Action Taken at April 13, 2026 Meeting
Shall the council:
46. Authorize the mayor to sign a $590,000 purchase and sale agreement with Connor McCollum for surplus property located at 858 E. Smith Road? This 0.97-acre of city-owned parcel has a 2,891 square foot home that has served as an ambulance station. The city purchased the property in 2002 for $198,000 and the parcel was appraised in February of 2024 at $710,000. At the 7/1/2024 meeting, vote #128, the council declared the parcel surplus and authorized its sale. The sale of the property at the 12/8/2025 meeting, vote #249, for $630,00 was not finalized. (Discussed in Executive Session) Motion Carried 7-0
47. Authorize the mayor to sign a sub-recipient reimbursement agreement with Whatcom County for the What-Comm Communications Center? This agreement provides for pass-through funding from the Washington State Military Department. It is directed to the City of Bellingham’s What-Comm Communications Center in support of reimbursement for capital equipment expenses. The state has contracted with Whatcom County to provide reimbursement for certain eligible expenses. By law, these funds must be distributed to Whatcom County. This agreement begins on 7/1/2025, and ends on 8/15/2027. The maximum allocated amount is $94,107. (AB24875) Approved 7-0
48. Authorize the Bellingham Police Department to apply for a $44,163 federal grant? (Public hearing held.) The city will will be allocated $32,351 and Whatcom County $11,812. The Bellingham Police Department will use the 2025 Byrne Justice Assistance Grant to purchase radio and computer equipment, and associated accessories, to equip a third police motorcycle unit as part of overall efforts to increase the number of traffic officers. The county will use the grant money for ballistic resistant helmets and ballistic belts. (AB24876) Approved 7-0
49. Appropriate $11,051,790 for payroll checks issued from February 16, 2026 through March 15, 2026? (AB24877/24878) Approved 7-0
50. Authorize the mayor to sign an extended agreement with the Whatcom Conservation District for the Lake Whatcom Homeowner Incentive Program? The original agreement with Whatcom County was approved at the 6/17/2013 meeting, vote #117. Since the program is no longer funded via a grant, the agreement approved at the 1/23/2017 meeting, vote #13, served as the implementation framework for the revised program and was developed collaboratively by both city and county staff. The Whatcom Conservation District will perform work for the Homeowner Incentive Program, including but not limited to aiding interested landowners in plan development, assisting in the creation of plan designs that meet program requirements, inspecting projects to assure compliance with design requirements, and aiding landowners in project reimbursement requests. This agreement is in effect for services performed from the notice to proceed through the end of December, 2027. (AB24879) Approved 7-0
51. Authorize the mayor to accept a $57,000 grant from the Whatcom Transportation Authority for the Barkley Boulevard/Racine Street intersection? The grant is from the Whatcom Transportation Authority’s Transit Access Fund. The project aims to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety by installing ADA-compliant curb ramps and marked crosswalks with rectangular rapid flashing beacons at the existing east and west crossings. The new crosswalks will be realigned to shorten crossing distances and reduce pedestrian exposure to vehicles. Additionally, the city has coordinated with the WTA to consolidate two existing bus stops into a new ADA-compliant stop on the northwest corner of the intersection to serve WTA Route 540. (AB24880) Approved 7-0
52. Appropriate $6,236,163 for goods and services checks issued from March 6 through March 19, 2026? (AB24881/24882) Approved 7-0
53. Enter into a cooperative purchasing agreement with the Education Service Center — Region 19 Allied States Cooperative for payment processing software? The cooperative is a state agency located in El Paso, Texas, which provides purchasing options for educational and government entities throughout the U.S. This agreement authorizes the city to “piggyback” on the cooperative’s competitively procured contracts, as authorized by state law. Piggybacking on contracts awarded by a “host” agency allows the city to save time and potentially obtain better prices and terms than the city might be able to obtain on its own. (AB24883) Approved 7-0
54. Authorize the mayor to sign a contract for a negotiated surplus timber sale with Janicki Logging Company? The city acquired and now manages an assemblage of watershed parcels on the north side of Galbraith Mountain known as the North Beaver Preserve. To accomplish forest health goals, forest thinning is necessary to reduce total trees per acre. This site, however, has difficult legal access due to a patchwork of private land surrounding the site. The Janicki Logging Company is one of the adjacent landowners and currently has an agreement in place for hauling timber through the other two private parcels. The timber will be “export restricted,” and the company will remove the timber conveyed and complete all work required by 9/30/2027. The city estimates up to $30,000 in revenue; most of the money will most likely be used to repair roads on city property. (AB24890) Approved 7-0
55. Authorize the mayor to accept a $1,682,000 federal grant for several downtown intersections? Grant funds for the project will reconstruct traffic signals, install curb extensions, install bike lane improvements, and make upgrades complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act along Railroad Avenue at the Magnolia, Holly and Chestnut Street intersections. The project also includes Cornwall Avenue at the Magnolia, Holly and Chestnut Street intersections. The total estimated cost is $3,500,000, with $1,818,000 in local funds. Construction is expected to be completed by December 2026. (AB24892) Approved 7-0
56. Authorize the mayor to sign an aquatic lands lease with the state of Washington for purposes of construction and public use of Salish Landing Park? At the 9/15/2025 meeting, vote #182, the council authorized the low bid of $48,779,160 for cleanup of the R.G. Haley/Cornwall landfill sites and construction of the Salish Landing Park. This lease is with the state Department of Natural Resources for the use of aquatic lands to complete the construction and allow public use of Bellingham Bay, including DNR tidelands, for Salish Landing Park. This lease has no financial transaction; the term is 30 years, beginning on 11/1/ 2025 and ending on 10/31/2055, unless terminated sooner. (AB24894) Approved 7-0
57. Approve the City Council Strategic Communications and Community Engagement Plan? At the 7/24/2017 meeting, vote #126, the council initially adopted a communications plan.The purpose of the communications plan was to ensure that the council offices, as well as individual council members, provide relevant, accurate and consistent information to disparate audiences. This Strategic Communications and Community Engagement Plan is a revision and expansion of that plan. It references the City Council-approved 2009 Legacies and Strategic Commitments and the 2025 Bellingham Plan. At the 10/30/2023 meeting, vote #219, the council voted to add a communications and community relations manager position to the council office. This role was created to support the work of City Council by delivering effective, accurate, and engaging messages and fostering meaningful community engagement, with coordination from the mayor’s office.(AB24895) Approved 7-0
58. Approve the City Council Communications Charter? This charter revises the objectives, decision process, and client list included in the City Council Communications Plan that the council adopted at the 7/24/2017 meeting, vote #126, This document defines who is involved in Bellingham City Council communications and community engagement and clarifies their related responsibilities. It explains who is involved, what each role is responsible for, and how decisions about messaging are made, and is considered a living document, subject to amendment by a formal vote of the City Council. (AB24896) Approved 7-0
59. Appoint three City of Bellingham elected officials to a regional fire authority? As part of the 2025 budget process, the city determined that public safety costs were escalating faster than revenues. These costs already account for approximately 60 percent of the city’s general fund. Labor expenses, equipment needs, and inflation have created a structural deficit, forcing reductions across the city. To preserve community safety and meet future demands, the city must explore new, dedicated revenue streams. This resolution formally names three city elected officials (Michael Lilliquist, Daniel Hammill and Mayor Kim Lund) to a regional fire authority planning committee tasked with developing a service plan. Fire Protection District 8 will then name three of its commissioners to also join the committee. Ultimate approval of a regional fire authority will require adoption by both the City Council and the Fire District 8 board of commissioners and an affirmative public vote. AB24888 (Resolution 2026-05) Approved 7-0
60. Grant the public works director the authority to close alleys on the recommendation of the chief of police to prevent criminal activity and for public health and safety? This ordinance will provide an additional tool to disrupt the drug dealing and other illegal activity that has become entrenched in some alleys. In 2025, the police department documented 108 incidents of violence and 342 drug-related calls, including 89 overdoses, on one three-block of the alley in the downtown. Closing an alley provides a more structural solution than a continued enforcement response and sends a clear message that hubs for illegal activity will not be tolerated. Access will be retained for business and property owners, their vendors, utility and sanitation workers, and government and emergency personnel. AB24867 (Ordinance 2026-04-006) Approved 6-0-1, Michael Lilliquist abstained.
61. Amend the fee schedule for the Rental Registration and Safety Inspection Program? The express purpose of the registration/ inspection program is protecting the public health, safety, and welfare of tenants by requiring the proper maintenance of residential rental housing. At the 3/9/2015 meeting, vote #51, the City Council adopted the Rental Registration and Safety Inspection Program. At the 11/6/2023 meeting, vote #223, and the 2/26/2024 meeting, vote #38, the City Council identified several improvements to the program including updating fees to support additional efforts under the program that were approved by council. This amendment amends the existing fee schedule, which will accrue every 30 days instead of every two weeks, to make billing for rental registration and safety inspections more practical. It changes late fees for inspections to match registration late fees to minimize confusion by the public, simplify billing, and clarify how and when late fees are assessed. AB24854 (Ordinance 2026-04-007) Approved 7-0
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Action Taken at April 27, 2026 Meeting
Shall the council:
62. Authorize the mayor to sign all documents necessary for the City of Bellingham to participate in the national opioid settlement with the six remnant defendants related to their role in the opioid crisis? (Discussed in Executive Session.) Motion Carried 7-0
63. Appropriate $4,731,615 for goods and services checks issued from March 20, 2026 through April 9, 2026? (AB24893/24906) Approved 7-0
64. Authorize the mayor and fire chief to accept a $6,835,572 federal grant for emergency management? The city’s Office of Emergency Management works to prepare for, respond to, and minimize the impacts of disaster in our community. Emergency Management Performance Grant funds are received annually from the Washington State Military Department with funding provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to offset operating expenses. Funding supports efforts to build and sustain core capabilities across the mission areas of prevention, protection, mitigation, response and recovery of disasters. The Emergency Operations Center is utilized within the City of Bellingham and Whatcom County as needed, and serves as a training facility for both classroom and field response training. (AB24903) Approved 7-0
65. Authorize a memorandum of understanding between the Bellingham Police Department and the Seattle Police Department to provide training and forensic equipment? The Seattle Police Department has lead the Washington State’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force since 1988. It would like to support the City of Bellingham’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit with equipment, training, and overtime. The funding is dedicated to support travel and training costs for task force detectives and forensic examiners. Additionally, sub-awards like this one to affiliate agencies are used to purchase forensic software and required equipment. The memorandum runs from 1/1/2026 through 9/30/2026. (AB24904) Approved 7-0
66. Authorize the mayor to accept a $96,500 state grant for cybersecurity projects? The goal is to provide the city with centralized, identity-driven network access control for all users and devices across our enterprise environment. The grant will be split, with $46,500 allocated to project costs associated with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard gap assessment and $50,000 allocated to the Cisco Identity Services Engine solution using two physical appliances configured in a high-availability setup. Information Technolo Services estimates that the total project costs will be equal to the grant amounts for each project. (AB24910) Approved 7-0
67. Adopt a memorandum agreement with the Lummi Nation, Nooksack Indian Tribe, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife fish barrier culvert remediation project? Representatives of the city and fisheries co-managers, Nooksack Indian Tribe, Lummi Nation, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife signed a voluntary memorandum of agreement in 2022 to work together “to prioritize and create a schedule for remediating culverts owned by the City of Bellingham that block or that partially block anadromous and resident fish passage.” This interagency agreement identifies a body of work estimated to total $289 million in 2025 dollars. The agreement also provides key support for securing grant funding, the primary funding source. (AB24916) Approved 7-0
68. Authorize the mayor to award the low bid of $808,459 to Highline Construction of Bellingham for building improvements at the Pacific Street Operations Center? The engineer’s estimate was $1,331,922. The roof has leaks in multiple locations and needs replacing, heating and ventilation systems need upgrading, the vehicle exhaust system needs replacing, and the fluids storage and distribution system at the fleet building needs addressing. The fleet building at the Pacific Street Operations Center is the central hub for keeping all city department vehicles and equipment in reliable working condition. The work will be phased so the fleet shop can remain operational during construction. The city received eight bids; the high bid was $1,580,401. (AB24918) Approved 7-0
69. Authorize the mayor to sign a memorandum of understanding with Whatcom Transportation Authority for implementation and prioritization of the rapid transit locally preferred alternative? This memorandum outlines how both parties will work together on improvements contained in the rapid transit locally preferred alternative. Implementation will be completed in stages and along different Go Line routes based on ease of implementation, priorities identified in the locally preferred alternative, funding opportunities or other agreed upon prioritization. Key upgrades will include more frequent service, targeted infrastructure upgrades at key intersections and along corridors, efficient stop spacing, improved signal operations and integration, and expanded amenities at stops. (AB24919) Approved 7-0
70. Authorize the city to apply for a $500,000 state grant for property acquisition on Squalicum Creek? The city has a long history of improving fish habitat and fish passage at city-owned fish passage barriers. The city’s fish passage improvement program began in 2003, and, in 2022, resulted in a voluntary memorandum of agreement with the Nooksack Indian Tribe, Lummi Nation, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to formalize their shared goals of improving fish passage. The proposed project grant application would allow the city to address bank instability and improve riparian conditions along Squalicum Creek, and complementing additional road and fish passage investments in crossing at Meridian Street. AB24899 (Resolution 2026-06) Approved 7-0
71. Adopt the rapid transit locally preferred alternative? The rapid transit locally preferred alternative defines the existing Whatcom Transportation Authority Go Lines as high priority transit corridors for further enhancement of service. The goal of the locally preferred alternative is 10-minute headway enhanced service on the four existing WTA Go Lines. The treatments include enhancements to city assets, including traffic signals, roadways and sidewalks, that reduce delays and improve access to bus service. The locally preferred alternative lists implementation projects that will be funded in the future by a combination of the transportation fund, funding from Whatcom Transportation Authority and grants. AB24917 (Resolution 2026-07) Approved 7-0
72. Adopt the 2026 Action Plan and direct the mayor to submit the Action Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development? This resolution relates to the adoption of the 2026 Action Plan, the use of the Community Development Block Grant, HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME), Bellingham Housing Levy and affordable housing sales tax funds, and the allocation of funds to support selected city housing and human services agencies. The annual Action Plan reflects approximately $30 million in expenditures. The 2026 Consolidated Annual Action Plan (“Action Plan”) is required by the federal Department of Housing & Urban Development which identifies activities to be funded by the federal Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnership Program during the July-June program year. These activities must be consistent with the five-year Consolidated Plan that outlines community needs and priorities. The Action Plan program year begins July 1. AB24898 (Resolution #2026-08) Approved 6-0, Hannah Stone recused.
73. Adjust transportation impact fee rates annually for inflation to account for increases in project cost and adopt a transportation impact fee credit for “early learning facilities”? At the 12/10/2018 meeting, vote #210, the council adopted a multimodal transportation impact fee system and a 2019 rate. The city imposes multimodal transportation impact fees on development activity as part of financing public transportation facilities. In 2021, the Washington State Legislature established an allowance in state law for local agencies to provide a impact fees-reduction credit to early learning facilities of 80 percent. Over the last five years, annual impact fee collections have varied from $700K to $2.2 million with an average of approximately $1.3 million per year. AB24891 (Ordinance 2026-04-008) Approved 7-0
74. Amend the number of board members and membership requirement for the Historic Preservation Commission? There have been challenges in recruiting members, especially as it relates to tribal and/or student representation. The number of commissioners are reduced from nine to seven. Membership will no longer be limited to qualified Bellingham electors. Members of the public who live or work in Whatcom County can apply and serve on the commission. Additional minor editorial amendments were introduced for improved clarity and consistency. AB24886 (Ordinance 2026-04-009) Approved 7-0
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Bellingham City Council
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