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Whatcom County Council Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee

WHA-CJS-2025-06-24 June 24, 2025 Public Health & Safety Committee Whatcom County 53 min
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The Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee received critical updates on the county's new Public Health, Safety and Justice facility project, including preliminary findings from the jail capacity analysis that projects a need for 684 rated beds by 2050. The committee also considered proposed stakeholder group charters to govern decision-making during the design process, but ultimately voted to hold the charter proposal for further refinement after expressing concerns about the balance of authority between executive and legislative branches. The jail capacity study, conducted by STV with subconsultant DLZ, analyzed over 20 data points and projects Whatcom County's population will grow from approximately 226,000 in 2020 to over 300,000 by 2050. The analysis recommends 570 minimum beds with a 20% buffer (114 beds) totaling 684 rated beds, following National Institute of Corrections guidelines. This includes 504 general population beds, 36 forty-eight hour transition beds, and 144 specialized housing beds for behavioral health, medical needs, and other classifications. However, the committee emphasized the need for 2030 and 2040 projections to determine what will actually be built initially, with infrastructure sized for eventual expansion to avoid costly future modifications. The project remains on schedule to award a design-build contract in August, with programming and validation beginning immediately thereafter.

**AB2025-469 (Jail Capacity Analysis Update)**: PRESENTED - No formal action required. The committee received the preliminary analysis showing 684 rated beds needed by 2050, with final report due in July. Staff will provide 2030 and 2040 projections to inform actual construction sizing. **AB2025-4…

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**Jail Capacity Analysis and Diversion Programs**: Council Member Scanlon raised critical questions about incorporating incarceration prevention and reduction strategies into the capacity projections. He referenced the Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force's work and wondered what policy levers could decrease future incarceration rates. Chair Buchanan noted that Spokane County had attempted to quantify bed reductions from diversion programs but couldn't explain their methodology. Sheriff Tanksley acknowledged the difficulty of projecting long-term effectiveness of decentralized services but emphasized their rehabilitation specialists' positive impact. **Build Philosophy - Current Needs vs. Future Planning**: The committee explored the balance between building for immediate needs versus planning for 2050 projections. Adam Johnson explained the rationale for oversizing infrastructure (water mai…
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**STV (Adam Johnson, Ashley McLaren)**: Presented preliminary capacity analysis emphasizing 2050 planning horizon while acknowledging need for 2030/2040 intermediate projections. Advocated for infrastructure oversizing to avoid future costs. Described proposed stakeholder charter as communication mechanism to ensure informed decision-making. **Sheriff Donnell Tanksley**: Supported the capacity analysis methodology while acknowledging challenges in quantifying diversion program effectiveness. Emphasized importance of building operationally viable facility. **Deputy Executive Kayla Schott-Bresler**: Positioned charters as accountability tool for council to hold adminis…
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**Adam Johnson, on planning philosophy:** "In all of my years of project management and facilities management, I don't think we've, I've ever worked in a building where we've regretted having something overbuilt a little too big, or, you know, 25 to 30 years down the road, especially when it comes to remodels and additions." **Council Member Tyler Byrd, on governance concerns:** "I feel like, to what Todd kind of sum up earlier, we're being delegated off to the side with just the Hey rubber s…
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**July 2025**: Final jail capacity analysis report due, including 2030 and 2040 projections for construction sizing decisions. **August 2025**: Design-build contract award scheduled, with programming and validation phase beginning immediately. **Next Committee Meeting**: Revised stakeholder group charters presentation with more detailed information and incorporation of council feedback. **Ongoing**: Wetla…

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The preliminary jail capacity analysis established the 2050 target of 684 rated beds, providing the first concrete long-term projection for facility planning. The committee formally rejected the initial stakeholder charter proposal, creating a requirement for revised governance structure that better balances executive and legislative author…
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# The Blueprint for a 684-Bed Jail: Planning Whatcom County's Future Justice Facility ## Meeting Overview The Whatcom County Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee convened for just under an hour on Tuesday morning, June 24, 2025, in the County Courthouse chambers. Committee Chair Barry Buchanan presided over a meeting that would reveal the preliminary scope of what could become one of the largest infrastructure investments in the county's recent history. The three voting members—Buchanan, Tyler Byrd, and Jon Scanlon—were joined by four additional council members observing the proceedings, underscoring the gravity of the decisions ahead. Two agenda items dominated the session: a presentation on jail capacity analysis projecting needs through 2050, and a proposed framework for managing the complex web of stakeholders involved in the justice facility project. What emerged was a picture of ambitious planning tempered by political caution, as county officials sought to balance infrastructure needs with public skepticism following two previous failed jail bond measures. The morning's discussions would lay bare the tensions inherent in planning a major public facility: How do you build for future needs without overbuilding? How do you maintain democratic oversight while enabling efficient decision-making? And how do you communicate honestly about costs and scope while maintaining public trust? ## The 684-Bed Projection: Building for 2050 Adam Johnson from STV, the county's consulting firm, opened with a detailed presentation on jail capacity analysis—work that has been months in the making and represents one of the most comprehensive studies of Whatcom County's correctional needs to date. The numbers he presented were striking: 684 rated beds projected for 2050, more than double the current facility's capacity. "This is all preliminary," Johnson emphasized multiple times, a caveat that would become increasingly important as council members pressed for clarity. "The numbers that we're discussing today are still preliminary and they're still very fluid." The analysis built on extensive data collection and stakeholder engagement. In early May, STV held two days of workshops with key officials including Sheriff Donnell Tanksley, Under Sheriff Chief Erickson, the prosecuting attorney, public…
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### Meeting Overview The Whatcom County Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee met on June 24, 2025, to review a jail capacity analysis for the new Public Health, Safety and Justice facility and discuss draft stakeholder group charters. The committee received preliminary projections showing a need for 684 rated beds by 2050, though actual construction plans for opening around 2030 will be smaller with infrastructure designed for future expansion. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Rated Beds:** The official capacity of jail beds, calculated with a 20% buffer to ensure safe operations and proper inmate classification. **Direct Supervision Model:** A jail management approach where corrections officers work directly among inmates in housing units rather than monitoring from control rooms. **48-Hour Beds:** Transitional housing where newly booked inmates are evaluated and oriented before placement in general population or specialized housing. **Booking Restrictions:** When jails cannot accept new inmates due to overcrowding, forcing law enforcement to seek alternatives or release arrestees. **Specialized Housing:** Beds designated for inmates with specific needs including mental health, medical care, high-profile cases, or behavioral management. **Wetland Mitigation:** Environmental requirements to offset wetland impacts from construction, involving restoration or creation of wetlands elsewhere. **Design-Build Process:** A project delivery method where one entity handles both design and construction, currently in the proposal phase with three finalist firms. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Barry Buchanan | Committee Chair | | Tyler Byrd | Committee Member | | Jon Scanlon | Committee Member | | Adam Johnson | STV Project Manager | | Ashley McLaren | STV Communications Lead | | Kayla …
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Public Safety Government Operations Army Corps Engineers City Of Ferndale Department Ecology Dlz Lummi Nation National Institute Corrections Nooksack Tribe Spokane County Stv Whatcom County Adam Johnson Ashley Mclaren Barry Buchanan Donnell Tanksley Jon Scanlon Kayla Schott Bresler Rob Ney Satpal Sidhu Todd Donovan Tyler Byrd Behavioral Health Budget Finance Design Build Procurement Governance Structure Incarceration Reduction Infrastructure Planning Jail Capacity Population Growth Project Management Public Safety Tribal Consultation Wetland Mitigation