Compiled by Barry MacHale
Action Taken at September 24, 2024 Meeting
Shall the council:
257. Fill the vacancy on the Justice Project Oversight and Planning Committee? The justice project committee monitors the Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force, the county’s progress toward implementation of plan goals, recommends periodic updates to the implementation plan and contributes to its annual report to the County Council. Trevor Aerts is appointed 7-0 to the behavioral health provider position. He is currently employed as a private substance use disorder treatment provider. (AB2024-598) Appointed 7-0
258. Authorize the executive to sign a $133,060 contract with the Northwest Natural Resource Group of Seattle for the development of a forest management plan in the Lake Whatcom watershed? The plan would cover the county-owned Lake Whatcom Park and Lookout Mountain Forest Preserve, as well as City of Bellingham-owned properties within the watershed. The contract expires on 12/31/2025. (AB2024-605) Authorized 7-0
259. Authorize the executive to accept a $2,733,126 state grant (amendment #20) to fund various public health services? Programs funded include: cannabis- and tobacco-use prevention; emergency preparedness; vaccine promotion activities; refugee health programs. The original contract to approve the relationship between the county and the state was approved at the 1/11/2022 meeting. The total amended amount is $18,991,359; it expires on 12/31/2024. (AB2024-607) Authorized 5-2, Ben Elenbaas and Mark Stremler opposed.
260. Authorize the executive to sign two contracts – totaling $5 million – with the City of Lynden ($2 million) and the City of Ferndale ($3 million) to provide EDI loans/grants to support treatment plant upgrades? The county administers the Economic Development Investment Board (EDI program) — the money comes from portions of the rural sales tax which can only be used for public facility projects. The City of Lynden will receive a $1,333,333 grant and a $666,668 loan for a wastewater treatment plant upgrade. The City of Ferndale will receive a $1 million grant and a $2 million loan for a water treatment plant upgrade. The loans/ grant will be used to purchase construction equipment necessary to meet the projected 2025 construction start times. The contracts expire on 12/31/2044. (AB2024-609/610) Authorized 7-0
261. Authorize the executive to sign a $100,000 contract (amendment #2) with Lifeline Connections of Vancouver, Washington, to provide substance use disorder assessments and post-treatment coordination services? The services will support individuals exiting Whatcom County Jail. The purpose of the amendment is to add funding and extend coverage to the county emergency room. The total amended amount is $420,619; it expires on 6/30/2025. (AB2024-611) Authorized 7-0
262. Authorize the executive to sign a $398,709 contract with the Whatcom Center for Early Learning to expand mental health support services to low-income children? Expansion of services will include: increasing licensed staff; implementing a Master of Social Work intern program; offering parenting classes using an evidence-based curriculum; and providing staff development and training opportunities. The contract expires on 3/31/2026. (AB2024-612) Authorized 7-0
263. Authorize the executive to accept a $227,140 state grant to fund a Washington Conservation Corps crew and supervisor? (Council acting as the flood control district board of supervisors.) The crew will assist with salmon habitat, flood, and stormwater projects, water quality monitoring, and emergency response. The work season runs from 10/1/2024 to 9/30/2025. (AB2024-614) Authorized 7-0
264. Confirm the executive’s appointment of Dan Kostozewski and Gervasio Tirigall to the Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee? The committee’s purpose is to assist the county in planning, funding, developing, and implementing facilities and programs that increase bicycle and pedestrian activity and safety. Dan Kostozewski is currently the creative director for a branding agency in the outdoor sports industry. Gervasio Tirigall is currently employed as a product manager in the technology and finance industries. (AB2024-619) Confirmed 7-0
265. Authorize the executive to award the low bid of $249,152 to JT Muenscher General Contractor for the demolition of the hostel building at Bay Horizon Park? The engineer’s estimate was $228,000. Eight bids were received; the high bid was $1,983,957. (AB2024-622) Authorized 7-0
266. Authorize the executive to accept a $440,000 federal grant to purchase a rapid DNA testing machine? The grant is from the U.S. Department of Justice and will provide desperately needed technological assistance for criminal investigations by the sheriff’s office. The grant expires on 6/30/2025. (AB2024-624) Authorized 7-0
267. Adopt the six-year (2025-2030) water resources improvement program? (Public hearing held: council acting as the flood control district board of supervisors.) The council approved the 2024-2029 plan at the 10/10/2023 meeting, vote #278. State law requires counties to annually update their six-year water resources improvement programs. The program includes projects that address flood management, salmon recovery, sediment/debris flow issues, and stormwater plans. AB2024-564 (Resolution 2024-038) Approved 7-0
268. Amend the 2024 Flood Control Zone District and subzones budget (request #5) in the amount of $257,550? (Council acting as the flood control district board of supervisors.) Appropriated: $7,550 to fund increased labor costs; $250,000 for technical assistance with water rights adjudication costs. AB2024-602 (Resolution 2024-039) Approved 7-0
269. Approve the six-year (2025-2030) transportation improvement program? (Public hearing held.) The council approved the 2023-2028 plan at the 9/27/2022 meeting, vote #240. State law requires counties to annually update their transportation plans. The plan establishes a list of needed capital improvements and eligibility for state and federal funds and sets the rate for impact fees. Updates also include the 14-year capital ferry improvement plan. AB2024-579 (Resolution 2024-040) Approved 7-0
270. Adopt six amendments to the zoning code? (Public hearing held.) The amendments will clarify, fix grammar, and modify or add minor policies, including the permitting of cannabis retail operations in Urban Growth Area locations zoned as Light Impact Industrial districts. AB2024-545 (Ordinance 2024-046) Adopted 7-0
271. Amend the 2020 shoreline management program? (Public hearing held.) State law requires Whatcom County to develop and administer a plan to manage the shoreline within the administrative unit and update it every eight years. AB2024-559 (Ordinance 2024-047) Adopted 6-1, Ben Elenbaas opposed.
272. Address the manner of the annual submission of taxing district levy amounts to the Whatcom County Council? Each taxing district within the county is required annually to file a budget by November 30. The ordinance would require the submission of a standard form for the purpose of clarity and uniformity. AB2024- 565 (Ordinance 2024-048) Adopted 7-0
273. Amend the 2024 budget (request #12) in the amount of $9,347,192? Approved: $500,000 to fund conflict council attorneys; $1,572,165 for development disabilities funding; $300,000 for property acquisition in Acme Valley; $195,861 for Lookout Mountain road repair; $100,000 for Governors Point trailhead design; $250,00 for affordable housing; $3 million for City of Ferndale water treatment plant; $2 million for City of Lynden wastewater treatment plant; $1 million for City of Bellingham mitigation bank. There are nine additional expenditures under $100,000 that total $430,989. AB2024-594 (Ordinance 2024- 049) Adopted 5-2, Ben Elenbaas and Mark Stremler opposed.
274. Establish a $264,600 project-based budget for the Lookout Mountain road repair project fund? The project will repair damage sustained in the November 2021 storm event. AB2024-596 (Ordinance 2024-050) Adopted 6-1, Mark Stremler opposed.
275. Establish a $100,000 project-based budget for the Governors Point project fund? The project will acquire 98 acres of wooded shoreline within Bellingham Bay to develop the property into a public park. AB2024-597 (Ordinance 2024-051) Adopted 5-2, Ben Elenbaas and Mark Stremler opposed.
276. Establish a Whatcom County code relating to the naming and re-naming of county-owned public buildings, properties, parks, and facilities? The code will establish criteria and procedures for the selection of names that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion. AB2024-314 (Ordinance 2024-052) Adopted 5-2, Ben Elenbaas and Mark Stremler opposed.
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Action Taken at October 8, 2024 Meeting
Shall the council:
277. Authorize the executive to sign a $1 million grant agreement with the City of Bellingham for the Wetland Mitigation Bank? This Economic Development Investment (EDI) grant will help fund the Mitigation Bank Project/Bear Creek Corridor construction. The county administers the EDI program; the money comes from portions of the rural sales tax which can only be used for public facility projects. The three mitigation sites are east and west of Northwest Drive; Waldron Road is on the north and Stuart Road on the south. The grant expires on 12/31/2029. (AB2024-608) Authorized 6-1, Ben Elenbaas opposed.
278. Fill a vacancy on the Justice Project Oversight and Planning Committee? The committee monitors progress and makes update recommendations regarding the justice project implementation plan, and ensures public engagement and communications. Pamela Kahn was appointed 7-0 to the supportive housing position/behavioral health provider. She holds a master’s degree in social work and is employed as a reentry and housing specialist at City Gate Apartments, a transitional living facility operated by Pioneer Human Services in Bellingham. (AB2024-616)
279. Authorize the executive to accept a total of $1,100,039 in federal/state grants for site assessment and preliminary analysis of 11 culverts in Whatcom County? The federal grant is $880,031 and the state grant is $220,008. One component of the plan is correcting fish passage barriers that block access to tributary, floodplain and estuarine habitats. Seven of the culverts are located on lower Nooksack tributaries, three are located on the North Fork of the Nooksack River and the 11th is near Birch Bay. The state and federal government are responsible for preliminary engineering, right-of-way acquisition and project construction. The grant expires on 12/31/2030. (AB2024-641) Authorized 7-0
280. Authorize the executive to sign a $197,346 contract with AssetWorks of Wayne, Pa., for the purchase and implementation of a fleet management software? Public Works will use the new system to better manage the county equipment and vehicle fleet with their associated assets and functions. The contract expires on 9/30/2026. (AB2024-648) Authorized 7-0
281. Authorize the executive to sign a $405,000 contract (amendment #12) with Clean Earth Environmental Solutions of King of Prussia, Pa., to operate the county’s moderate risk waste facility? The origin contract was approved at the 12/4/2012 meeting, vote #207. It was a three-year $1,050,000 contract with Burlington Environmental of Houston, Texas. This amendment updates pricing as the contractor has experienced sharp price increases across the board for labor, as well as transportation, storage and disposal of hazardous waste. A feasibility study was recently completed to assess the potential transition of management and operations of the toxics facility by the county. The total amended contract is $5,191,260; it expires on 6/30/2025. (AB2024-655) Authorized 7-0
282. Authorize the executive to sign two contracts — totaling $1,531,940 — with Lydia Place ($1,155,524) and Ferndale Community Services ($376,416) to increase housing stability for families with children under six? The purpose is to reduce children’s negative health outcomes that result from the stress and trauma associated with housing instability and increase their well-being; both contracts expire on 12/31/2025. (AB2024-628/659) Authorized 6-1, Mark Stremler opposed.
283. Authorize the executive to sign a $474,786 contract with Lydia Place to expand mental health and parent support services to low-income families with children under six? The contract will support the development of a paid mental health intern, provide a one full-time mental health clinician and a one full-time family support specialist position, and engage in workforce development training and other activities that increase the number of skilled early childhood care providers; the contract expires on 4/30/2026. (AB2024-664) Authorized 6-1, Mark Stremler opposed.
284. Extend the contract with Pacifica Law Group? The legal services are related to Initiative 2024-01. In September 2024, the Superior Court ruled that the substance of the initiative was invalid. The purpose of this amendment is to extend the length of the contract and to expand the scope of services to a possible file of review by the state Supreme Court. (AB2024-670) Approved 4-3, Tyler Byrd, Ben Elenbaas and Mark Stremler opposed.
285. Establish regular council meeting dates for 2025? The Whatcom County Charter requires the council to meet 22 times per year. Meetings are scheduled for Tuesday, except for the first meeting in November which will be held on Wednesday. Meetings will be held twice per month, except for one in August and December. AB2024-572 (Resolution 2024-041) Approved 7-0
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Action Taken at October 22, 2024 Meeting
Shall the council:
286. Fill a vacancy on the Forest Resilience Task Force? The task force was created to develop and support the implementation of a comprehensive forest resilience plan for Whatcom County. Thomas Smith was appointed 7-0 to the trust land beneficiary representative position. Thomas Smith is retired from the state Department of Natural Resources, and he was employed by them for 35 years. He currently serves as a Whatcom Fire District #16 commissioner and holds bachelor of science in forest resource management. (AB2024-638)
287. Authorize the executive to sign two contracts — totaling $1,311,499 — with Whatcom County Fire Protection District 7 and the City of Bellingham for the 2024-2026 paramedic training costs? The contracts will fund program administration, student wages and benefits, preceptor training, and class supplies. This contracts reimburses Bellingham ($1,144,274 for five students) and Fire Protection District 7 ($167,225 for one student) for costs associated with the 2025 paramedic training program. The funding source is the EMS levy. The contracts expire on 3/31/2026. (AB2024-678/679) Authorized 6-1, Tyler Byrd opposed.
288. Authorize the executive sign a $452,907 contract with Brigid Collins Family Support Center to expand mental health services to children below ages six? The contract will support seven current and new licensed mental health providers who will provide therapy to an estimated 240 children and caregivers, parent coaching to an estimated 45 individuals or 22 families, as well as 120 parenting groups and parenting seminars, resources and referrals, in individual and group settings across Whatcom County. The contract expires on 4/30/2026. (AB2024-681) Authorized 6-1, Mark Stremler opposed.
289. Authorize the executive sign a $271,817 contract with the Ferndale School District to expand mental health services to children from ages three to five? The contract will support the development and delivery of mental health services to up to 230 early learners; it includes adding a one full-time social worker/ mental health specialist position and the development of a master’s level clinical social work internship program to increase service capacity. The contract expires on 8/31/2026. (AB2024-683) Authorized 6-1, Mark Stremler opposed.
290. Authorize the executive sign a $67,000 contract to expand licensed infant childcare capacity? The contract with the St. Francis Foundation dba Generations Early Learning will fund the conversion of a room within an existing licensed childcare facility to expand overall capacity. The contract expires on 6/30/2032. (AB2024-684) Authorized 6-1, Mark Stremler opposed.
291. Authorize the executive to sign a $120,000 contract with Ferndale Community Services to operate an overnight severe weather shelter? The facility will provide emergency shelter services for up to 15 individuals (men, woman and accompanied minors) during nighttime and daytime hours, dictated by low temperature thresholds, outside of Bellingham city limits. This contract is being funded by a state homeless grant. The contract expires on 4/30/2025. (AB2024-686) Authorized 7-0
292. Authorize the executive to sign a funding agreement with the federal government for the operation and maintenance of the stream gage? (Council acting as the flood control district board of supervisors.) The city partners with U.S. Department of Interior/U.S. Geological Survey for the operation and maintenance of stream gages. There are total of 11 gages, nine are on the Nooksack River, one on Jones Creek and and one on the Sumas River. Three gages were installed two years ago. The total cost of the program is $177,662 — the county’s share is $167,292 (a big increase over 2023) and the federal government’s share is $10,370. In the agreement approved at the 9/26/2023 meeting, vote #254, the federal government contributed $49,713 and the county $117,217. The City of Abbotsford, Canada, will be reimbursed $5,050 for the Everson Main Street overflow gaging station. The agreement runs from 10/1/2024 to 9/30/2025. (AB2024-687) Authorized 7-0
293. Authorize the executive to sign a contract in an amount not to exceed $40,000 (amendment #1) with the Pacifica Law Group of Seattle for the Whatcom County Council legal services appeals process regarding Initiative 2024-01? In September 2024, the Superior Court ruled that the substance of the Healthy Children’s Fund initiative was invalid. The council approved the original $60,000 contract at the 8/15/2024 special meeting, vote #228. The purpose of this amendment is to extend the length of the contract and to expand the scope of services to a possible file of review by the state Supreme Court. The total amended amount is $100,000. The contract expires on 12/31/2025. (AB2024-704) Authorized 4-3, Tyler Byrd, Ben Elenbaas, and Mark Stremler opposed.
294. Approve the 2025 – 2030 six-year transportation improvement program? (Public hearing held.) The previous plan for 2024- 2029 was approved at the 9/26/2023 meeting, vote #264. State law requires counties to annually update their transportation plans. The plan establishes a list of needed capital improvements and eligibility for state and federal funds and sets the rate for impact fees. Updates also include the 14-year capital ferry improvement plan. AB2024-644 (Resolution 2024-042) Approved 7-0
295. Approve the Whatcom County 2025 annual construction program? (Public hearing held.) State law requires that county engineers recommend an annual plan for laying out, constructing, and maintaining county roads. The council adopted the 2024 plan at the 9/26/2023 meeting, vote #291. The 2025 program includes 66 projects: $13,669,000 in local funds, $16,665,000 in state and federal funds for total estimated expenditures of $30,324,000. AB2024-639 (Resolution 2024-043) Approved 7-0
296. Amend the 2024 Flood Control Zone District and Subzones Budget (request #6) in the amount of $11,350? (Council acting as the flood control district board of supervisors.) Appropriated: $11,350 to fund cost increases associated with a six-member Washington Conservation Corps that assists with the installation and maintenance of plantings for salmon habitat, as well as with flood and stormwater projects. AB2024-642 (Resolution 2024- 044) Approved 7-0
297. Approve the revised comprehensive sewer plan for the Samish Water District? State law requires all comprehensive water and sewer system plans and plan amendments be approved or rejected by the county legislative authority. The state Department of Ecology has approved the Samish Water District plan with modifications and it is forwarded to the council for final approval. AB2024-656 (Resolution 2024-045) Approved 6-1, Barry Buchanan was temporarily absent.
298. Affirm food security as a public health priority? This resolution formally requests that the county executive: seek federal, state, and local funding to support implementation of the Whatcom County food systems plan and expand food bank funding; support planning, policy development, and partnership building that supports equitable access to food and nutrition resources; and monitor the efficacy of activities and programs addressing access to food resources. AB2024-571 (Resolution 2024-046) Amended and approved 7-0.
299. Add San Juan County to the membership of the Northwest Clean Air Agency? The agency is a multicounty (Skagit County, Whatcom County and Island County) air pollution control authority organized under the Washington State Clean Air Act and is responsible for enforcing federal, state, and local air quality regulations at stationary sources of pollution. AB2024-662 (Resolution 2024-047) Approved 6-1, Ben Elenbaas abstained.
300. Amend the project budget for the Plantation Rifle Range (request #2) lead reclamation and capital improvement fund? The $655,000 fund was established at the 11/22/2022 meeting, vote #298. Appropriated: $158,753 to fund final reclamation planning phases. The total cleanup liability has been assessed at $13,830,000. The total amended project budget is $858,753. AB2024-657 (Ordinance 2024-053) Adopted 6-1, Todd Donovan opposed.
301. Amend the project budget for the Hovander Park building improvements fund (request #2) in the amount of $151,378? The council established the $275,000 project-based budget at the 11/22/2016 meeting, vote #215. The fund was established to demolish two deteriorated buildings and construct a new parks’ shop building. Request #2 will fund final design and engineering services. The total estimated cost to design and construct a new building outside the flood plain is $1,745,000. The total amended project budget is $426,378. AB2024-658 (Ordinance 2024-054) Adopted 6-1, Ben Elenbaas opposed.
302. Amend the 2024 budget (request #13) in the amount of $2,122,735? Appropriated: $50,000 to fund the naloxone box pilot project; $440,000 to purchase a rapid DNA machine; $300,000 for the medical examiner budget shortfall; $70,000 for the Nesset caretaker house roof replacement; $200,000 for general election costs; $380,971 for Plantation Rifle Range lead remediation; and $421,797 for additional 2024 insurance premium costs. There were 10 additional costs below $50,000 totaling $259,967. AB2024-660 (Ordinance 2024-055) Adopted 6-1, Tyler Byrd opposed.