City Council - Committee Of The Whole

City of Bellingham Committee of the Whole Minutes August 24, 2020, 2:00 PM Mayor Seth Fleetwood Contact: (360) 778-8200, ccmail@cob.org Council Members Hannah Stone, Gene Knutson, Daniel Hammill, www.cob.org/council Pinky Vargas, Lisa Anderson, Michael Lilliquist and All meetings are held in the City Hall Council Chambers at Hollie Huthman 210 Lottie Street, Bellingham, WA, unless otherwise noted. Call to Order Roll Call Council Standing Committee Meetings: Open to the public to attend. Note: there is generally no public comment period for Committee sessions. Standing Committee Members receive reports and information, ask questions and, when appropriate, vote on a recommended action for consideration by the full Council at the Regular Meeting. The notice of Committee Meetings identified below also serves as notice of Special Meetings of the City Council at the times identified as Council Members who are not members of the committee routinely attend and participate in the Committee Meetings. Committee Chairs give a report of the Committee Meeting at the Regular Meeting in the evening prior to deliberation and formal vote in the order shown below: Committee of the Whole Gene Knutson, Chair Hannah Stone, Daniel Hammill, Pinky Vargas, Lisa Anderson, Michael Lilliquist, Hollie Huthman Please be advised that if the City Council is ahead of schedule, they may start with old/new business before the official Committee of the Whole meeting time. 22724 1. An Ordinance Amending the 2019-2020 Biennial Budget Increasing p. 3 Appropriations in the Claims and Litigation Fund Finance Director Andy Asbjornsen presented the ordinance. City Attorney Peter Ruffatto provided more information. Daniel Hammill / Pinky Vargas moved to recommend approval of the ordinance. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 22725 2. City Signature on a Rezone and Comprehensive Plan Amendment p. 7 Docket Application Committee of the Whole Minutes Page 1 August 24, 2020  Senior Planner Steve Sundin presented. Council asked questions and had a discussion following the presentation. Michael Lilliquist / Pinky Vargas moved to recommend approval. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 22726 3. Discussion of a Police Civilian Oversight Board p. 15 Councilmember Daniel Hammill introduced the discussion and Councilmembers, Mayor Seth Fleetwood, and Police Chief David Doll engaged in the discussion. Daniel Hammill / Michael Lilliquist moved that the Mayor bring forward the presentation he suggested regarding this item at the next Council meeting or the first meeting in September. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 22727 4. Discussion of City Council Staffing Needs p. 35 Council President Gene Knutson introduced the discussion. Councilmembers engaged in the discussion. 22728 5. Discussion of Local Listening Series on Race and Justice and Next p. 48 Steps Councilmember Hannah Stone introduced the discussion. Members of the Council and Mayor Seth Fleetwood engaged in the discussion. 6. Approval of City Council Committee and/or Special Meeting Minutes Daniel Hammill / Lisa Anderson moved to recommend approval of the July 20, 2020 committee meeting minutes as submitted. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 7. Old/New Business Council President Gene Knutson opened up the floor for appreciation of Legislative Assistant Monea Kerr as she moves on to pursue a Masters of Public Administration at the University of Washington. Councilmembers and staff shared their well wishes, and Ms. Kerr had a chance to address the Council and City. Adjournment Committee of the Whole Minutes Page 2 August 24, 2020  Committee of the Whole adjourned to Executive Session at 3:19 PM to discuss the following items: 1. Litigation: Ginn v. City of Bellingham, et. al. (Brady, approx. 10 mins) 2. Potential Property Acquisition (Stamps, approx. 5 mins) 3. Potential Litigation (Ruffatto, approx. 20 mins) Council President Gene Knutson reconvened Committee of the whole at 4:12 PM to adjourn the meeting. Committee of the Whole Minutes Page 3 August 24, 2020