Giuseppe /GMan/ To HONOR the people of Whitefish

08/24/2026

Free for the locals. Generate revenue from the non locals. The state does it. We (the City of Whitefish) do it at the ice den. Why shouldn’t we do with fully electronic automated parking fees downtown. Free for the locals, premium for the visitors.

08/19/2026

Whitefish City Council Approves Final Budget with Additional Mills
A divided city council picked up an additional 10 mills in response to concerns the city’s roughly 27 “carry-over” mills would be eliminated in the upcoming legislative session.

BY LAUREN FRICK
AUGUST 19, 2026

08/13/2026

As we finalize Whitefish’s FY27 budget, there is an important decision ahead: should we raise taxes today simply because we may lose the ability to raise them later?

I understand the concern that the Montana Legislature could eliminate our unused “carryover mills,” limiting the flexibility of future councils. But I have a hard time asking taxpayers for money when we don’t have an identified need for it today.

I supported the 5 mill compromise at our work session. It already increases City property tax collections by more than 31%, while keeping the impact on a typical primary residence essentially flat and still preserving about 16.6 mills of future taxing authority.

Moving to 10 mills would increase City property-tax collections by more than 42%. For the examples provided by the City, that means roughly 5% more for a primary residence and as much as 85% more for a comparable second home.

There is risk in leaving some taxing authority unused. I recognize that. But there is also an important principle at stake:

We should tax based on what our community needs today, not because we are afraid we might lose the ability to tax more tomorrow.

Five mills strikes a responsible balance between protecting taxpayers today and preserving flexibility for the future.

That is why I intend to support the 5-mill compromise.

Giuseppe Caltabiano
Whitefish City Council

08/13/2026

Upcoming regular city council meeting:

08/12/2026

Public hearing on budget resolution on 8/17.
Please, if you feel so inclined, join us at 7:10 PM and comment during the public hearing session 

08/06/2026

Every Saved Mill Counts!

08/02/2026

4+ dollar a gallon, 400+ dollars a night, and they still come! How about we charge them for parking downtown? Seattle, Hawaii everywhere, many other popular destinations do it and they exonerate the locals. Montana does it for hunting and fishing, and we are not scaring away, hunters, and fishermen’ parking

07/29/2026

I receive inquiries about the status of the works on Highway 93 west of Whitefish. Obviously this is a state jurisdiction but here is the link for updates.


The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) continues roadwork on the US 93 West of Whitefish project. This road reconstruction project includes a section of U.S. Highway 93 (US 93) in Whitefish, starting near the intersection of US 93 and Mountainside Drive and continuing west for approximately....