BSC still looking for treasurer

By ALEX STRICKLAND / Bigfork Eagle

The Bigfork Steering Committee is still looking for a treasurer to replace Chuck Gough, who was recently appointed to an interim position on the Bigfork Land Use Advisory Committee.

BSC Chairman Craig Wagner said that he has been in contact with two possible candidates, but that anyone interested should step forward.

In a brief meeting last Thursday, John Lang updated the group on the progress of the Resort Tax Committee, a group charged with exploring the pros and cons and feasibility of a Bigfork resort tax.

Lang said the group, which meets at noon on Tuesdays at the Chamber of Commerce, has two possible district maps nearly created, either of which could be an option for such a tax.

Because Bigfork is unincorporated, the resort tax district can not exceed 2,500 residents. Lang said the group also restricted the possible district lines to Flathead County. Though a two-county district does exist at Big Sky, the administrative process for crossing county lines has been deemed too cumbersome at this stage, he said.

Lang said one of the next steps for the committee is to obtain or create a "capital facilities priority list" to itemize projects that the windfall from such a tax would support.

A resort tax would have to be presented to voters in order to be enacted, something Lang said is a long ways off, as the committee still has fact-finding and organization to accomplish.

The BSC sponsored a presentation on light pollution and responsible lighting given by Drew Hubatsek on Tuesday night at Bethany Lutheran Church. Hubatsek will help organize a lighting standards subcommittee of BSC this spring.

Robin Steincross, the executive director of the Flathead Lakers, will speak at the March 13 meeting and present information about the proposed North Shore Ranch subdivision immediately east of Somers. That meeting will be held at the normal time, noon, in the library of Bethany Lutheran Church.