City Council - Committee Of The Whole

City of Bellingham Committee Of The Whole Minutes December 13, 2021, 2:15 PM Mayor: Seth Fleetwood Contact: (360) 778-8100, mayorsoffice@cob.org Council Members: Hannah Stone, Gene Knutson, Contact: (360) 778-8200, ccmail@cob.org Daniel Hammill, Pinky Vargas, Lisa Anderson, Michael Lilliquist, https://cob.org/council and Hollie Huthman All meetings are held in the City Hall Council Chambers at Legislative Assistant: Nalini Margaitis 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 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. 23212 1. Return to City Facilities Planning p. 3 Since March 2020, approximately 20% of the City's workforce has utilized remote work in the delivery of City services to the public. The Administration will present its plan to return those City employees currently telecommuting to City facilities. The vaccination requirement, continued indoor mask requirements, and updated telecommuting policy will allow employees to continue to provide high quality service to the community in City facilities. Mayor Fleetwood provided an update from Whatcom County Health. Committee Of The Whole Minutes Page 1 December 13, 2021  The recommendation is to bring this back to Council on the first regular meeting on January 10, 2022. Daniel Hammill / Pinky Vargas moved to provide direction to staff and Council to remain remote at this time and to bring this back to Council for discussion on January 10, 2022. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 23213 2. Adoption of the 2021 Whatcom County Multi-Jurisdictional Natural p. 6 Hazards Mitigation Plan The update of the 2011-2016 Whatcom County Multi-Jurisdictional Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan (Plan) began in January of 2021 with participation from all Whatcom County cities and some special purpose districts. The initial phase of the process included public meetings, news releases and social media outreach. The City of Bellingham’s Emergency Manager met with staff from multiple City of Bellingham (City) departments to solicit revisions. By June 2021 the revised City section was part of the Plan submitted to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for initial review and comments. The Plan was resubmitted in September with responses to comments generated during FEMA’s review. FEMA has now committed to approving the Plan pending approval of the participating jurisdictions. The City section of the Plan (City’s Plan) has been reorganized to reduce duplication of actions and to improve access to the information. Actions that recognize the influence of climate change on the intensity and/or frequency of natural hazards have been clarified or added. The City’s Plan is the first part of Section 3. Jurisdiction Profiles and Mitigation Action Plans. The City’s Plan includes sections on hazard presence and impacts, hazard maps, areas and assets exposed, a report on 2016-2020 actions, the Bellingham Hazard Mitigation Strategy for 2021-2025, and Hazard Specific Action Items 2021-2025 report format. Gene Knutson / Daniel Hammill moved to adopt the 2021 Whatcom County Multi-Jurisdictional Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 23180 3. Continued Review of an Ordinance Amending the Infill Housing p. 10 Toolkit Provisions of the Bellingham Municipal Code The Infill Housing Toolkit (ITK) was enacted in 2009 to allow and encourage the development of alternative housing forms and ownership opportunities. Staff have proposed a number of targeted amendments to the ITK provisions in BMC Titles 20, 21 and 23. The City Council held a Public Hearing on December 6, 2021 Committee Of The Whole Minutes Page 2 December 13, 2021  and assigned the matter to committee for further review. At this time, in this first phase, these are technical refinements to the code. Moving forward, the second phase will include more in-depth discussion in 2022 and distinction of the rules based on housing form (rather than zone), as well as a focus on mixed housing neighborhoods. 700 units of missing middle housing have been created, as a result of the ITK. Pinky Vargas / Daniel Hammill moved to approve the ordinance as presented in the packet amending the Infill Housing Toolkit provisions. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 23214 4. Resource Recovery Project Update and Loan Application p. 74 Two items were presented during this presentation. The first item included a presentation on the sewer utility rate forecast and the results of the utility affordability analysis. The analyses were both performed in the context of the Post Point Resource Recovery Biosolids Project (Project) as well as the future nutrient removal upgrades planned for the facility. The intent of the presentation was to start the discussion related to necessary sewer rate increases. Based on the sewer rate forecast, the City of Bellingham evaluated the affordability of the collective sewer, water, and stormwater utility rates compared to residents’ income. The analysis uses four metrics to evaluate affordability. Two of the metrics, monthly utility cost relative to minimum wage and 40th percentile household income (40%HI), are proposed as the most appropriate. The affordability analysis also compares Bellingham to other mid- sized and large Washington cities and evaluates customer assistance programs. Staff requested authorization to submit an application to the US EPA for a Water Infrastructure Financing Investment Act (WIFIA) loan for $136 million. The second item included a presentation to share with Council the path forward for the Post Point Resource Recovery Plant (Post Point) Biosolids Project (Project), a big picture summary and to inform Council of upcoming milestones and corresponding Council actions. The Project is currently in the facility planning stage, which will be completed following Ecology and Council approvals in 2022. Preliminary design is currently underway and detailed design is planned to finish in 2024. Construction is planned begin in late 2023 and with completion in 2027. Daniel Hammill / Gene Knutson to authorize staff to submit the WIFIA (Water Infrastructure Financing Investment Act) Loan Application MOTION CARRIED 7-0. Committee Of The Whole Minutes Page 3 December 13, 2021  5. Approval of City Council Committee and/or Special Meeting Minutes Gene Knutson / Daniel Hammill moved approval of the December 6, 2021 City Council Committee Meeting Minutes 6-0-1, Michael Lilliquist abstained. 6. Old/New Business Mayor Seth Fleetwood provided an update on the City’s work with the Civil Advocacy Committee. The work began in 2017, primarily in response to the 2016 election and the President that came in at that time and the number of contentious things that he had said during that campaign. A lot of concerns were expressed by the people of Bellingham, concerning their rights and their safety. The Bellingham City Council passed a resolution affirming the safety of all people residing in Bellingham (Feb 2017). After that, the Civil Advocacy Committee, met with the City on a number of occasions and they asked if the City could expand on that resolution – the group realized that the resolution omitted to provide resources on what Bellingham residents could do if they observed discriminatory behavior and how they could take action. Together, the group, the City, City leaders (including Police Chiefs), and City Attorneys, agreed on the following statement (a commitment to the City of Bellingham): The City of Bellingham supports each individual’s right to be treated with dignity and to live without fear of violence, intimidation, or discrimination based on group identification or personal characteristics. These include, but are not limited to: race, ethnicity, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious belief or non-belief, age, class, disability, veteran or military status, and political opinion. To this end, the City of Bellingham embraces and supports all applicable Washington state and United States civil rights laws and the spirit of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In addition, the City has enacted municipal regulations and has issued statements and resolutions in support of these rights, including Bellingham City Council Resolution 2017-10, Resolution Affirming the Safety of All People Residing in Bellingham. This information is available in City offices and on the City website. To help us fulfill our commitment to everyone in our community, residents and non-residents alike, we encourage your feedback. Please let us know if you believe that any City of Bellingham representative, or any individual or entity that acts on behalf of the City, has fulfilled or failed to fulfill these commitments Committee Of The Whole Minutes Page 4 December 13, 2021  and responsibilities in any significant way. You may provide feedback and/or seek assistance in the following ways: • Concerns, complaints, and feedback may be submitted to the appropriate City department or the Mayor’s Office, in person, by telephone or by email. • The City’s formal complaint reporting form is also available in City offices and on the City web site. • Complaints may also be submitted through the Safe Spaces program with the Whatcom Dispute Resolution Center (WDRC). The WDRC acts as a neutral partner in ensuring that persons with complaints receive appropriate respect, support and impartiality. Safe Spaces information and contacts. If these avenues prove unsatisfactory, you may also contact: Washington State Human Rights Commission U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Adjournment Committee Of The Whole Minutes Page 5 December 13, 2021