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Whatcom County Council Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee

WHA-CON-CJS-2026-03-24 March 24, 2026 Public Health & Safety Committee Whatcom County 39 min
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The Whatcom County Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee received a comprehensive update on the Justice Project, focusing on process developments, financial parameters, and upcoming deliverables for the combined jail and Behavioral Care Center (BCC) construction. Deputy Executive Shot Wrestler and staff outlined a preliminary budget cap of $225 million ($205 million for jail, $20 million for BCC), contingent on cities extending their funding commitments through 2035. Key developments include the state making $11.2 million in previously allocated Crisis Relief Center funding more flexible for BCC capital costs, and the completion of both a behavioral health analysis (delivered to the executive's office that morning) and jail capacity analysis (ready for public release this week). The executive's office is working with cities who have indicated willingness to extend their 75% contribution rate for an additional five years, potentially adding $23-24 million to the project. Council members expressed cautious optimism about the budget parameters while emphasizing the need for conservative revenue projections. Several members highlighted concerns about long-term fiscal sustainability, with calls for planning based on 0-1% growth rather than 3% growth in sales tax revenue. There was broad support for building both facilities concurrently, with recognition that they are "inextricably linked" rather than competing priorities. The discussion revealed ongoing tensions around jail capacity planning, with Council Member Scanlon raising concerns about the interlocal agreement's potential for cities to push future jail expansions with no upper limit. Treasurer Steve Oliver emphasized the need to set a budget cap soon to move the design-build process forward while acknowledging continued modeling will occur over the next year before actual bond issuance.

- **AB 2026-240:** Discussed only - Executive's Office provided update on Justice Project process, financial outlook, and timeline for additional reports - **No formal votes taken** - This was an informational briefing and discussion session - **Budget Parameters Discussed:** $225 million preliminary cap ($205M jail + $20M…

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**Deputy Executive Shot Wrestler** emphasized the executive's commitment to concurrent construction and data-driven decision making. Highlighted the need for clear budget feedback to move the design-build team forward and stressed the importance of analyzing operational costs alongside capital investments. **Treasurer Steve Oliver** provided pragmatic perspective on borrowing capacity and fiscal sustainability. Emphasized the need to choose a budget cap soon to advance the project while noting continued modeling will refine projections over the next year before bond issuance. **Council Member Galloway** expressed support for the budget framework contingent on conservative revenue projections and triple confirmation of the $225 million figure. Advocated for blending features from previous scenarios t…
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**Deputy Executive Shot Wrestler, on project values:** "We are continuing to demonstrate a strong commitment to building the behavioral care center concurrently with the new jail." **Treasurer Steve Oliver, on budget decision timing:** "We're really at a point where we need to kind of pick a number in regards to the level of capital expenditures that we think that we can comfortably take on." **Council Member Galloway, on revenue projections:** "I think we should be planning for a zero to 1%…
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**By End of Week:** Public release of jail capacity analysis report with data on classification needs, specialized housing, and diversion impacts **Within 1-2 Weeks:** Public release of behavioral health analysis report including service model, target populations, staffing assumptions, cost estimates, and insurance reimbursement expectations **This Week:** STV design-build team memo to Council, Executive, and Finance and Facility Advisory…

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The Justice Project moved from initial scenario development to concrete budget parameters, with a preliminary $225 million cap now under active consideration. The behavioral health analysis was completed and delivered to the executive's office, representing a major milestone in facility planning. State funding flexibility was secured for the BCC, converting $11.2 million from restricted Crisis Relief Center funding to more flexible capital construction funding. The cities indicated willingness to extend their funding commitments through 2035, potentially adding $23-24 mi…
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## Meeting Overview The Whatcom County Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee convened on Tuesday, March 24th, 2026, at 11:21 AM in Council Chambers for a hybrid meeting. All seven council members were present: Elizabeth Boyle, Barry Buchanan, Ben Elenbaas, Kaylee Galloway, Jessica Rienstra, Jon Scanlon, and Mark Stremler. The meeting was called to order by Chair Barry Buchanan, and the session was focused entirely on one critical agenda item: an update from the Executive's Office on the Justice Project process, financial outlook, and timeline for delivery of additional reports. This was a pivotal meeting in the ongoing Justice Project deliberations, with county officials attempting to provide clarity on budget parameters, facility programming, and decision-making timelines as the project moves through what Deputy Executive Shot Wrestler described as a "validation phase." The Justice Project encompasses both a new county jail and a Behavioral Care Center, representing one of the most significant capital investments in Whatcom County's history. ## The Justice Project Update — Setting Budget Caps and Moving Forward Deputy Executive Shot Wrestler began the presentation with an acknowledgment of the extensive community engagement that has characterized the Justice Project process. "It feels like every other day I'm in a discussion around this project," Wrestler said. "And so it's really good to see how active the community is. I certainly feel like no one can say they're gonna be able to, they've missed the opportunity to weigh in or that they didn't know these decisions were occurring this spring." The deputy executive outlined several advisory groups continuing to provide input: the Finance and Facility Advisory Board, the IPRTF (Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force), J-POP (Justice Project Oversight Panel), and the JAW (Justice Advisory Workgroup). While no formal recommendations have emerged from these committees, Wrestler noted they are "certainly informing our work as we proceed during this validation phase." A significant development was the March 16th letter from Whatcom County city mayors, attached to the agenda bill, expressing willingness to extend their financial contributions to the project through 2035. This letter would prove crucial to the budget discussions that followed. #…
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### Meeting Overview The Whatcom County Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee met on March 24, 2026, to receive an update on the Justice Project, which involves building a new jail and behavioral care center. Deputy Executive Shot Wrestler and Jed Holmes provided updates on community engagement, financial projections, and upcoming reports on jail capacity and behavioral health needs. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Justice Project:** Whatcom County's initiative to build a new jail facility and behavioral care center to replace aging infrastructure and improve behavioral health services. **Behavioral Care Center (BCC):** A proposed 32-bed inpatient treatment facility for mental health, substance use, and co-occurring disorders, designed to divert people from jail into appropriate clinical care. **23-Hour Crisis Relief Center:** A short-term outpatient facility where people can stay up to 23 hours for crisis intervention, different from longer-term inpatient treatment. **Interlocal Agreement:** A contract between Whatcom County and its cities where cities contribute 75% of their criminal justice sales tax collections to help fund the jail project. **Design-Build Team:** The contractors (led by STV) responsible for both designing and constructing the jail and behavioral care center facilities. **Ann Deacon Center of Hope:** An existing county facility that provides medical detox and crisis stabilization services, offering shorter-term care than the planned behavioral care center. **Classification:** The process of determining what type of housing and security level inmates need in jail based on their charges, risk level, and other factors. **Diversion Programs:** Services and interventions designed to redirect people away from jail and into treatment, housing, or other community-based services. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Barry Buchanan | Council Member, Committee Chair | | Shot Wrestler | Deputy Executive | | Jed Holmes | Public Affairs and Strategy Manager, Executive's Office | | Steve Oliver | Whatcom County Treasurer | | Elizabeth Boyle | Council Member | | Ben Elenbaas | Council Member | | Kaylee Galloway | Council Member | | Jessica Rienstra | Council Member | | Jon Scanlon | Council Member | | Mark Stremler | Council Member | ### Background Context This Justice Project has been years in the making as Whatcom County grapples with an aging jail facili…
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Budget & Finance Public Safety Government Operations AB 2026 240 Aaron Persky Associates Department Commerce Finance Facility Advisory Board Pfm Bond Consultant Stv Design Build Whatcom County Health Community Services Aaron Persky Barry Buchanan Ben Elenbaas Elizabeth Boyle Hannah Fisk Jed Holmes Jessica Rienstra John Scanlon Kaylee Galloway Mark Stremler Shot Wrestler Steve Oliver Ann Deacon Center Behavioral Care Center Behavioral Health Behavioral Health Analysis Budget Finance Congressional Spending Requests Criminal Justice Crisis Relief Center Debt Capacity Diversion Programs Interlocal Agreements Jail Capacity Justice Project Performance Audits Public Safety Sales Tax Revenue Scenario Development