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Committee of the Whole

BEL-CTW-2025-06-23 June 23, 2025 Committee of the Whole City of Bellingham 51 min
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The Committee of the Whole convened for a focused session addressing two significant policy items: continued funding for the Alternative Response Team program and a groundbreaking ordinance establishing equal protection for LGBTQ+ community members. The ART program funding received unanimous approval, securing $375,000 over 18 months to continue the innovative behavioral health crisis response initiative. The LGBTQ+ ordinance generated extensive discussion about implementation approaches and community engagement strategies. Council Member Hannah Stone presented the equal protection ordinance, which would codify existing city policies supporting LGBTQ+ residents and establish formal protections for accessing city services regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. The discussion revealed tensions around process and timing, with members expressing both strong support for the policy goals and concerns about ensuring robust community input before final action. The committee also addressed community engagement methodology, with particular attention to avoiding dynamics that could create adversarial relationships between council members and residents. This meta-conversation about public process reflected broader challenges in local governance around contentious social issues.

**AB 24588 - Alternative Response Team (ART) Program Funding:** - **Action:** Committee voted 7-0 to recommend approval - **Motion by:** Daniel Hammill, seconded by Jace Cotton - **Amount:** Up to $375,000 over 18 months (July 1, 2025 - December 31, 2026) - **Funding Source:** Justice Project Sales Tax - **Staff Recommendation:** Approval (matched Council action) - **Practical Impact…

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**Alternative Response Team Program:** Jason Korneliussen presented the continuation of ART, which deploys behavioral health specialists to respond to non-violent crisis calls. The program operates 10 hours daily, five days per week, through Whatcom County Health Department with What-Comm dispatch coordination. Council members expressed satisfaction with the program's collaborative approach and its role in connecting law enforcement, emergency medical services, and human services. The 18-month funding period extends through December 2026, providing program stability. **LGBTQ+ Equal Protection Ordinance:** Council Member Stone introduced comprehensive ordinance language establishing formal protections for LGBTQ+ community members. The ordinance would prohibit discrimination in city service provision, require staff…
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**Jason Korneliussen, Strategic Initiatives Manager:** Presented ART program continuation, emphasizing collaborative approach between law enforcement, emergency medical response, and human services. Highlighted program's success in addressing high-impact individuals across multiple systems. **Malora Christensen, Whatcom County Response Systems Manager:** Supported ART program continuation from county operational perspective, detailing staff structure of five behavioral health specialists and d…
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**Council Member Hannah Stone, on community pressure:** "I don't want us to find ourselves in this position where we are all pitted against each other, and somehow we are looked at as the enemy or somehow now against them, because we aren't doing enough." **Council Member Stone, on balancing advocacy and governance:** "I also just don't want to set ourselves up to fall short. And then. So at this point, I mean, my goal is to, to do no harm and to continue to make strides to, you know, make im…
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**July 7, 2025:** Next Committee of the Whole meeting scheduled. LGBTQ+ ordinance expected to return with update, potentially for vote depending on community feedback timeline. **Community Feedback Period:** Staff will facilitate community input sessions on LGBTQ+ ordinance before final Council considerati…

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The Alternative Response Team program received committee approval for continued funding, advancing to full Council consideration. The LGBTQ+ equal protection ordinance moved from conceptual discussion to formal ordinance language consideration, with committee commitment to community engagement before final action. Process methodology for controversial issues gained renewed attention, with members explicitly discussing how to structure public inp…
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# When Democracy Pauses to Listen: A Committee's Moment of Humanity In the Council Chambers of City Hall on June 23, 2025, the Bellingham City Council's Committee of the Whole convened for what would become a revealing afternoon of municipal governance — not just for the formal agenda items advanced, but for the raw humanity that emerged when elected officials confronted the weight of their responsibilities to a community in need. Council President Hollie Huthman called the 1:00 p.m. meeting to order with all seven council members present: Hannah Stone, Daniel Hammill, Skip Williams, Lisa Anderson, Michael Lilliquist, and Jace Cotton. The agenda contained two substantive items: renewal of funding for the Alternative Response Team program and a groundbreaking ordinance to protect LGBTQ+ residents. But it was the emotion underlying the second discussion that would define this afternoon. ## Meeting Overview The Committee of the Whole serves as the council's primary working session, where members dive deep into policy details before items advance to formal votes at evening council meetings. Unlike regular council sessions, these afternoon gatherings typically generate little public drama — they're spaces for technical questions, procedural clarifications, and the mundane machinery of local government. This meeting followed that pattern for its first agenda item, with members efficiently advancing a funding agreement for a crisis response program. But the second item — an ordinance codifying protections for LGBTQ+ residents — opened a window into the profound human tensions that elected officials navigate when community safety, legal limitations, and public expectations collide. ## Renewing the Alternative Response Team The meeting began on familiar ground with Jason Korneliussen, the city's Strategic Initiatives Manager, presenting alongside Malora Christensen from Whatcom County Health & Community Services to discuss the Alternative Response Team (ART) program. This innovative first responder initiative, launched in January 2023, sends two behavioral health specialists rather than police officers to respond to specific non-violent mental health crisis calls. The program operates 10 hours a day, five days a week, deployed through What-Comm's 911 center. Rather than traditional law enforcement…
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### Meeting Overview The Bellingham City Council Committee of the Whole met on June 23, 2025, to discuss funding for the Alternative Response Team (ART) program and review a draft ordinance providing equal protection for LGBTQ+ community members. The meeting highlighted the city's commitment to both mental health crisis response and civil rights protections. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Alternative Response Team (ART):** A program that sends two behavioral health specialists to respond to specific non-violent behavioral health 911 calls instead of traditional law enforcement responses. **Interlocal Agreement (ILA):** A contract between two governmental jurisdictions (in this case, Bellingham and Whatcom County) to share resources or services. **Committee of the Whole:** A meeting format where all City Council members participate in detailed discussion of agenda items before formal votes at regular council meetings. **Gender Identity:** One's innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither – how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. **Gender Expression:** Having an external appearance of one's gender identity, usually expressed through behavior, clothing, body characteristics or voice. **Gender-Affirming Care:** A service or product that a health care provider provides to an individual to support and affirm the individual's gender identity. **Executive Session:** A closed session where council members discuss confidential matters like litigation, property acquisitions, or personnel issues. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Hollie Huthman | Council President, Committee Chair | | Hannah Stone | Council Member, First Ward (presented LGBTQ+ ordinance) | | Daniel Hammill | Council Member, Third Ward | | Edwin H. "Skip" Williams | Council Member, Fourth Ward | | Lisa Anderson | Council Member, Fifth Ward | | Michael Lill…
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Public Safety Social Services Government Operations AB 24588 AB 24589 Bellingham Police Department What Comm Whatcom County Whatcom Health Department Daniel Hammill Edwin Williams Hannah Stone Hollie Huthman Jace Cotton Jason Korneliussen Malora Christensen Behavioral Health Community Engagement Governance Administration Immigrant Rights Public Safety