City Council - Committee Of The Whole

City of Bellingham Committee of the Whole Minutes September 27, 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. 23116 1. Opportunity Council Presentation on Local Federal Assistance p. 3 Debbie Paton, with the Opportunity Council, provided information to the Council on how the currrent and future federal assistance program can provide Committee of the Whole Minutes Page 1 September 27, 2021  funds for local rent and utility assistance. She explained that the organization has been distributing eviction rent assistance and treasury eviction rent assistance program (T-RAP) and discussed how those programs have been implemented. Lorena Shah, Opportunity Council, explained the LIHEAP, a home energy assistance program aimed at funding utility needs. Information only. 23003 2. American Rescue Plan Act Update p. 4 Mayor Fleetwood introduced the update and shared that the City was awarded $21 million from the America Rescue Plan Act (or ARPA). The funds can be allocated to address housing and homelessness needs, economic recovery, and climate resiliency efforts. Tara Sundin, Economic Development Manager, explained the proposed priority areas and funding. Staff requested direction on an iterative approval process and consideration of funding "buckets." Pinky Vargas / Gene Knutson moved to approve three spending "buckets" that were presented to the Committee and approve the process for considering each one of the projects. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 22972 3. Update on Process to Create a County-Wide Racial Equity Commission p. 17 Representatives from the Chuckanut Health Foundation provided an update on process to create a county-wide Racial Equity Commission. Information only. 23117 4. A Resolution Affirming that Racism is a Public Health Crisis p. 18 Presentation during Committee. Daniel Hammill / Gene Knutson moved to recommend approval of the resolution. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. Committee of the Whole Minutes Page 2 September 27, 2021  5. Approval of City Council Committee and/or Special Meeting Minutes Gene Knutson / Michael Lilliquist moved to approve the Committee meeting minutes of September 13, 2021. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 6. Old/New Business Council Member Vargas shared that she had two requests. One, is a presentation from the Mayor and staff on the four ballot initiatives that will be on the General Election ballot and impacts to the City as well as an assessment of financial impacts of the initiatives. The second request is about NW Youth Services and misinformation that is being put out. She has received emails regarding their new facility and requested staff provide clarification on the new facility and a report out tonight during the City Council meeting. Two items were presented for Executive Session. Committee of the Whole moved into Executive Session at 3:12 PM for approximately one hour and ten minutes for the following items: 1. Labor Relations: Bargaining Strategy 2. Litigation: Lev v. City of Bellingham Adjournment Council President Stone reconvened the Committee of the Whole to adjourn at 4:28 PM. Committee of the Whole Minutes Page 3 September 27, 2021