Absence of tourism dollars will be a challenge for Whitefish

When I was elected to the Whitefish City Council around the turn of the new century, I remember remarking, somewhat tongue in cheek, after the first budget meeting: “I had always considered myself a ‘tax and spend liberal Democrat’ until I got elected to city council and came to realize I was a ‘fiscally conservative Republican.’”

Having served as Whitefish’s city attorney at the end of the 1980s, I was fairly shocked at finding out how much Whitefish’s government and budget had grown after the enactment of the resort tax in the late 1990s.

While resort taxes were intended to augment the limited revenue of small towns, the explosive growth of tourism had seen cities like Whitefish awash in new revenue in less than a decade.

One now has to be concerned about the need to tighten the proverbial belt, as tourism has completely tanked, along with the economy, for the foreseeable future. Since so many local and state governments have come to rely upon tourism driven revenue, what happens when it dries up?

I was fortunate to grow up in Whitefish, in the 1960s and 70s, when tourism made up only a small part of the revenue and economic well-being of my hometown. Ranching and agriculture were big, as was logging and manufacturing, in the form of aluminum ingots. Railroad jobs were plentiful and paid well. Downtown Whitefish was truly a “locals” downtown, with businesses specific to a small Montana town.

JC Penny’s, two banks, three drug stores (with soda fountains and “soda jerks”) two hardware stores and a lumber yard, a bowling alley, two grocery stores, a “five and dime” store, a mortuary, Lacy’s Photography, a restaurant or two, (the vast, vast majority of us had seldom seen the inside of a restaurant) more than a few bars, two automobile dealerships, one hotel (the Cadillac with its Hanging Tree bar named after local author Dorothy Johnson’s book), a movie theater, Mel Kastella’s taxidermy shop, The Toggery, a dress shop, one skiing shop, run by the Hinderman family, and our beloved “Gordy’s Drive In” to name but a few of the “local” businesses.

All of these business were located on three blocks of Central Avenue or within one block or so of Central.

We were a two “cop” car town with three gas stations on the corners opposite City Hall. When we walked to City Beach we walked through the railroad yards, knowing to stay clear of any moving cars being shuffled around. If the engineer knew us, he yelled at us and told us that he was going to tell our parents. He never did or at least my parents never mentioned a concern.

A busy day at City Beach might have been 25 kids and the only “adults” were the lifeguards who were mostly teenage girls whom I recall as being beautiful.

It was a simpler time for us “old timers” especially since we were in our youth. But it was only two score and 10 years or so ago — just half a century ago.

What does the future hold for all of us now, but especially communities like Whitefish and so many, many more who have tied their future and revenue to tourism to fund their governments. Tourism generated revenue is going to dry up for the foreseeable future and it will be a long time getting back to pre-2020 levels, if it ever does.

In the meantime, increasingly difficult financial decisions will have to be made. The harsh reality of today’s world is going to be extremely difficult to first, fathom and second, navigate with the absence of tourist dollars and resort taxes.

Tom Muri is from Whitefish, but writes mostly from Sedona, Arizona, nowadays and hopes he can come back to Montana this summer.