City Council sets goals for 2021

Whitefish City Council last week approved its goals list for what it hopes to accomplish primarily in the next year.

Council annually adopts a list of goals for the coming fiscal year, though items on the list may stretch a few years or be ongoing. Many of the goals are also suggested by the various department heads.

Goals for fiscal year 2021, broken down by department.

Administration

Create a resort tax education and reallocation plan, update city purchasing policies and procedures, work on grants management policies and procedures, project involving utility billing for garbage services, develop personnel liability funding strategies related to leaving personnel, work on information technology improvement for security and effective operations, short-term rental program enhancements, seek additional cemetery location, and coordinate the name change for Lost Coon Lake and Lost Coon Trail.

Fire Department

Provide Council with emergency management training and create a long-range master plan for the fire department.

Parks and Recreation

Continue improvements at Armory Park, complete an irrigation and landscape master plan, and create a parks sign master plan.

Planning Department

Continue to implement the affordable housing program, complete the Highway 93 South Corridor Plan, update architectural review standards, implement parking plan for downtown, update subdivision standards, update setback standards for non-residential and mixed-use development in the WB-2, update the landscaping and tree retention standards, continue implementing the downtown master plan, and update the growth policy.

Police Department

Plan for an expanded police service to Big Mountain if it’s annexed into the city, plan for proactive policing and adequate staffing levels, explore the creation of a deer management plan.

Public Works

Design and construct wastewater treatment plant upgrades, increase water capacity, work on program to assist property owners with sidewalk maintenance, create a quiet zone for the Birch Point railroad crossing, reconstruct Edgewood Drive and Texas Avenue using resort tax funds, update the city’s transportation plan, improve recycling efforts, work on issues surrounding septic leachate in Whitefish Lake, and reduce illegal sump pump connections.