County Council Special Committee of the Whole

**Council Priority Setting Process:** The meeting continued council retreat discussions on establishing collective priorities. Individual council members articulated their focus areas, with strong consensus emerging around capital projects, particularly the sheriff's office and justice facility. Executive Sidhu delivered pointed remarks about the county's revenue constraints, emphasizing that growth is essential and warning against unsustainable expense increases. Deputy Executive Pennucci announced an upcoming comprehensive departmental service inventory to identify potential cuts and efficiency measures. **Justice Project and Sheriff's Office Planning:** Multiple council members elevated sheriff's office facility needs as a top priority, with some suggesting it should take precedence over other planned capital projects like the Northwest Annex. The discussion revealed tension between proceeding with projects already in development versus shifting priorities based on current council preferences. Deputy Executive Schott-Bresler outlined the timeline for council involvement in justice project decisions, including jail capacity analysis in late summer and design work in fall 2025. **Open Public Meetings Act Reform:** Council members expressed frustration with current committee meeting requirements that prevent even two members…

**Council Member Ben Elenbaas:** Prioritized jail and sheriff's office facilities above all other budget items, emphasized need for co-location of sheriff's office with justice facility, and supported filling vacant Planning and Development Services positions to improve housing supply. **Council Member Tyler Byrd:** Opposed pre-hire agreements ordinance citing contractor feedback about increased costs and bureaucracy, questioned effectiveness for local hiring goals, and requested narrative version for priority setting versus voting procedures. **Council Member Todd Donovan:** Focused on comprehensive planning and housing code reforms, expressed confusion about pre-hire agreement mechanics and timeline impacts, and emphasized need for department-by-department budget analysis. **Council Member Mark Stremler:** Elevated sheriff's office as top capital priority, emphasized year-round budget scrutiny and fiscal notes for all decisions, and questioned consistency with community stakeholder feedback on pre-hire agreements. **Council Member Jon Scanlon:** Co-spon…

**Executive Satpal Sidhu, on county finances:** "What is coming down the road is not glamorous is actually serious. And we are not thinking about what to do about it. And there are not very many options and one of the only option, which is the largest is growth in our county." **Council Member Ben Elenbaas, on avoiding political delays:** "I feel this way because it's been my experience it's been a whole. And I think that it's a well used tactic to get the plan to us way too late for us to ha…

**Governance Structure:** Council established three formal work groups with designated membership to coordinate on major policy areas, improving collaboration beyond standard committee structure. **Meeting Procedures:** Initiated process to modify committee meeting requirements under Open Public Meetings Act, potentially allowing more informal coordination between council members. **Policy Routing:** Changed housing item routing from Planning and Development Committee to Committee of the Whole for remainder of 2025, centralizing housing policy discuss…

### Meeting Overview The Whatcom County Council held a special Committee of the Whole session on April 22, 2025, beginning at 1:02 PM in hybrid format. The meeting focused on two main items: establishing council member priorities and discussing a proposed pre-hire agreement ordinance for county construction projects. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Committee of the Whole:** All seven council members meeting together to discuss policy matters, with no formal voting authority except on procedural items. **Justice Project:** The county's planned jail and sheriff's office facilities, representing a major capital investment requiring bond authorization and ongoing budget decisions. **Pre-Hire Agreement:** A proposed policy framework requiring contractors on large county projects to meet certain hiring standards, including priority for local, veteran, minority, and women workers. **Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA):** State law requiring government meetings to be public, which the county applies to its three-member committees, creating scheduling and coordination challenges. **Community Coalition:** A proposed stakeholder group that would provide input on community benefits for major construction projects under the pre-hire agreement ordinance. **Progressive Design Build:** A procurement method used for the jail project where the county selects a contractor early in the design phase rather than after design completion. **STV:** The county's owner's representative consultant managing the Justice Project planning and communications. **IPRTF:** The Incarceration Prevention and Reentry Task Force, which provides policy input on jail-related decisions. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Kaylee Galloway | Council Chair, District 2 | | Barry Buchanan | Council Member, District 1 | | Tyler Byrd | Council Member, District 3 | | Todd Donovan | Council Member, District 4 | | Ben Elenbaas | Council Member, District 5 | | Jon Scanlon | Council Member, District 6 | | Mark Stremler | Council Member, District 7 | | Satpal Sidhu | County Executive | | Kayl…