Whitefish philanthropist Richard Atkinson has joined the effort to put construction of the new City Hall up for a vote.
Through his attorney Duncan Scott, Atkinson submitted a petition to Whitefish City Attorney Mary Van Buskirk last week, saying residents deserve a say in the project due to its “permanence and significance.”
“The Mayor and others have argued that it’s too late to change course on the proposed City Hall,” Atkinson wrote in a letter dated July 2. “I respectfully disagree. Putting a City Hall building on the most visible and expensive corner of Whitefish will add little or no value.”
Atkinson is among a group of Whitefish residents proposing a new law requiring a majority public vote before the city moves forward with building the new city hall and parking structure. In the petition, the group set a $3 million threshold, requiring a public vote on any project exceeding those costs.
The current city hall is scheduled to be demolished in September, with construction of a new $13.9 million building and connected parking structure at the same location in downtown Whitefish, on the corner of Baker Avenue and Second Street, to follow.
The parking structure accounts for roughly half of the project’s cost, which is being paid for with tax-increment finance funds.
In order for a ballot initiative to take place next election, the group must collect signatures from a minimum of 15 percent of registered Whitefish voters – or approximately 750 residents. If the initiative appears on the ballot and passes, voters would then vote again to determine whether the city can spend more than $3 million on the construction project.