Whatcom County Council
The Whatcom County Council held a routine regular meeting on March 10, 2026, processing 17 agenda bills with unanimous or near-unanimous approval across most items. The most significant action was the introduction of AB2026-213, which would authorize a new one-tenth of one percent sales and use tax for criminal justice purposes under RCW 82.14.345, potentially generating millions in additional revenue for county criminal justice operations. The meeting featured robust public participation with 21 speakers during Open Session, though the specific content of their testimony was not recorded in the available documents. The council also processed several major contracts, including an $891,918 agreement for ferry maintenance and a $752,159 flood mitigation engineering contract. A notable pattern emerged during voting on Introduction Items, where Council Member Ben Elenbaas cast the sole dissenting vote on seven of eight introduction items, including the criminal justice tax ordinance, budget amendments totaling over $4.6 million, and various appointments and reports. This represented the most significant voting divergence of the evening. The council successfully appointed Selena Knoblauch to a vacancy on the Planning Commission after an initial tie vote, with Chair Kaylee Galloway switching her support to achieve the necessary four-vote majority. Two executive appointments to advisory boards were confirmed unanimously. The meeting concluded with a 27-minute executive session to discuss pending litigation under RCW 42.30.110(1)(i), extending slightly beyond the initially announced timeframe, followed by committee reports and member updates.
**Consent Agenda Items - All passed 7-0:** - AB2026-174: Authorized $891,918 contract with Lake Union Drydock Company for Whatcom Chief Ferry maintenance - AB2026-190: Authorized $752,159 contract with WSP USA for Everson-Nooksack Berms Project engineering (acting as Flood Control Zone District Board) - AB2026-192: Authorized $101,475 interlocal agreement amendment with Washington State Department of Health, bringing total agreement to $11,229,797 - AB2026-199: Authorized interlocal agreement with PUD No. 1 for water system operation and maintenance services **Other Items:** - AB2026-195: Approved resolution docketing Comprehensive Plan and Development Regulation amendments (passed …
**Public Hearing:** AB2026-213 (criminal justice sales tax ordinance) was introduced for public hearing and will return to council for substantive discussion and final action at a future meeting. **Justice Project Applications:** The deadline for additional applications to the Justice Project Oversight and Planning (JPOP) Committee Behavioral Health Provider position is 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. **Introduction Item Actions:** Seven ordinances and one report were intro…