City Council - Committee Of The Whole

City of Bellingham Committee Of The Whole Minutes January 23, 2023, 2:00 PM Mayor: Seth Fleetwood Contact: (360) 778-8100, mayorsoffice@cob.org Council Members: Hannah Stone, Hollie Huthman, Contact: (360) 778-8200, ccmail@cob.org Daniel Hammill, Edwin H. “Skip” Williams, Lisa Anderson, https://cob.org/council Michael Lilliquist and Kristina Michele Martens All meetings are held in the City Hall Council Chambers at 210 Lottie Street, Bellingham, WA, unless otherwise noted. Call to Order President Lilliquist called the Committee of the Whole meeting to order at 2:02pm. Roll Call Present: Council President Michael Lilliquist, Sixth Ward Council Member Hannah Stone, First Ward Council Member Hollie Huthman, Second Ward Council Member Daniel Hammill, Third Ward Council Member Edwin H. "Skip" Williams, Fourth Ward Council Member Lisa Anderson, Fifth Ward Council Member Kristina Michele Martens, 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. 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. 23605 1. Discussion of City Council Response to Stakeholder Advisory p. 3 Committee Recommendations President Lilliquist and Council Member Hammill discussed a draft letter from the City Council to the County Council regarding the Stakeholder Advisory Committee’s (SAC) recent recommendations. They requested members send any feedback and they will present a revised letter at the next Council meeting. Committee Of The Whole Minutes Page 1 January 23, 2023 23606 2. Approval of City Council Committee and Regular Meeting Minutes p. 14 Approval of the January 9, 2023 Committee of the Whole minutes will be deferred to the February 13, 2023 meeting. 23607 3. Approval of City Council Special Meeting Minutes p. 22 Approval of the January 4, 2023 minutes of the regular Council reorganization meeting was deferred to the Regular evening meeting. 4. Old/New Business Council Member Huthman and Council Member Hammill expressed concerns about Bellingham Municipal Code (BMC) notification periods for residential rent increases. Council Member Anderson requested additional information about landlords who utilize month to month leases to bypass regulations. Hollie Huthman / Daniel Hammill moved to direct council staff to work with Planning and Community Development staff to craft a draft ordinance amending BMC 6.12.020 to read that 120 days notice is required for residential rent increases of more than 5% rather than 60 days for 10%. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. Council moved into Executive Session at 2:32pm to discuss three items for approximately 30 minutes. 1. Litigation: Eldard v. City of Bellingham et al 2. Litigation: DeBruin et al. v. City of Bellingham 3. Potential Litigation Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 2:31pm. Committee Of The Whole Minutes Page 2 January 23, 2023