Bellingham City Council

Action Taken at June 5, 2017 Meeting

Shall the council:
104. Grant a noise variance to the Washington State Department of Transportation for the I-5 cable barrier upgrade project? Construction work in residentially zoned areas between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. requires a noise variance.The variance is requested to allow work on twelve non-consecutive nights on I-5 within the jurisdiction of the city of Bellingham between the dates of 10/1/2017 and 4/30/2018. The project encompasses two sections through Bellingham – (approximately Donovan Ave. to Lakeway Dr.) and (approximately Sunset Dr. to Bakerview Rd.), and will remove existing three-strand high-tension cable barrier and replace it with four-strand high-tension cable barrier. The night work will minimize roadway hazards to workers and the public and minimize traffic backups and delays. (AB21636) Approved 7-0

105. Approve “Waypoint Park” as the name of the new city park on Whatcom Waterway? It had been temporarily referred to as Whatcom Waterway Park. The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board recommended the names “Waypoint Park” and “Bayheart Park.” City staff and the mayor recommended the name “Waypoint Park.” The name of the acid ball sculpture is Waypoint, a central feature of the park. (AB21639) Approved 7-0

106. Appropriate $3,325,111 for payroll checks issued from April 26 through May 10, 2017? (AB21643) Approved 7-0

107. Appropriate $3,861,901 for goods and services checks issued from May 13 through May 26, 2017? (AB21644/21645) Approved 7-0

108. Adopt the annual six-year (2018-2023) transportation improvement program? (Public hearing held on May 22.) State law requires cities to update their six-year transportation program by July 1 of each year. The program provides a list of capital improvement projects and establishes the city’s eligibility for state and federal funds. The previous six-year program was adopted by the City Council at the 6/20/2016 meeting, vote #106. AB21620 (Resolution 2017-29) Approved 7-0

109. Adopt the 2017 National Electric Code? State law requires cities which choose to enforce the electric codes have equal or greater standards than the state electric code. Washington State has adopted the 2017 National Electric Code effective on 7/1/2017. To remain in compliance with state law, the city of Bellingham must also adopt the 2017 electric code by 7/1/2017. Two additional code amendments have been made: the first clarifies the city’s role in the building permit inspection process and the second requires building permits for all cellular phone towers. A copy of the National Electric Code has been placed on file with the finance director for use by the public. AB21626 (Ordinance 2017-06-016) Approved 7-0

Action Taken at June 19, 2017 Meeting

Shall the council:
110. Direct the legal department and Council President Michael Lilliquist to present a list of points for clarification and consideration by the Whatcom County Council regarding the new jail? The new jail will include housing, booking and administration facilities, expanded medical and behavioral health facilities and jail alternative programming space to serve the needs of the community for the foreseeable future. The Whatcom County Council at the 4/30/2017 meeting, vote #107, affirmed the size as 440 beds, with a 3 percent increase (453) or decrease (427) and an additional 36 medical and behavioral health facility beds. Previous City Council actions included briefings at the 5/8/2017, 5/22/2017 and 6/5/2017 meetings; direction at the 5/22/2017 meeting was to wait until Whatcom County Council took action; direction at the 6/5/2017 meeting was to bring the agenda bill back to the Committee of the Whole on 6/19/2017. (AB21266) Approved 7-0

111. Appropriate $3,557,516 for goods and services checks issued from May 27 through June 9, 2017? (AB21651/21652) Approved 7-0

112. Appropriate $3,204,076 for payroll checks issued from May 11 through May 25, 2017? (AB21653) Approved 7-0

113. Ask Bellingham residents to decline to sign Washington State Initiative 1552? (Public hearing held) Signatures are being gathered to place the initiative on the 2017 general election ballot. The ballot measure would override state/local protections against gender-identify discrimination in certain public accommodation facilities, require that public schools restrict access to some facilities based on sex at birth, and allow related lawsuits against schools. Council asks our community members to decline to sign Initiative 1552, and if enough signatures are gathered to place the initiative on the ballot to vote against I-1552. At the 2/13/2017 meeting, vote #29, the council approved a resolution affirming equal protection for all people residing in the city of Bellingham. AB21647 (Resolution 2017-30) Approved 7-0

114. Amend the 2017/2018 budget? The Greenways IV levy was passed at the 2016 general election after approval of the two-year budget. This ordinance recognizes $9,868,874 in Greenway levy property tax revenues and allocates approximately $2,479,500 or 25 percent in expenditures for priority capital maintenance projects. Staff has compiled a priority list of projects and designated funding for additional operations and project management staff to help accomplish this work. A project manager will be hired for two-years to manage the major capital maintenance projects. Parks Operations will use funds for temporary maintenance labor in 2017, and additional seasonal staff in 2018 for a variety of functions such as trail resurfacing, grounds and facilities maintenance. AB21637 (Ordinance 2017-06-017) Approved 7-0

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