City Council - Committee Of The Whole

City of Bellingham Committee of the Whole Minutes June 21, 2021, 1:00 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. 23003 1. An Ordinance Amending the 2021-2022 Biennial Budget Increasing p. 4 Revenues and Expenditures for American Rescue Plan Act Funding Committee of the Whole Minutes Page 1 June 21, 2021  Forrest Longman, Deputy Finance Director, explained that the City will receive a total amount of approximately $21 million but will be in two payments. This ordinance recognizes the first payment (approximately $10.5 million dollars) in revenue from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). It appropriates $3.25 million towards immediate needs. The ARPA funds can be used in four broad categories. Support for urging COVID-19 response efforts, replacing lost revenue for governments to support public services, support immediate economic stabilization for households and businesses, and lastly, address systemic public health and economic challenges that have contributed to the inequal impact of the pandemic. Staff is recommending relief payments in areas that provide housing security and economic recovery. The remaining funds can be programmed to be coordinated with Whatcom County to further identify the constraints of the funding, and investigate the many other funding sources available. Gene Knutson / Hollie Huthman moved to recommend approval. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 23032 2. An Ordinance Creating a New Fund to Account for the Sales and Use p. 9 Tax for Housing and Related Services and Amending the 2021-2022 Biennial Budget Forrest Longman, Deputy Finance Director, explained that a new fund for the new service and Affordable Housing Sales Tax has been created. It adds one full time employee (FTE) to support the programming of the new tax. Committee members asked questions. Daniel Hammill / Michael Lilliquist moved to recommend approval. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 23033 3. Consideration of Proposals to Amend the City Charter Signature p. 13 Requirements for Ballot Initiatives and Charter Amendments by the Petition Method Two Charter amendment proposals were presented for consideration. Alan Marriner, City Attorney, advised that if the City Council decides to initiate either of the proposed charter amendments, then the Legal department would draft resolutions necessary to initiate a charter amendment and to seek ratification from the voters of Bellingham in the November election. Committee of the Whole Minutes Page 2 June 21, 2021  James Erb, Assistant City Attorney, explained that a resolution would need to be passed before the primary to fulfill the Whatcom County Auditor's election timeline. Michael Lilliquist/Gene Knutson moved to ask staff to prepare a resolution for amending the charter. MOTION CARRIED 6-1, Hammill opposed. Council Member Huthman asked if this requires a public hearing. Legal advised that it does not need a public hearing but would require ratification by the voters in the November election. The proposed charter amendment would need to provide notice in the newspaper for at least four successive weeks before the voters have an opportunity to vote. There are two charter proposals: Alan Marriner explained that the first amendment changes the Section 13.02 of the Charter. "The registered electors of the City may propose amendments to this Charter, on petition of a number of qualified voters equal to not less than 15% of the total number of votes cast for the office of Mayor at the last preceding municipal general election." The second amendment changes Section 10.02 to lower the required number of signatures for ballot initiatives from 20% to 8% of the total number of votes cast for the office of mayor. James Erb gave some context for lowering the threshold in initiatives. Michael Lilliquist/Gene Knutson moved to amend the motion to remove existing language regarding an extension of deadline, if the number of signatures is not gathered. Extensions would no longer be allowed in either proposed amendment. MOTION CARRIED 6-1, Hammill opposed. Michael Lilliquist/Gene Knutson moved to amend the draft of the second amendment that reduces the signature percentage 10% instead of the proposed 8%, from the original 20%. MOTION CARRIED 6-1, Hammill opposed. 23015 4. Discussion of Options for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement in p. 17 Bellingham Mark Gardner, Policy Analyst, explained that City Council requested a range of different models, and gave a brief overview of them. Berkley, CA, has a Police Review Commission. Boulder, CO, has a review & audit police oversight panel. Corvallis, OR, has a review only board and meets quarterly. Committee of the Whole Minutes Page 3 June 21, 2021  David, CA, their commission is new and has a police accountability commission, and a review & audit type model. Iowa City, IA, has review and audit and include one public forum per year. Urbana, IL, provides a review type model and meet monthly. Council Member Lilliquist feels that at the very least a review component, should be implemented, and does not want a paid office and staff. We do want more input from our residents. Council Member Knutson pointed out that we need members from our Police Department too. Council Member Vargas feels we need a Review model, similar to the one that the City of Corvalis, Oregon has and involves our Police Department. Council Member Huthman shared that we could have a review board to provide accountability and trust. Mayor Fleetwood suggested that the item be sent back to staff to work on timelines of implementation and be brought back to Council for review. 22971 5. Fire Department Strategic Plan p. 39 Bill Hewett, Fire Chief, presented a more in-depth look at the final six goals in the strategic plan related to training, wellness, dispatch, emergency management, life safety, and future growth. Specific goals include: (Goal #6,) add an additional fire inspector, (Goal #7) partner with Whatcom County Fire District 4 to enhance the training facility, (Goal #8) improve the health/wellness programs which are specifically designed for those in emergency personnel, (Goal #9) enrich the capabilities of the Communication Center, (Goal #10) enhance the capabilities of the Emergency Management fuction of the City. Committee Members asked questions. 22953 6. Review of an Ordinance of the City of Bellingham, Washington, p. 195 Relating to Employment in Bellingham; Establishing Labor Standards Requirements for Additional Compensation for Certain Grocery Employees Working in Bellingham A discussion on the possibility of repealing the ordinance was provided. Alan Marriner, City Attorney, explained that the ordinance would be ineffective if the ordinance is repealed by Council or if the Mayor ends the emergency Committee of the Whole Minutes Page 4 June 21, 2021  proclaimation. The Council has the authority to end the ordinance any time it sees fit. Committee Members discussed options and information regarding the emergency declaration as we await the end of the declaration. Discussion only. No action taken. 7. Approval of City Council Committee and/or Special Meeting Minutes Gene Knutson / Daniel Hammill moved approval of the committee meeting minutes from June 7, 2021. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 8. Old/New Business None. Three items were presented for Executive Session. Committee of the Whole moved into Executive Session at 3:09 PM for approximately one hour and thirty minutes for the following items: 1. Potential Property Acquisition (15 minutes) 2. Potential Property Acquisition (15 minutes) 3. Litigation: Lev vs. City of Bellingham (60 minutes) Adjournment Council President Stone reconvened the Committee of the Whole to adjourn at 6:26 PM. Committee of the Whole Minutes Page 5 June 21, 2021