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Real Briefings

Ferndale City Council

FER-CON-2026-02-17 February 17, 2026 Committee Meeting City of Ferndale
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The Ferndale City Council held its regular meeting with several routine items and significant project updates. The most substantial portion of the evening was an extensive capital projects update from Public Works Project Manager Katie Radder, who provided a chronological overview of major construction activities from August 2025 through February 2026. Key projects discussed included the ongoing Ferndale Terrace reconstruction, completion of the Thornton to Newkirk water line project, progress on Main Street improvements, and upcoming Portal Way interchange roundabout construction. The council also held a public hearing on technical amendments to the municipal code designed to correct clerical errors in three chapters. These "housekeeping" amendments addressed inconsistencies in planned unit development approval processes and building code enforcement procedures. The changes clarify that the Hearings Examiner, not the City Council, makes final decisions on planned unit development applications, consistent with 2023 policy changes that were incompletely implemented. One notable public comment addressed concerns about police conduct and transparency, specifically questioning whether Police Chief Matt Huffman improperly interfered in a criminal investigation. The anonymous speaker raised detailed allegations about communications between law enforcement officials and potential destruction of public records.

**Consent Agenda (AB #26-02-005):** Approved unanimously. Included February 2, 2026 meeting minutes approval and February 5, 2026 payroll authorization totaling $613,020.33. **FMC Amendments (AB #26-02-006):** Approved unanimously following public hearing. Amendments corrected clerical errors in three municipal code chapters: - Chapter 18.69: Clarified Hearings Examin…

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**Capital Projects Overview:** Katie Radder provided comprehensive updates on multiple infrastructure projects spanning six months. The Ferndale Terrace project emerged as particularly complex due to unknown underground utilities from 1950s development, requiring specialized television inspection of sewer systems and extending construction into 2026. Weather delays and the discovery of utilities not shown on original drawings significantly complicated the project. The Portal Way roundabout project represents an aggressive timeline with hoped-for June 2026 construction start. This requires extensive coordinati…
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**Anonymous Public Speaker:** Raised serious allegations about Police Chief Matt Huffman's conduct regarding a criminal investigation involving Blaine Police Chief Funk. Speaker claimed Huffman prematurely closed an investigation to protect a fellow officer and questioned why communications between the chiefs disappeared from Chief Funk's phone. The speaker demand…
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**Katie Radder, on project documentation challenges:** "There's no, there's no accurate way to determine what's there, you know. So you take the institutional knowledge that are operations folks, you know Beau and Jim's guys have." **Katie Radder, on concrete maintenance:** "We we laugh because you know, there's three things that you can depend on in life, death, taxes and concrete cracking." **Anonymous speaker, on police accountability:** "Did Chief Huffman prematurely close a criminal in…
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**Council Retreat:** Scheduled for February 18, 2026, 8:00 AM at the Ferndale Police Department training room. **Ferndale Terrace Project:** Construction work will resume weather-permitting in March 2026, with temporary easement work to be completed by end of April 2026. Speed tables and final landscaping work remain. **Portal Way Roundabout:** Aggressive June 2026 construction start goal, pending WSDOT coordination and permitting completion.…

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Following this meeting, the municipal code now consistently designates the Hearings Examiner as the final decision-maker for planned unit development applications and modifications. Building code violations are now properly subject to the City's unified civil enforcement procedures under Chapter 1.12. The City formally received…
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# Meeting Overview The Ferndale City Council convened for its regular Tuesday meeting on February 17, 2026, at 5:00 PM in the City Hall Annex Council Chambers. Mayor Greg Hansen presided over a streamlined session focused primarily on infrastructure updates and routine administrative matters. The meeting was notable for a detailed capital projects presentation that spanned nearly six months of work, providing Council with a comprehensive overview of the city's major infrastructure investments. The evening also featured a public hearing on municipal code amendments—technical corrections that reflected the Council's 2023 decision to transfer certain decision-making authority to the Hearing Examiner. Present were Council members Herb Porter, Ali Hawkinson, Erin Gunter, Robert Pinkley, and Jon Mutchler (who arrived shortly after the meeting began). Council member Ryan O'Leary was excused, while Council member McKenna Pinto-Gonzalez's absence was noted but not formally addressed until later in the meeting. ## Serious Allegations Against Police Chief The meeting's most dramatic moment came during public comment when an unidentified speaker made explosive allegations against Ferndale Police Chief Matt Huffman, accusing him of interfering in a criminal investigation to protect another law enforcement officer. The speaker detailed a complex series of events involving Chief Funk from Blaine Police Department, who was allegedly under investigation by Ferndale PD for official misconduct. According to the testimony, at 10:54 PM on October 16th, the speaker emailed Chief Funk pointing out his conflict of interest in investigating a death threat case since he was simultaneously being investigated by Ferndale Police. "I told Chief Funk that he needed to refer the case out due to his conflict of interest," the speaker stated. "I informed Funk in that same email that I would be filing a complaint with the CJTC to ask for his decertification because of his conflict and his refusal to refer the case out." The speaker then described what they characterized as suspicious coordination between the two chiefs: "H…
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### Meeting Overview The Ferndale City Council met on February 17, 2026, with Council Member O'Leary excused and Council Member Mutchler arriving later. The meeting focused on a comprehensive capital projects update and the approval of routine municipal code amendments to correct clerical errors. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Planned Unit Development (PUD):** A type of development that allows for flexible design and mixed uses within a single project, subject to special review processes. **Hearing Examiner:** An appointed official who conducts public hearings and makes decisions on certain land use applications, serving as an independent decision-maker for development proposals. **Eminent Domain:** The government's legal power to acquire private property for public use, typically with compensation to the property owner. **Right-of-Way Acquisition:** The process of obtaining legal authority to use private property for public infrastructure projects like roads, utilities, or other public improvements. **Scrivener's Error:** A clerical mistake in legal documents that does not reflect the intended meaning or decision of the drafters. **Infiltration Trenches:** Stormwater management features that filter pollutants and sediments from runoff before it enters the storm system. **Directional Drilling:** A construction technique that allows utilities to be installed underground by drilling horizontally beneath obstacles like freeways. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Greg Hansen | Mayor | | Katie Radder | Public Works Project Manager | | Jesse Ashbaugh | Senior Planner | | Michael Cerbone | Community Development Director | |…
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Transportation & Infrastructure Government Operations Ferndale City Council Fire District 7 Planning Commission Wsdot Greg Hansen Herb Porter Jesse Ashbaugh Jon Mutchler Jori Burnett Katie Radder Michael Cerbone Susan Duncan Capital Projects Comprehensive Plan Governance Administration Infrastructure Investment Public Safety Transportation Policy Water Resources Zoning