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City Council Committees

FER-CMT-2026-02-11 February 11, 2026 Committee Meeting City of Ferndale
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The February 11, 2026 Ferndale City Council Committees meeting featured several significant presentations and discussions. The most substantial portion involved a comprehensive private development update from Senior Planner Jesse Ashbaugh, detailing numerous housing projects throughout the city and marking a shift from planning to construction phases. The meeting also included an audit exit conference showing clean financial results, the introduction of a new police officer, and a detailed flood fight recap from December 2025. Council members engaged in extensive discussion about the multifamily tax exemption program and its implications for local jurisdictions. The meeting demonstrated the city's transition from planning to implementation in multiple areas, from housing development to flood preparedness.

**Motion to Excuse Council Member O'Leary:** - Vote: Unanimous approval - Council Member Mutchler moved, Council Member Gunther seconded - Action allows absence from evening's meeting **Motion to Approve Evening's Agenda:** - Vote: Unanimous approval - Council Member Porter moved, Council Member Gunther seconded **Motion…

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**Private Development Update:** Jesse Ashbaugh provided a comprehensive overview of multiple housing developments moving through the approval process. Key projects include the Rubicon Homes PUD with 35 townhouse units at 12.55 units per acre, 2nd Avenue Apartments featuring 21 units in a four-story building representing 100 units per acre density, and Golden Eagle Apartments with 11 units at 25 units per acre. The discussion highlighted Ferndale's transition from planning to construction phase, with multiple projects expected to break ground in 2026. **Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE) Program Discussion:** Extensive dialogue occurred regarding the MFTE program, which provides eight-year property tax exemptions for qualifying multifamily developments. Council members explored why the program has seen limited use until recently, with Administrator Burnett and Senior Planner Ashbaugh explaining market factors, property values, and geographic limitations. The program impacts all taxing jur…
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**State Auditor's Office (Karina Orcutt):** Presented clean audit results for both accountability and financial statement audits. Highlighted the city's compliance with state laws and good financial controls, with an unmodified opinion on regulatory basis accounting. **Finance Director Danielle Ingham:** Expressed pride in the finance department's progress since previous challenges, emphasizing the value of annual audits for continuous improvement and internal controls strengthening. **Senior Planner Jesse Ashbaugh:** Advocated for understanding different density levels through real examples, emphasized the importance of the first successful MFTE program application, and detailed various housing development tools available to the cit…
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**Karina Orcutt, State Auditor's Office, on audit goals:** "We really do appreciate the collaborative relationship we have built with the city and our goal is really to increase the trust in governments through performing our independent audits." **Finance Director Danielle Ingham, on audit value:** "Council member Mucho, who is not in the room, asked me if we find value in being audited and we find a lot of value in it. Every year, there's something that we find that we can improve on just t…
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**Immediate Actions:** - City Council meeting Tuesday, February 19, 2026 at 5:00 PM (rescheduled due to President's Day) - City Council retreat Wednesday, February 20, 2026 at Police Department conference room - Mayor to send retreat itinerary and agenda within days **Upcoming Development Milestones:** - Rubicon Homes PUD application moving through hearing examiner approval process - 2nd Avenue Apartments and Golden Eagle Apartments perm…

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**Development Landscape Shift:** The city has moved from a planning-heavy phase in 2025 to an expected construction-heavy phase in 2026, with multiple housing projects advancing toward groundbreaking. **MFTE Program Activation:** The program successfully processed its first application (Sterling Avenue project), establishing precedent and procedures for future applications. **Flood Preparedness Enhancement:** December 2025 flood response demonstrated significant improvements over 2021 response, with proactive measures and better community coordination now established as standard pra…
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## Meeting Overview The Ferndale City Council Committees met on February 11, 2026, for two substantive sessions amid a day that saw the cancellation of the Public Works & Utilities Committee due to lack of agenda items. The Finance & Administration Committee convened at 10:00 AM to receive the annual audit presentation from the Washington State Auditor's Office, while an evening Planning & Land Use Committee meeting occurred to address municipal code revisions. Both sessions reflected a city government functioning efficiently, with strong collaborative relationships between departments and external partners, and demonstrated Ferndale's ongoing commitment to transparency and technical precision in governance. The audit presentation delivered overwhelmingly positive results for fiscal year 2024, marking a significant turnaround from previous years' financial challenges. The evening session focused on correcting technical errors in the municipal code — cleanup work that may seem mundane but represents the careful attention to legal precision that effective governance requires. ## Annual Audit Results: A Clean Bill of Health Karina Orcutt from the Washington State Auditor's Office delivered what amounted to excellent news for the city's financial health and operational compliance. Despite some initial technical difficulties with the …
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### Meeting Overview The Ferndale City Council Committees met on February 11, 2026, for two key sessions: Finance & Administration Committee at 10-11 AM for an auditor's exit conference, and Planning & Land Use Committee at 9-10 AM for an ordinance public hearing. The Public Works & Utilities Committee was cancelled for this date. ### Key Terms and Concepts **State Auditor's Exit Conference:** A formal presentation of audit results to city officials, including both accountability and financial statement audits for fiscal year 2024. **Accountability Audit:** An audit to determine whether the city's operations complied with state laws, policies, and procedures, and whether good controls are in place to safeguard public resources. **Unmodified Opinion:** The best possible audit result, indicating that financial statements are fairly presented in all material respects. **GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles):** National accounting standards that the city is not required to follow under Washington state law, though this creates an "adverse opinion" in audit reports. **Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFT):** A program that relieves property owners of property taxes for eight years to incentivize multifamily housing development. **Planned Unit Development (PUD):** A type of development that allows flexibility in zoning and design standards while maintaining overall development goals. **Hearing Examiner:** An independent official who makes final decisions on certain development applications, including PUDs. ### Key People at This Meeting | Nam…
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Housing Budget & Finance Public Safety Government Operations Ferndale School District Fire District Seven P66 Fields Rubicon Homes State Auditors Office Danielle Ingham Erin Gunther Greg Hansen Herb Porter Jesse Ashbaugh Jon Mutchler Jori Burnett Karina Orcutt Kevin Renz Matt Huffman Megan Juenemann Robert Pinkley Ryan Oleary Accessory Dwelling Units Affordable Housing Budget Finance Community Partnerships Density Standards Downtown Development Emergency Preparedness Flood Mitigation Government Operations Housing Development Infrastructure Investment Multifamily Tax Exemption Performance Audits Public Safety Zoning