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Bellingham City Council

BEL-CON-2025-10-06 October 06, 2025 City Council Regular Meeting City of Bellingham
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The Bellingham City Council voted unanimously to implement a new 0.1% "Safe and Stable Community Sales Tax" for criminal justice purposes, raising approximately $3.9 million annually to avoid deeper budget cuts. The tax increase follows years of spending down reserves and represents the only new revenue source the state provided to cities this legislative session. Deputy City Administrator Forest Longman presented the 2026 budget during the evening's first public hearing, highlighting the city's three core principles: ensuring financial stability, focusing on essential services, and leveraging dedicated resources. Without the sales tax, the city estimates it would need to cut 25-35 additional positions across all departments. The $543 million citywide budget includes $128 million in general fund revenues and expenses, achieving near-balance with only a $31,000 gap. However, this relies on $1.5 million in one-time revenue, meaning an ongoing structural deficit of $1.5 million remains unaddressed. Council also received an overview of the Bellingham Plan, the city's comprehensive plan update that will guide growth over the next 20 years, and approved a legislative lobbying guide for the 2026 state session. Two infrastructure contracts worth over $5.3 million were approved for Post Point Resource Recovery Plant generator replacement and central library facility renovations.

**AB 24653 - Safe and Stable Community Sales Tax: PASSED 7-0** Implements 0.1% additional sales tax for criminal justice, raising $3.9M annually. Council amended the ordinance to brand it as "Safe and Stable Community Sales Tax" following King County's model. Takes Bellingham's total sales tax rate to 9.1%, still below 72 other Washington jurisdictions. **AB 24667 - Iowa Street Easement Relinquishment: PASSED 7-0** Authorized relinquishment of surplus utility easement and covenant within vacated Iowa Street. **AB 24672 - Business License Requirements: PASSED 7-0** Adopted uniform general business license requirements mandated by state of Washington. **AB 24684 - Post Point Generator Contract: PASSED 7-0** …

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**2026 Budget Crisis and Sales Tax Decision** The sales tax debate centered on preventing deeper service cuts rather than expanding programs. Council emphasized this tax would fund existing criminal justice programs like the GRACE program ($400,000), LEAD mental health program, home monitoring diversion services ($1 million), and alternative response team rather than new initiatives. Bellingham qualified as one of only 11 agencies statewide eligible for this tax by exceeding state requirements for crisis intervention training (33% vs. 25% required). **Budget Structural Challenges** Staff outlined how the city delayed this reckoning through temporary measures in 2025: increasing sales tax allocation to general fund (68% from street fund), diverting firefighter pension property taxes, and sweeping cash pool inte…
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**Adam Bellinger** (Resident): Supported sales tax increase, citing personal experience with BPD assistance including suicide intervention. Noted groceries aren't subject to sales tax, reducing regressive impact, and visitors share the burden. **Brian Armstrong** (Volunteer Program): Supported sales tax while advocating for expanded volunteer capacity in parks department. Argued current $40-person program could be doubled with modest staffing investment, saving hundreds of thousands vs. current project-based spending. **Lyle Sorenson** (Criminal Justice Advocate): Supported tax while highlighting 4,267 active warrants in Municipa…
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**Forest Longman**, on budget principles: "We need to focus on the work that only we can do. So that's prioritizing and maintaining the services the city must provide or that only the city can provide." **Adam Bellinger**, on police support despite past conflicts: "I make these statements as someone who's actually been on the other end of a gun by a BPD officer long time ago. Someday when you're older I'll tell you about it." **Lyle Sorenson**, on warrant backlog: "There are 4,267 reasons to…
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**October 20, 2025**: Two public hearings on ADU amendments (BMC Titles 20 & 21) and 2026 revenue forecast including property tax levy **November 3, 2025**: Second budget public hearing and Bellingham Plan public testimony **October 13, 2025**: Bellingham Plan work session on specific subject areas **October 15, 2025**: Sunset Alley walking tour featuring new downtown public …

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**New Revenue Stream Established**: Bellingham now has 0.1% additional sales tax specifically for criminal justice, generating $3.9 million annually and bringing total sales tax rate to 9.1%. **Budget Gap Temporarily Addressed**: The structural deficit that would have required 25-35 additional position cuts has been avoided for 2026, though $1.5 million ongoing deficit remains unresolved. **Legislative Lobbying Formalized**: Council approved formal guidance document for 2026 state session participation, replacing previous ad-hoc approach sh…
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# Bellingham City Council Confronts Budget Crisis with New Sales Tax The Bellingham City Council's October 6, 2025 meeting was dominated by a stark fiscal reality: the city faces significant budget constraints that threaten core services. Over the course of a marathon 12-hour day that began with budget work sessions in the morning and concluded with a regular evening meeting, council members grappled with difficult choices while ultimately approving a controversial new sales tax to avoid even deeper cuts. The evening's most consequential action was the unanimous 7-0 approval of the "Safe and Stable Community Sales Tax" — a one-tenth of one percent sales tax increase that will generate approximately $3.9 million annually for criminal justice purposes. The vote came after extensive public testimony and debate that revealed both the necessity of the tax and community concerns about its impact. ## The Budget Crisis Unveiled Deputy City Administrator Forrest Longman opened the evening's first public hearing on the 2026 budget by painting a sobering picture. The proposed $543 million citywide budget, with a $128 million general fund, represents the culmination of years of difficult adjustments as the city has been "spending down reserves in the hopes of economic uptick" — a strategy that can no longer continue. "We don't have the ability to do that any longer and now we need to live within our means," Longman told the council, outlining three guiding principles: ensuring financial stability, focusing on work only the city can do, and leveraging dedicated resources. The budget calls for reducing over 40 positions and freezing additional ones, with no programmatic expansions. Without the new sales tax, Longman warned, …
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### Meeting Overview The Bellingham City Council held its regular meeting on October 6, 2025, featuring the first public hearing on the proposed 2026 budget. The meeting was dominated by discussion of a proposed 0.1% sales tax increase for criminal justice purposes, which Council ultimately approved 7-0 after amending it to be called the "Safe and Stable Community Sales Tax." ### Key Terms and Concepts **Sales Tax for Criminal Justice:** A new 0.1% sales tax authorized by state law (Chapter 350, Laws of Washington 2025) that cities can impose to fund criminal justice programs and avoid deeper cuts to police and fire services. **General Fund:** The city's main operating fund that pays for basic services like police, fire, parks, and libraries. Currently facing budget pressures that could require cutting 25-35 positions without new revenue. **Alternative Response Team (ART):** A newer Bellingham Police Department program using unarmed, non-uniformed responders for certain calls. In 2025, they handled 2,129 calls, an increase of 160 from the previous year. **Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Training:** Specialized police training for handling mental health crises. Bellingham recently had 33% of officers complete this training, exceeding the state's 25% requirement. **Post Point Resource Recovery Plant:** The city's wastewater treatment facility that requires major infrastructure upgrades, including a $5.3 million emergency generator replacement. **Bellingham Plan:** The city's comprehensive plan that will guide growth over the next 20 years, currently under review by City Council for adoption by year's end. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Hollie Huthman | Council President, Second Ward | | Kim Lund | Mayor | | Forrest Longman | Deputy City Administrator | | Rebecca Mertzig | Police Chief | | Adam Bellinger | Resident supporting sales tax | | Lyall Sorensen |…
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Budget & Finance Public Safety Government Operations AB 24653 AB 24667 AB 24672 AB 24684 AB 24685 Bellingham City Council Bellingham Police Department Cdk Construction King County Northwest Youth Services Score Facility Whatcom Transportation Authority Adam Bellinger Anita Amones Brian Armstrong Brian Gas Daniel Hammill Edwin Williams Forest Longman Hannah Stone Hollie Huthman Jace Cotton Kim Lund Lisa Anderson Lyle Sorenson Michael Lilliquist Rebecca Mertzig Behavioral Health Budget Finance Comprehensive Plan Criminal Justice Economic Development Homelessness Infrastructure Investment Parks Recreation Public Safety Umbrella Subsidies Policy Transportation Policy