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Committee of the Whole

BEL-CTW-2025-09-15 September 15, 2025 Committee of the Whole City of Bellingham
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The Bellingham City Council's Committee of the Whole held a productive afternoon session addressing two significant agenda items. The committee unanimously approved adopting the Bellingham Public Library Facilities Master Plan, a 2022 study that will be incorporated by reference into the city's comprehensive plan. More significantly, they gave first and second reading approval to a new one-tenth of one percent sales tax for criminal justice purposes, which would generate $3.9 million annually to help address the city's projected $10 million budget deficit in 2026. The criminal justice sales tax represents a crucial revenue stream for Bellingham as it faces severe budget constraints. Council members emphasized that without this tax, the city would need to make additional cuts to services, potentially including popular programs like bike patrol and drug interdiction efforts. The Police Department is currently completing Crisis Intervention Team training to meet state requirements for the tax, with third and final reading scheduled for October 6. In a surprising turn during old/new business, Council Member Hammill successfully moved to reconsider the Britton Road/Northern Heights annexation that was denied in August. The motion passed 5-2, with the annexation now deferred for consideration until late 2026 or early 2027, pending completion of the city's comprehensive annexation plan.

**AB 24652 - Library Facilities Master Plan Adoption (PASSED 7-0)** - **Staff Recommendation:** Approve resolution - **Council Action:** Unanimous approval - **Details:** Formally adopts 2022 facilities master plan completed by Godfrey's Associates for incorporation into the Bellingham Plan by reference - **Practical Impact:** Establishes official city policy for library expansion and improvements over 20-year planning horizon **AB 24653 - Criminal Justice Sales Tax (PASSED 7-0, first and second reading)** - **Staff Recommendation:** Approve ordinance - **Council Action:** Approved with amendments - **Details:** Imposes 0.1% sales tax generating $3.9 million annually …

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**Criminal Justice Tax Implementation Timeline** The administration outlined a tight timeline for implementing the new sales tax by January 1, 2026. Forrest Longman explained that the ordinance must be delivered to the Department of Revenue by October 17, requiring Council passage by October 6. The Police Department is completing Crisis Intervention Team training to reach the required 25% officer completion rate, currently at 13%. Chief Watson described the 40-hour training as focusing on de-escalation skills and connecting officers with community resources. **Budget Crisis Context** Council members discussed the severity of Bellingham's budget situation, with Longman emphasizing that without the $3.9 million in new tax revenue, the city would need to make additional service cuts beyond those already planned. Council Member Hammill highlighted specific programs at risk, including bike patrol (which has made significant impacts on substance abuse issues) and upstream drug interdiction efforts that have helped reduce daily overdos…
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**Rebecca Judd, Library Director**: Presented the master plan's findings, emphasizing progress made since 2022 including the new north-side branch and ongoing Central Library renovation. Highlighted the library's status as one of the top 10 in Washington for circulation per capita. **Chief Watson, Bellingham Police**: Explained the Crisis Intervention Team training requirements, emphasizing the value of bringing training locally to connect officers with Bellingham-specific community resources and partners. **Forrest Longman, Deputy City Administrator**: Stressed…
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**Council Member Hammill, on the impact of police programs:** "I rode the bike patrol probably three weeks ago, and 100% of the contacts that those officers made had to do with substance use disorder of some form, and there were some mental health issues with some folks as well, but 100% were substance use disorder." **Council Member Hammill, on overdose reduction:** "We are down to about 1.5 overdoses per day that we know of based on the collection of data from EMS and police and fire, down …
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**October 6, 2025**: Third and final reading of criminal justice sales tax ordinance, pending completion of police Crisis Intervention Team training by October 3. **October 17, 2025**: Deadline for delivering approved ordinance to Washington State Department of Revenue for January 1 implementation. **September 18, 2025**: Planning Commission public hearing on the B…

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After this meeting, Bellingham is positioned to implement a new 0.1% sales tax generating $3.9 million annually for criminal justice purposes, pending final approval in October. The city formally adopted the Library Facilities Master Plan as official policy, enabling its incorporation into the comprehensive plan. The Britton Road…
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# Setting the Stage for Public Safety and Planning On a sunny September afternoon, the Bellingham City Council convened as Committee of the Whole to tackle two significant agenda items that would shape the city's future: formally adopting the library's long-term facilities plan and confronting a looming budget crisis through a new public safety tax. With all seven council members present in chambers, the meeting reflected both the routine work of municipal planning and the urgent fiscal realities facing the city. ## A Blueprint for Library Growth: Facilities Master Plan Gets Its Due The first order of business was approving a resolution to formally adopt the Bellingham Public Library Facilities Master Plan, completed in 2022 but never officially endorsed by council. Elizabeth Erickson, a planner with the city's planning department, explained the administrative necessity: as Bellingham prepares its comprehensive plan update required by the state, the streamlined document will rely on reference plans rather than repeating detailed information. "The Bellingham Plan itself is going to come forward to the City Council as a very streamlined document," Erickson explained. "So when you see it, it'll be much shorter and much easier to use, much more accessible. But that means that we're really relying on these reference plans." Library Director Rebecca Judd then walked the council through the master plan, using the same presentation slides from 2022 with minor updates. The plan emerged from extensive community engagement — 18 stakeholder interviews, 13 focus groups, and 980 online survey responses — and a comprehensive analysis of the library system's level of service standards. The numbers tell a stark story about the library's capacity challenges. Currently operating at 0.53 square feet per capita across three locations (Central Library, Fair Haven branch, and Barkley branch), the system falls below even the "low/minimal" service standard of 0.6 square feet per capita. With population growth projected through 2042, the gap between current capacity and service standards will only wide…
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### Meeting Overview The City Council's Committee of the Whole met on September 15, 2025, to discuss the adoption of the Library Facilities Master Plan and a new criminal justice sales tax. The meeting also included significant discussion about reconsidering a previously denied annexation proposal. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Facilities Master Plan:** A comprehensive 20-year planning document that assesses current library facilities and recommends improvements to meet future community needs, including population growth projections and service level standards. **Level of Service Standards:** Quantitative measures for evaluating library services, including square footage per capita (currently 0.53 sf/capita, below the minimal standard of 0.6), open hours, materials expenditures, and staffing levels. **Criminal Justice Sales Tax:** A new one-tenth of one percent (0.1%) sales tax authorized by state legislation to fund public safety activities including law enforcement, domestic violence programs, public defenders, and reentry services. **Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Training:** A 40-hour specialized training program for police officers focused on de-escalation and community resources; 25% of commissioned officers must complete this training to qualify for state grant funding. **Service Area Mapping:** Geographic analysis using drive-time data to identify gaps in library coverage, which revealed underserved areas on the north side and southeast of the city. **Urban Growth Area (UGA):** The designated area outside city limits where urban development is planned, included in population projections for service planning purposes. **Annexation Plan:** A comprehensive strategy for bringing unincorporated areas into the city, which the city will update after completing the comprehensive plan. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Hollie Huthman | Council President, Committee Chair | | Elizabeth Erickson | Senior Planner, Planning and Community Development | | Rebecca Judd | Bellingham Public Library Director | | Forrest Longman | Deputy City Administrator | | Chief Watson | Bellingham Police Chief | | Kim Lund | Mayor | | Hannah Stone | Council Member, First Ward | | Daniel Hammill | Council Member…
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Budget & Finance Public Safety Government Operations AB 24652 AB 24653 Bellingham Police Department Bellingham Public Library Bellingham Technical College City Council Criminal Justice Training Commission Godfreys Associates Planning Commission Washington State Department Revenue Western Washington University Whatcom Community College Chief Watson Chris Behie Daniel Hammill Edwin Williams Elizabeth Erickson Forrest Longman Hannah Stone Hollie Huthman Jace Cotton Kim Lund Lisa Anderson Michael Lilliquist Rebecca Judd Tyel Mandorf Annexation Behavioral Health Budget Finance Comprehensive Plan Criminal Justice Housing Policy Infrastructure Investment Middle Housing Public Safety Umbrella Transportation Policy