Whatcom County Council Committee of the Whole
The Whatcom County Council Committee of the Whole met for 2 hours and 29 minutes on February 24, 2026, covering five major items with significant decisions on urban growth planning, legislative priorities, and potential new revenue sources. The meeting began with an extensive presentation on the complex Water Resources Inventory Area 1 (WRIA 1) water rights adjudication process, which has already engaged approximately 1,200 landowners through county-led outreach efforts. The presentation sparked pointed questions from Council Member Ben Elenbaas about the unusual nature of the Department of Ecology both filing the lawsuit and helping defendants complete their paperwork. The centerpiece discussion involved the City of Nooksack's urban growth area (UGA) expansion proposal, ultimately resulting in preliminary council support for the city's supplemental proposal including controversial mitigative measures for flood-prone areas. After an initial motion to exclude areas 6, 7, and 8 failed by a 3-4 vote, a second motion to support the full proposal with stipulated elevation requirements and other safeguards passed 4-2 with one abstention. Council Member Jon Scanlon expressed frustration about making these decisions without final flood control infrastructure designs, while Council Member Elenbaas argued that local officials should have primary accountability for development decisions in their jurisdiction. The council also addressed legislative session updates, with positive news on crisis center funding flexibility and adjudication court staffing, but cuts to behavioral health programs. They unanimously added Senate Bill 6343 providing tax relief for flood victims to their legislative agenda. A proposed performance audits ordinance was deferred to a three-member workgroup rather than rushed introduction. The meeting concluded with extensive discussion of a potential public safety sales and use tax under RCW 82.14.450 that could generate approximately $7 million annually,
**AB2026-078 - Nooksack Urban Growth Area Proposal:** - Initial motion to support proposal minus areas 6, 7, and 8: FAILED 3-4 - Motion to preliminarily support full supplemental proposal with mitigative measures: PASSED 4-2 (1 abstention) - Includes elevation requirements and other flood-related safeguards - Affects approximately 9 acres of agricultural land conversion to UGA **AB2026-037 - Legislative Session Update:** - Motion to add SB 6343 (flood victim tax relief) to legislative agenda: PASSED 7-0 - Extends deadline to 2031 for property improvement tax relief applicat…
**Water Rights Adjudication:** May 1, 2026 deadline for most claimants to file court claims. Department of Ecology will publish newspaper notifications for unserved parties. Three-year evidence filing period follows claim deadline. County motion pending for uniform filing deadline to reduce confusion. **Nooksack UGA Implementation:** City can proceed with comprehensive plan completion incorporating approved UGA areas. Annexation processes can begin for areas 6, 7, and 8 with stipulated mitigative measures including elevation requirements. **Public Safety Sales Tax Decision:** Council…