Dear Editor: Diving Deeper Into Town Council Decisions

Dear Editor,

I’m writing today first as a 20+ year resident and then as a recent town council member, these views are my own and do not represent the town council as a whole. We are very fortunate to live in a great community filled with quality people. Our city is experiencing some well-needed growth. Changes are never easy but we cannot escape reality. I for one welcome many changes because I wish for Whitehall to flourish.

Over the years I’ve closely watched town government simply as a resident. Now that our children are grown and beginning their journey into adulthood, time is more flexible on my part so I started to attend city meetings with no intent to get involved. Shortly following, our mayor asked if I would consider filing a vacant seat by appointment, I expressed to her I needed a few months to ponder this request. I also met with Mary the mayor on several occasions asking multiple questions on ordinances and future plans with those revisions. I found Mary to respectable, approachable, reasonable, and wish to see our community change and grow. Ultimately I decided to be an example and get involved being that I often look for volunteers in one of our local churches.

In roughly the past two years I can say we have some quality people working for our city, knowledgeable, dedicated, and very capable. Thank you to the ladies (Alissa, Jessica & Kennedy) working in the office and those guys (Cory, Ron, and Derrick) working in public works, I will not be one to shoot them down. I’ve also found the town council members to be reasonable people who love our community; each person brings valuable input to the table.

Your town council members are supportive and believe in those who are part of the Whitehall Volunteer Fire Department. These volunteers give of their time and make major sacrifices for any person in need! Our responsibility as a town council is to be accountable for all the funds which run various departments, we must stay within a very tight budget. At the March Town Council meeting, I went on record in favor of recent WVFD requests. Within a few days the Town Council members voted in favor as well. The budget must always guide spending for every department! If we ran city government as leaders do in D.C. with all the excessive spending, lack of accountability, and endless borrowing we would be in jail. Additionally, we do not have the ability to print money like the feds, and that’s a good thing in my opinion.

Now for some important facts; the average budget for WVFD over the past 11 years is $25,500/year with the highest figure being $41,475 (2011) and the lowest at $15,100 (2020). There was some uncertainty and clarity regarding some spending or account information a few years ago but that matter has been cleared up. Over the past two years, the Town Council set aside $25,000 each year into the CIP fund for the WVFD to start creating a fund for future equipment, etc. In recent months the Town Council did approve $44,134 for the much-needed SCBA and extraction equipment through that fund. And just last month another request left the fund with approximately $7000 balance. Simply put the Town Council recognizes the needs of our local WVFD and all we can do is work with the money that is available.

In upcoming budget workshops, I will be advocating for an increase in WVFD funding understanding that this will need to be incremental as we manage tight budget constraints. Our community appreciates those who volunteer for any service, including the WVFD. We have been very fortunate over the years for those who have donated funds to various town entities, notably the ladies at the Country Store. I would also encourage others to step up and find a place to serve and do that with a cooperative attitude; this enhances life in the place we all love: Whitehall.

Bill Lanes

Whitehall, Montana