City Council - Committee Of The Whole

City of Bellingham Committee of the Whole Minutes June 7, 2021, 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 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. 22971 1. Fire Department Strategic Plan Committee of the Whole Minutes Page 1 June 7, 2021  Bill Hewett, Fire Chief, continued an update on the presentation and summary of goals of the Fire Department. The four goals listed in the strategic plan are as follows: 1. Stabilize the staffing 2. Continue recruitment efforts to maintain an active hiring list in preparation of a significant number of retirements. 3. Continue to promote a culture that values diversity within the organization. 4. Improve the EMS response and support system. Information only. Committee Members asked questions. 23015 2. Discussion of Options for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement in Bellingham Mark Gardner, Policy Analyst, provided a high-level presentation on his research of a Civilian Oversight Board. The most common goals of a board include: 1. Improve public trust 2. Ensure accessible complaint processes 3. Promote thorough, fair investigations 4. Increase transparency 5. Deter police misconduct Pinky Vargas would like an update on the Safe Spaces program to hear about the status and progress before going forward with next steps to form an oversight committee. Lisa Anderson feels a work session is needed and should involve our Police Department. Michael Lilliquist would like to see a review model. Hannah Stone would like to know how we have adequately promoted the Safe Spaces program and would like to get a report as well from the Whatcom Resolution Center. Committee would like to bring back for further discussion at a later date. Maybe return with examples from other communities. 3. Approval of City Council Committee and/or Special Meeting Minutes Gene Knutson / Lisa Anderson moved approval of the May 24, 2021, minutes of the regular City Council meeting as submitted. Committee of the Whole Minutes Page 2 June 7, 2021  MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 4. Old/New Business Dan Hammill / Gene Knutson moved to replace him with Council Member Huthman on the What-COMM Board. He has notified Sheriff Elfo and Greg Erickson, and they are okay with that. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. Eight items for Executive Session. Committee of the Whole moved into Executive Session at 3:34 PM for approximately an hour and twenty minutes for the following items: 1. Potential Property Acquisition (3 minutes) 2. Potential Property Acquisition (3 minutes) 3. Potential Property Acquisition (3 minutes) 4. Potential Property Acquisition (3 minutes) 5. Litigation: Eldard v. City of Bellingham et al. (10 minutes) 6. Litigation: Fox v. City of Bellingham (10 minutes) 7. Litigation: Young v. City of Bellingham (15 minutes) 8. Litigation: Lev vs. City of Bellingham and Seth Fleetwood (30 minutes) Adjournment Council President Stone reconvened the Committee of the Whole to adjourn at 3:58 PM. Committee of the Whole Minutes Page 3 June 7, 2021