WHITEFISH - Whitefish City Council members approved an amendment Monday night to require all residential properties to permanently switch to bear-resistant containers.
Whitefish City Manager Dana Smith says the Council approved the amendment to the municipal waste contract requiring bear-resistant containers for residential locations unanimously, with Councilor Fuery and Councilor Norton absent.
The vote came after an uptick in bear sightings in Whitefish with as many as 19 bears spotted getting into garbage last September.
Republic Services will now provide bear-resistant containers to all Whitefish residents by the end of August. Residents would roughly see a $6 tax increase in monthly garbage service costs.
Republic Services serves close to 4,000 residential garbage accounts in Whitefish.
