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Real Briefings

Bellingham City Council

BEL-CON-2024-12-09 December 09, 2024 City Council Regular Meeting City of Bellingham 32 min
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The Bellingham City Council conducted its final regular meeting of 2024, focusing primarily on housing initiatives, budget adoption, and infrastructure contracts. Mayor Kim Lund highlighted her recent Executive Order 2024-02 directing accelerated actions to address the city's housing crisis, including proposed interim ordinances to eliminate parking minimums, allow infill development citywide, and streamline design review. The council adopted the 2025 budget and approved several significant contracts, including a $434,910 award for the North Haven Tiny House Community Project and a $3.6 million indefinite delivery contract for concrete repairs. Committee discussions included extensive work sessions on landlord-tenant relations and "junk fees" ordinances, with staff presenting revised drafts for both residential and manufactured home regulations. The evening concluded with executive session actions authorizing two Lake Whatcom watershed property acquisitions totaling $225,000.

**Final Ordinance Approvals (all passed 6-0):** - AB 24335: Increased solid waste utility tax from 11.5% to 17.25% - AB 24336: Updated city investment policies and procedures - AB 24337: Adopted the 2025 city budget **Contract Awards:** - AB 24351: S&S Concrete Construction awarded $1,279,812 for indefinite delivery concrete repairs (not to exceed $3.6 million over four years) - AB 24359: Summit Construction awarded $434,910 for North Haven Tiny House Community Project site improvements *…

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**Housing Crisis Response:** Mayor Lund's Executive Order 2024-02 emerged as the central policy focus, directing three broad areas of action. The order aims to diversify housing options through priority development review and interim legislative changes, streamline permitting processes to spur development and reduce costs, and incentivize partnerships for harder-to-develop housing like permanently affordable units and tiny home villages. The mayor emphasized urgency, noting the city hasn't recovered from thousands of housing units lost during the 2008-2012 recession while current demand exceeds supply. **Landlord-Tenant Relations:** Extended work sessions addressed proposed ordinances prohibiting "junk fees" in residential and manufactured home leases. Staff presented three draft approaches, with council ultimately directing amendments to staff's revised ordinance for bot…
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**Mayor Kim Lund** strongly advocated for urgent action on housing, stating the city has "not yet caught up from the deficit of thousands of housing units" and emphasizing that "we need more housing overall and more options that are in reach for everyone." She positioned the executive order as implementing "achievable smart fixes that we can implement now" ahead of required state law changes. **Council Member Michael Lilliquist** raised cost-effectiveness questions about the tiny home project, performing quick calculations showing approximately $60,000 per unit when includi…
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**Mayor Kim Lund, on housing urgency:** "We have a critical housing shortage in Bellingham. We have not yet caught up from the deficit of thousands of housing units that resulted from the 2008 to 2012 economic recession, and we aren't adding enough new housing to meet today's demands." **Mayor Lund, on executive order scope:** "These are some of the achievable smart fixes that we can implement now. I join with members of this city council and the community who feel an urgency to invest in thi…
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**Immediate Actions:** - December 16, 2024: Continued work session on landlord-tenant relations ordinances - December 16, 2024: Draft interim parking minimum elimination ordinance expected for council consideration - December 20, 2024: Closing on $225,000 Lake Whatcom watershed property acquisition - Conservation easement replacement with Otto property to occur "as soon as practicable" **Upcoming Public Engagement:** - January 13, 2025: Public hearing scheduled on interim ordinance eliminating park…

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**Housing Policy Acceleration:** The meeting formalized Mayor Lund's executive order approach, moving from discussion to implementation phase with specific timelines for interim ordinances and administrative actions. **Budget Authority:** Council approved final 2024 budget amendments providing necessary spending authority for museum, library, and legal departments while establishing interfund loan mechanisms for workers compensation coverage. **Infrastructure Capacity:** Approved contracts establish four-year concrete repair capability and advance tiny home village development, directly exp…
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# City Council Advances Housing Initiatives Amid Active December Session The Bellingham City Council gathered for their December 9, 2024 regular meeting with housing at the forefront of discussions, marking another significant step in the city's ongoing efforts to address the local housing crisis. With Council President Dan Hammill excused, President Pro Tempore Hollie Huffman presided over a packed agenda that spanned from routine administrative matters to major policy initiatives. ## Housing Takes Center Stage The evening's most significant conversation centered around Mayor Kim Lund's recently issued Executive Order 2024-02, which commits the city to immediate administrative actions to expand housing opportunities. In her mayor's report, Lund outlined the urgency driving the order, painting a stark picture of Bellingham's housing landscape. "We have a critical housing shortage in Bellingham," Lund told the council and community members in attendance. "We have not yet caught up from the deficit of thousands of housing units that resulted from the 2008 to 2012 economic recession, and we aren't adding enough new housing to meet today's demands." The executive order, issued November 21st, directs action in three broad areas: diversifying housing options through priority development review and proposed interim legislative changes; streamlining permitting processes to reduce costs and timelines; and incentivizing partnerships to create harder-to-develop housing types like permanently affordable units and tiny home v…
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### Meeting Overview The Bellingham City Council held their regular meeting on December 9, 2024, with six council members present (Council President Hammill excused). The meeting focused heavily on housing initiatives, including Mayor Lund's Executive Order 2024-02 expanding housing options, contract awards for infrastructure projects, and work sessions on landlord-tenant relations. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Executive Order 2024-02:** Mayor Lund's directive issued November 21, 2024, committing the city to intermediate steps addressing Bellingham's urgent housing shortage through administrative actions and proposed interim ordinances. **Interim Ordinance:** A temporary law allowing immediate action while staff develops permanent regulations, specifically mentioned for eliminating parking minimums citywide. **IDIQ Contract:** Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract allowing work to be performed under individual work orders on an as-needed basis over multiple years. **Conservation Easement:** A legal agreement restricting property development to protect environmental resources, particularly relevant for Lake Whatcom Watershed properties. **Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC):** A committee that reviews and recommends funding for projects using lodging tax revenue to support tourism and downtown activation. **Interfund Loan:** A financial mechanism allowing the city to loan money from one fund to another, such as the $600,000 loan from the general fund to the workers comp fund. **Junk Fees:** Unfair or excessive fees charged to tenants by landlords, which the council is working to prohibit through new ordinances. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Kim Lund | Mayor | | Hannah Stone | Council Member, First Ward | | Holly Huffman | Council Member, Second Ward (President Pro Tempore) | | Edwin "Skip" Williams | Council Member, Fourth Ward | | Lisa Anderson | Council Member, Fifth Ward | | Michael Lilliquist | Council Member, Sixth Ward | | Jace Cotton | Council Member, At-…
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Housing Budget & Finance Transportation & Infrastructure Government Operations AB 24253 AB 24254 AB 24335 AB 24336 AB 24337 AB 24351 AB 24352 AB 24353 AB 24354 AB 24355 AB 24356 AB 24357 AB 24358 AB 24359 AB 24360 Bellingham Police Department Department Of Commerce Fbi Port Of Bellingham Sns Concrete Construction Summit Construction Whatcom County Whatcom Land Trust Alan Marriner Blake Lyon Hannah Stone Hollie Huffman Jace Cotton Kim Lund Lisa Anderson Michael Lilliquist Skip Williams Tara Sundin Budget Finance Climate Action Concrete Repairs Conservation Easements Economic Development Electrification Executive Order Housing Budget Housing Policy Infrastructure Investment Lake Whatcom Watershed Landlord Tenant Relations Middle Housing Parking Minimums Rental Housing Solid Waste Tiny Homes