Whitefish City Council members will receive compensation from the city starting next month after a vote at the council’s June 16 meeting approved a compensation package just as the city begins its annual budget draft review and approval process.
The council opted to put the question before voters last fall as to whether or not it should amend the charter to allow for compensation. It was approved with 53% of the vote. A total of 2,330 people voted for the charter amendment, while 2,042 voted against.
The idea was driven in part by the fact that the Whitefish Council is one of a small number in that state that does not provide any compensation for its members, and by the belief of some councilors that implementing some form of compensation, in the form of covering city employee health insurance or some form of payment, could help encourage more people, including younger or less affluent community members, to run for office.
Prior to the vote, there had been general discussions between the council and city staff about what compensation could look like, which included reviewing a 2022 Montana League of Cities and Towns survey and focusing on how other local governments like Kalispell and Columbia Falls compensate their councils.
The new package for the six councilors and mayor will cost the city an additional $116,326 for Fiscal Year 2026. The salary, which is based on the current cost of the city employee health insurance plan, comes out to roughly $14,000 per person, according to a report from city staff. Council members have the option of opting into the city’s health insurance plan if they pay the full premium for whichever plan they select. Councilors will now also receive an increased stipend of $1,500 annually per council member, while the mayor will receive a stipend of $3,000. Previously, members of the council received a $500 annual stipend to offset the purchase of an electronic device, as well as $150 per quarter to cover the use of a personal cell phone or to cover access to a paid city cell phone. Councilors will also continue to receive about $588 for an annual Wave gym membership.
Originally, the new stipend amount was set to be $6,000 for the mayor and $3,000 for council members, but Councilor Frank Sweeney was able to persuade other members of the council, with the exception of Councilor Rebecca Norton, to amend the proposal to cut those stipends in half based on his belief that the amount seemed exorbitant.
Norton, a longtime proponent of council compensation, said that she supported the higher stipend because it could account for things like babysitting or housekeeping that some people might need.
Councilor Andy Feury said he felt the lowered amount was sufficient, and noted that they could revisit and revise it in the future if they come to believe otherwise. As for the bigger picture, Feury said that he had opposed council compensation for “many, many years.”
“But I have been persuaded that it’s time.”
In his remarks prior to voting in favor of the compensation plan, Councilor Ben Davis said that if he recalled correctly, the impact to a typical homeowner to cover the cost would be something along the lines of $25 a year.
“And to be honest the typical homeowner gets far more value from that in their life by having a good council up here. I think that’s what this is all about, is making sure in the future we get the best city council and mayor that we can get,” Davis said. “Because there’s a lot of important decisions that need to be made down the road, and I think it is important that people are willing to volunteer.”
The final vote was 4-0 in favor of the compensation plan. Councilor Steve Qunell was absent from the meeting. Councilor Giuseppe Caltabiano recused himself from the vote, saying that he respected the will of the voters and that there are good reasons for the council to begin receiving compensation as early as July 1, but that he wanted to stay consistent with his belief that they should only implement compensation for future office holders or else it would be a conflict of interest.
Caltabiano also noted that he disagrees that this alone will help recruit people, and stated his belief that term limits would help “recycle” the council.
The new compensation plan is effective July 1.