance issues.

The amendment is necessary to spend tax increment finance funds from the city of Whitefish. It is the first of a two-part process for adopting the amendment, which will be finalized next month.

The amendment allows the district to spend their reserves for the maintenance projects and use tax increment funds as payments from the city to replenish those reserves.

The proclamation sets $700,000 aside in the elementary general fund and $400,000 in the high school budget.

However, District Business Clerk Danelle Reisch said those figures are estimates.

“That’s probably a high estimate. If we don’t receive that much money from the city we won’t spend it.”

The deferred maintenance items the money will go to includes replacing equipment, adding additional lockers, maintaining parking lots, roof repairs at the high school, gym floor refinishing and roof shoveling at Muldown, among others.