Whitefish City Council will vote Monday on increasing boat launch fees at Whitefish City Beach, including raising the cost for residents to launch their boat for the day by $5.

Fees are proposed to be set at $50 for a day pass for non-residents, $100 for a resident season pass and $250 for a non-resident season pass. Resident boats are watercraft that are registered in Montana.  

City Council meets at 7:10 p.m. at City Hall, 418 E. Second St. 

The Parks and Recreation Department put forth a recommended increase in fees after evaluating the cost of the City Beach boat launch personnel and supplies versus revenue. The cost to operate the launch, including for aquatic invasive species decontaminations, averages about $120,000 annually. While income from boat launch passes in 2025 was about $32,000 and the Whitefish Lake Institute contributed $17,500 to running the decontamination station, thus only covering less than half of the costs.  

Increasing boat launch fees and commercial permits will help to better support the city’s efforts to have a safe place to launch while protecting Whitefish Lake through a vigorous [aquatic invasive species] prevention program,” said Parks and Recreation Director Maria Butts.  

Boat ramp and drive lane improvements were completed in the fall of 2025 at a total cost of $235,000. 

Under the fee change, commercial boats would pay a $500 fee plus $15 per launch.

Initially, a smaller increase in fees was proposed, but Council asked for higher fees to better cover costs. Thus, the non-resident fee went from $30 to $50 for the day pass and the season pass increased from $200 to $250.  

A request to place 12 educational banners downtown from the Parks and Recreation Department goes before Council. The department has submitted an application for a state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation forestry grant that includes homeowner education on general tree care and maintenance. To achieve this, the department wants to place banners on light posts that educate on the importance of water, preventing invasive pests by not relocating firewood and the importance of gleaning fruit trees in the fall. 

During a work session at 5:30 p.m., Council will look at the housing and transportation plan elements of the Vision Whitefish 2045 growth policy plan.  

 Deputy Editor Heidi Desch may be reached at 406-758-4421 or [email protected].