Action Taken at May 11, 2026 Meeting
Shall the council:
75. Authorize the mayor to extend sewer service to 2863 Seaview Circle? The residence located at 2863 Seaview Circle was constructed in 1949. It is served with water from City of Bellingham and is within the City of Bellingham’s urban growth area. On 3/27/2026, the Whatcom County Health Department performed an on-site sewage system inspection and found that the septic system for the residence had failed and was leaching sewage into Bellingham Bay. There is an existing sewer main approximately 160 feet away located in Seaview Circle abutting the property. (AB24922) Approved 7-0
76. Authorize the mayor to award the low bid of $527,276 to TRICO Companies of Burlington for Lake Whatcom vault retrofits? The engineer’s estimate was $600,755. The project will retrofit existing stormwater vaults that will increase phosphorus removal prior to stormwater discharging to Lake Whatcom. The retrofits consist of four vaults at three sites Academy St. on Northshore Dr., E Connecticut St., and S Poplar Rd. Plus associated stormwater conveyance and restoration work. The city received a state grant for $736,446.67 that required a 25 percent city match. The city received seven bids; the high bid was $10,335,976 (not a typo). (AB24923) Approved 7-0
77. Authorize the mayor to award the low bid of $2,446,734 to Premium Services of Bellingham for Phase 2 of the Little Squalicum water quality retrofits? The engineer’s estimate was $3,143,723. At the 10/21/2024 meeting, vote #211, the City Council approved the Phase 1 low bid for $1,147,620. Phase 2 consists of the installation of seven stormwater treatment vaults and four bioswales located in the Birchwood neighborhood. This project also includes the replacement of a 100-year-old watermain under West Illinois Street from west of the northern entrance to Bellingham Technical College to Lafayette Street. Construction is expected to begin in June and be complete by October. The city received five bids; the high bid was $3,195,698. (AB24924) Approved 7-0
78. Grant a noise variance to Ziply Fiber for the installation of utility crossings under Alabama Street? Construction work in residential-zoned areas between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. requires a noise variance. Ziply and its contractors are proposing to install fiber optic lines at two locations under Alabama Street. One is at the alley west of Nevada Street and the second is at the alley east of Orleans Street. At each location, work will include excavation of a boring pit on one side of Alabama and a receiving pit on the other. Also, several potholes will be excavated to expose the existing utilities, including a 24-inch diameter water main, to verify their location and depth. The work during nighttime hours will minimize traffic impacts and provide for safe and efficient traffic control. (AB24925) Approved 7-0
79. Appropriate $5,871,304 for payroll checks issued from March 16 to March 31, 2026? (AB24920) Approved 7-0
80. Appropriate $6,066,438 for goods and services checks issued from April 10 through April 23, 2026? (AB24930/24931) Approved 7-0
81. A joint resolution of the Bellingham City Council and the Whatcom County Council adopting the Lake Whatcom Watershed Forest Management Plan? The city and county partnered with jointly selected consultant Northwest Natural Resources Group to develop an ecologically based plan for county- and city-owned forestland in the watershed to help advance implementation of the 2025-2029 Lake Whatcom Management Program Work Plan. The plan recommendations span a 30-year timeline and utilize a combination of active and passive restoration strategies; and advise adaptive management for changing conditions. Selective and variable-density thinning is one of the recommended silvicultural tools. By reducing stem density and creating small canopy gaps, these treatments will promote understory regeneration, enhance species age and diversity, and encourage the growth of large-diameter trees characteristic of late seral conditions. AB24928 (Resolution 2026- 09) Approved 7-0
82. Create a limited-term advisory work group to study and make recommendations regarding city landlord and tenant programs? More than 50 percent of Bellingham residents are renters. At the 3/9/2015 meeting, vote #223, the City Council adopted the Rental Registration and Safety Inspection Program. It currently has 22,578 registered rental units. The limited-term working group will study the city’s landlord and tenant programs, policies, and practices to help inform enhancements and updates to better serve the community. The work group shall consist of not less than nine and not more than 13 community members appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council. The work group will terminate upon presentation of a final report no later than end of 2027. AB24929 (Resolution 2026-10) Amended and approved 7-0
83. Adopt the 2026 Parks, Recreation & Open Space Plan? At the 2/24/2020 meeting, vote #33, the council passed the 2020 Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan (PRO Plan). The PRO Plan is an adopted chapter of the Bellingham Comprehensive Plan and a required element of the State Growth Management Act. The staff of the Parks & Recreation Department have been working on updating the plan since the beginning of 2025. This updated plan represents a complete rewrite intended to reflect the needs of the community for the next two decades. The 2026 plan updates facility inventories, level of service metrics, and long-range capital planning. It also incorporates new data, public feedback, and funding strategies to support sustainable operations and system growth. The theme of the plan is “access to recreation, nature, and play.” AB24926 (Resolution 2026-11) Approved 7-0
84. Amend the 2026 adopted budget, reconciling the differences between estimated 2026 beginning reserve balances and actual 2026 reserve balances, and apply the differences to the ending reserve balances? During the budget development process, the finance department estimates beginning reserve balances based on budgeted expenditures and revenues for the year in which the budget is developed. At the beginning of each budget cycle, the city must update the budget with actual beginning reserves and estimate new ending reserves. The reappropriations process brings budget forward from the previous budget cycle for programs and projects authorized but not completed in the previous year. AB24900 (Ordinance 2026-05-010) Approved 7-0
85. Increase appropriations in the 2026 budget by reappropriating unused budget authority to pay for goods and services authorized in the previous budget cycle? The budget authority totals $105,212,637 in expenses and $33,165,962 in revenue from the 2025 budget in various funds. At the end of each budget cycle, all remaining budget authority lapses, even if it is under contract for a project, program, or product. To pay those contracts and continue projects authorized in the previous budget, the City Council must reappropriate the funds. Reappropriations fall into two categories, encumbered and unencumbered. Encumbered funds are those that were associated with open purchase orders or contracts at the end of 2025. Unencumbered funds are related to projects that departments intended to undertake in 2025 but were unable to complete or get under contract. AB24901 (Ordinance 2026-05-011) Approved 7-0
86. Amend the 2026 budget (amendment #1)? The city has identified budget adjustments that were not anticipated when the budget was adopted. It amends the 2026 budget to correct budgetary errors, adjust appropriation authority to provide positive estimated ending reserve balances for all city funds, and add budget authority for items missed during budget development or materialized after adoption of the 2026 budget. This is a housekeeping vote. AB24902 (Ordinance 2026-05-012) Approved 7-0
87. Authorize the fire department to issue $1,000 penalties per incident to licensed care facilities that request fire department resources for non-emergent lift assists? Licensed care facilities are required by state law to have their own resources to be able lift and move their patients through their normal care in the facility. Licensed care facilities have been calling 911 requesting fire department staff respond to their facilities to provide personnel to move patients. This ordinance affects 14 assisted living facilities, five skilled nursing facilities, and nine adult family homes. These 28 facilities have called an average of 231 times a year or 1,153 times over the last five years for patients that did not need emergency medical assistance or transport to the emergency room. The City of Tacoma instituted a similar ordinance. After having the program in place for five years, they now issue 2-3 penalties per year. AB24915 (Ordinance 2026-05-013) Approved 7-0
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Action Taken at May 18, 2026 Meeting
Shall the council:
88. Authorize the mayor to retain outside counsel to represent the City of Bellingham as a defendant in the matter of Scopeletti v. City of Bellingham, et. al? Plaintiff Lea Scopeletti is suing the city and local property owners for a broken leg, lost wages and a permanent disability she sustained from a hole in a Roosevelt neighborhood sidewalk. (Discussed in Executive Session.) Approved 6-0, Daniel Hammill excused.
89. Authorize the mayor to accept a $3,703,583 state grant for the the Bellingham Police Department? The Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission grant is through the Local Law Enforcement Grant program created by Engrossed Substitute House Bill 2015. The public safety funding bill has three main parts. It authorized a new local 0.1 percent sales tax which was approved by City Council at the 10/6/2025 meeting, vote #207. It created a grant program of $100 million, for the specific purpose of recruiting, hiring, and training officers, co-response programs, alternative response, and de-escalation. Finally, it requires accountability by conditioning funding on meeting new standards in use of force training, transparency, and aligning with model policies from the attorney general’s office. The grant revenues will fund hiring officers, employee retention, training, and other public safety efforts. This grant expires on 6/30/2028. (AB24941) Approved 5-0, Lisa Anderson recused, Daniel Hammill excused.
90. Appropriate $5,692,605 for payroll checks issued from April 1 through April 15, 2026? (AB24936) Approved 6-0, Daniel Hammill excused.
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Bellingham City Council
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