City Council - Committee Of The Whole

City of Bellingham Committee of the Whole Minutes April 26, 2021, 1:15 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 Present: Council President Hannah Stone, First Ward Council Member Gene Knutson, Second Ward Council Member Daniel Hammill, Third Ward Council Member Pinky Vargas, Fourth Ward Council Member Lisa Anderson, Fifth Ward Council Member Michael Lilliquist, Sixth Ward Council Member Hollie Huthman, At-Large 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 Hannah Stone, Chair Gene Knutson, 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. 22972 1. Interlocal Agreement with Whatcom County to Support, Develop and p. 4 Fund a Process to Create Recommendations on the Establishment of a County-Wide Racial Equity Commission Committee of the Whole Minutes Page 1 April 26, 2021  The purpose of the agreement is to jointly support a public engagement process that identifies sources of racial inequality in Whatcom County and recommend strategies to address them. Lisa Anderson / Gene Knutson moved to recommend approval of the interlocal agreement. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 22189 2. Consideration of an Interlocal Agreement with Whatcom County for p. 15 the Ground Level Response and Coordinated Engagement (GRACE) Anne Deacon, Whatcom County Health Department, explained that the Behavioral Health Crisis Response Expansion, adds a separate component to the GRACE program. The updated interlocal agreement reflects a continuation of the program and the partnership, an expansion of the program to include an additional case manager, and a response program to be designed and planned. She explained that 911 is not always the most effective call to make when experiencing a mental health crisis. Discussion included questions, such as, "If we were to design a new response, what the goals be?" Listed below are the proposed goals that were brought forth for consideration. 1. Improve outcomes for people experiencing behavioral health crises. 2. Enhance integrated systems of behavioral health response and support. 3. Safely reduce unnecessary law enforcement dispatches to people who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis. Daniel Hammill / Pinky Vargas moved to recommend approval. MOTION CARRIED 6-0-1, Gene Knutson excused. 22973 3. An Ordinance Amending the 2021-2022 Adopted Biennial Budget p. 53 Reconciling the Differences Between Estimated 2021 Beginning Reserve Balances and Actual 2021 Beginning Reserve Balances Pursuant to City Finance Policy, at the beginning of each biennium the City must update the Biennial Budget with actual beginning reserves and estimate new ending reserves for the biennium. The ordinance updates the beginning reserve figures. Daniel Hammill / Lisa Anderson moved to recommend approval. MOTION CARRIED 6-0-1, Gene Knutson excused. Committee of the Whole Minutes Page 2 April 26, 2021 22974 4. An Ordinance Amending the 2021-2022 Biennial Budget Increasing p. 60 Appropriation Authority in Various Funds to Pay for Goods and Services Authorized in the Previous Biennium The ordinance increases appropriations in the 2021 -2022 biennium by reappropriating unused budget authority totally $31,938,305 from the 2019 - 2020 Biennium. At the end of each biennium, all remaining budget authority lapses, even if it is under contract for a project, program, or product. To pay those contracts and continue projects authorized in the previous biennium, the City Council must reappropriate the funds. Daniel Hammill / Lisa Anderson moved to recommend approval of the ordinance. MOTION CARRIED 6-0-1, Gene Knutson excused. 22975 5. An Ordinance Amending the 2021-2022 Biennial Budget Increasing p. 71 Revenues and Expenditures Consistent with Updated Revenue Forecasts and to Ensure Balanced Fund Budgets The ordinance amends the Biennial Budget, increasing revenues by $20,575,817 across several funds and reducing appropriations in the Technology Replacement Fund by $796,534, including shifting funding for two employees from that fund to the General Fund for $416,264. The ordinance is part of a series of ordinances to reconcile fund reserve balances and reappropriate budget from the previous biennium. It recognizes revenues consistent with the March 8th updated revenue forecast and makes adjustments needed to ensure that fund budgets remain balanced after adoption of the reserve reconciliation and reappropriations ordinances. Daniel Hammill / Lisa Anderson moved to recommend approval of the ordinance as amended to clarify the amounts in the Departments column. MOTION CARRIED 6-0-1, Gene Knutson excused. 22025 6. Extension and Renewal of an Ordinance Establishing a Moratorium on p. 38 Development Applications and Permits Relating to the Redevelopment of the Manufactured Home Parks in Bellingham Greg Aucutt, Assistant Planning & Community Development Director, recommended that the moratorium ordinance be adopted to renew the moratorium to allow staff to complete review of potential preservation options Committee of the Whole Minutes Page 3 April 26, 2021  with the Planning Commission and City Council. A public hearing is required to be held within 60 days of passage. Daniel Hammill / Michael Lilliquist moved to recommend approval. MOTION CARRIED 6-0-1, Gene Knutson excused. 22930 7. Part 4 – the Final Part in a Series of Staff Presentations in Preparation p. 47 for City Council Adoption of the 2021-2022 Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Action Plan Samya Lutz, Housing and Services Program Manager, explained the funding priorities in Part 4 in a series of staff presentations in preparation for adoption of the 2021-2022 HUD Action Plan. Committee Members asked questions. Daniel Hammill / Hollie Huthman moved to recommend approval of the resolution. MOTION CARRIED 6-0-1, Gene Knutson excused. 8. Approval of City Council Committee and/or Special Meeting Minutes Hollie Huthman / Daniel Hammill moved to recommend approval of the Committee Meeting minutes of April 12, 2021. MOTION CARRIED 6-0-1, Gene Knutson excused. 9. Old/New Business Michael Lilliquist / Dan Hammill moved discuss a civilian oversight body at the City Council worksession in June. Council Member Anderson would like it to be in the Committee of the Whole because she is interested in the full discussion on the issue. Committee Member Lilliquist amended the motion to move the topic to the Committee of the whole. MOTION CARRIED 6-0-1, Gene Knutson excused. Committee Member Huthman serves as a trustee to the Library Board. She announced that she went on a tour of the remodel at the library and shared that there are many amenities. Rebecca Judd, Library Director, will be reaching out to invite all Council Members to tour the library. Committee of the Whole Minutes Page 4 April 26, 2021  Council President Stone explained that a letter of concern was forwarded to Council Members from the Immigration Advsiory Board. The letter indicated that on January 28, during the camp clean up at City Hall, the Border Patrol agency was used, and they have concerns they would like addressed regarding the use of the agency. Five items for Executive Session: Committee of the Whole moved into Executive Session at 3:37 PM for approximately an hour and a half to discuss the following items: 1. Potential Property Acquisition 2. Potential Property Acquisition 3. Litigation: DeBruin et al v. City of Bellingham 4. Litigation: Fox v. City of Bellingham 5. Litigation: Juarez v. City of Bellingham Adjournment Council President Stone reconvened the Committee of the Whole to adjourn at 5:07 PM. Committee of the Whole Minutes Page 5 April 26, 2021