The Whitehall City Council approved the 2026-27 budget for the city by a 6-0 vote at its regular meeting Tuesday, and council member Scott Brown recanted a previous objection to expanding the Playhouse Managing Director position to a broader Parks and Recreation Director role.
Mayor Tom Ziemer, as he previously informed the council would be the case, was not on hand for the meeting, and in his absence Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Holmstrom ran the meeting.
Brown originally lodged his objection to the Playhouse director position change during the May 12 budget work session, but said after some communication with City Manager Dan Tavernier in the interim, he had reconsidered, saying he wanted to support Tavernier and the way he wants to run the city.
The budget, as discussed during the work session, calls for the city to levy 14 mills for general operating costs and an additional three mills for road improvements. No public comments were received during the public hearing that preceded approval.
Tavernier reported that the in-progress West Colby Promenade was the subject of a meeting of city officials Tuesday, and the latest word is that the structure of the promenade will be complete by the Fourth of July weekend. Some items, such as the lighting and shade sail, may not be in place by then as they are dependent on supply chain issues.
Tavernier also reported that each city park's parking lot will be resurfaced within the next month, as discussed at meetings earlier this year.
The council granted a 6-0 approval to a request from Colby's Hokey Pokey to close the alley between its store and the Gil-Roy Hardware Store June 13-14 in order to host its annual "Find the Unexpected in the Alley Sale." The council also approved 6-0 to add 16 delinquent city accounts for utility bills and the like to the tax rolls for those properties, as permitted by city ordinance. None of the accounts exceeded $272 and all but three were under $100. City Clerk Brenda Bourdon said the number and total of the accounts was "pretty standard."
White Lake Community Library board member Norm Kittleson presented the library's annual report, saying the library is in good financial health and has a strong fund balance. The library acted as fiduciary for an $830,000 grant awarded to White Lake Area Community Education for out-of-school child care programming, and also received a $10,000 grant to increase accessibility at the library.
