City Council - Committee Of The Whole

City of Bellingham Committee Of The Whole Minutes February 27, 2023, 1:30 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 1:40pm. 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. 23635 1. Proposed Ordinance Regarding Civil Service; Amending Chapter 3.16 of the Bellingham Municipal Code Matt Stamps, Senior Assistant City Attorney, presented on the proposed ordinance. The ordinance would amend Chapter 3.16 to acknowledge that Municipal Court employees are no longer included within the City’s Civil Service System and authorizes the appointment of special counsel to serve as legal advisor to the Civil Service Commission. Committee Of The Whole Minutes Page 1 February 27, 2023  Edwin H. "Skip" Williams / Hollie Huthman moved to recommend approval of the ordinance amending Chapter 3.16 of the Bellingham Municipal Code in order to acknowledge that Municipal Court employees are no longer included within the City’s Civil Service System and authorize the appointment of special counsel to serve as legal advisor to the Civil Service Commission. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 23641 2. Agreement Between the Bellingham Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations for Reimbursement of Overtime Police Chief Mertzig presented on the agreement between the Bellingham Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations for reimbursement of overtime to do a joint operations for retail theft. Michael Lilliquist / Edwin H. "Skip" Williams moved to amend the agreement between the Bellingham Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations for reimbursement of overtime to do a joint operations for retail theft with the following statement under Section III. "This is not for any immigration enforcement against undocumented people and is for the sole purpose of reimbursement for cost of retail theft operations." MOTION AMENDED 7-0 to recommend approval of the agreement between the Bellingham Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations for reimbursement of overtime to do a joint operations for retail theft under the condition that the administration add the following statement under Section III. "This is not for any immigration enforcement against undocumented people and is for the sole purpose of reimbursement for cost of retail theft operations." MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 23636 3. Ordinance Amending Rental Agreement Regulations Blake Lyon, Director of Planning and Community Development, provided a summary of the proposed ordinance which modifies the Rental Agreement Requirements established in Section 6.12.020 of the Bellingham Municipal Code. Daniel Hammill / Hannah Stone moved to recommend approval of the ordinance relating to notice of rent increase as amended, WHEREAS, movement between rental units can often require a significant amount of money in order to afford rental deposits, security deposits, pet deposits, moving expenses, utility fees, etc. By requiring notice of 120 days prior to any rental increase Committee Of The Whole Minutes Page 2 February 27, 2023  greater than 5 percent, the renter would be afforded an opportunity to save the necessary funds needed for the relocation efforts, and Section 1. BMC 6.12.020 Any rental agreement or renewal of a rental agreement for a residential rental unit in the city of Bellingham entered into after the effective date of this chapter shall include or shall be deemed to include a provision requiring a minimum of 120 days’ prior written notice whenever the periodic or monthly housing costs to be charged a tenant are to increase. by 5 percent or more over the periodic or monthly rental rate charged the same tenant for the same housing unit and same services for any period or month during the preceding 12-month period. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 23637 4. Work Session for Consideration of Rental Protection Measures Blake Lyon, Planning and Community Development Director, and Mark Gardner, Legislative Policy Analyst, presented options for measurers to provide additional rental protections. Council requested additional information and follow-up work sessions on renter protections, licensing, and enforcement. Daniel Hammill / Lisa Anderson moved to request staff synthesize today's discussion and return to Council with a prioritization list of work priorities after the legislative session. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 23638 5. Review of Fire Department Overtime Costs During the October 10, 2022 Budget work session, Council requested staff to provide a comprehensive analysis of overtime use in the Fire Department. Fire Chief Bill Hewett presented a summary of the analysis related to overtime trends over the past eight years. Council Member Anderson requested budget information specific to District 8. Council Member Stone requested additional reporting on overtime and staffing needs to Council in the financial quarterly reports. 23639 6. Approval of City Council Committee and Regular Meeting Minutes Hollie Huthman / Kristina Michele Martens moved to recommend approval of the February 13, 2023 City Council meeting minutes. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. Committee Of The Whole Minutes Page 3 February 27, 2023  7. Old/New Business Council moved into Executive Session at 3:50pm to discuss five items for approximately one hour. 1. Proposed Property Acquisition 2. Proposed Property Acquisition 3. Proposed Property Acquisition 4. Litigation: George v. City of Bellingham 5. Potential Litigation Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 3:46pm. Committee Of The Whole Minutes Page 4 February 27, 2023