A group seeking to put construction of the new City Hall up for a vote has been told it has no legal leg to stand on.
Kalispell attorney Duncan Scott is representing the individuals who oppose the project, and who have been working to create a ballot initiative to amend city code so that it requires a public vote before the city can move forward with construction of the new City Hall and parking structure, a $14 million project that has been planned and debated tirelessly.
The individuals sought to require public approval by majority vote for any city project costing more than $3 million.
In a letter to Scott, Whitefish City Attorney Angela Jacobs Persicke wrote that the proposed measure did not meet the legal requirements under state law and the city charter.
In response, Scott disagreed, saying amendments to a city charter are legislative matters.
“This opinion denying a public vote on the proposed City Hall is based on politics, not the law,” Scott wrote in an email.