City Council - Committee Of The Whole

City of Bellingham Committee Of The Whole Minutes December 4, 2023, 1:20 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 Call to Order Council President Lilliquist called the meeting to order at 1:28pm. 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. 23942 1. An Ordinance Amending Bellingham Municipal Code 6.04 to Adopt Required Changes p. 3 to the Business and Occupation Tax Andy Asbjornsen, Finance Director, and Forrest Longman, Deputy Finance Director, presented the proposed ordinance to amend the Bellingham Municipal Code 6.04, adopting required changes to the Business and Occupation Tax (B&O). In 2003, the Washington State Legislature mandated that all cities imposing a B&O Tax adopt uniform requirements through a "model ordinance". This amendment updates the definition of printing and publishing and directs to pertinent sections of the Revised Code of Washington. This is not anticipated to have any impact on tax revenues. Council Members discussed and asked questions regarding the ordinance. Daniel Hammill / Hannah Stone moved to recommend approval of the ordinance amending the Bellingham Municipal Code 6.04, to adopt uniform general Business and Occupation Tax requirements mandated by the State of Washington. Committee Of The Whole Minutes Page 1 December 4, 2023  MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 23943 2. An Ordinance Amending the Vehicle License Requirements for Taxicabs and For-Hire p. 7 Vehicles Andy Asbjornsen, Finance Director, and Forrest Longman, Deputy Finance Director, presented the proposed ordinance to amend vehicle license requirements for taxicabs and for-hire vehicles. The ordinance modifies Bellingham Municipal Code 6.54 to better align City taxicab regulations with Washington State regulations for Transportation Network Companies (TNCs), such as Uber and Lyft. The changes ensure taxicab companies are held to the same standard as TNCs and streamline the administrative process for the Police and Finance Departments. Council Members discussed and asked questions regarding the ordinance. Daniel Hammill / Hollie Huthman moved to recommend approval of the ordinance amending the vehicle license requirements for taxicabs and for-hire vehicles; amending BMC 6.54.020, 6.54.050, 6.54.060, and 6.54.070, adding new sections to 6.54, and repealing BMC 6.54.100, 6.54.110, 6.54.120. 6.54.130, 6.54.140, and 6.54.150. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 23944 3. An Ordinance Establishing Remedies and Actions for Owners and/or Operators of p. 20 Bellingham Rental Units Found Out of Compliance with the Washington State Warranty of Habitability Standards and International Property Maintenance Code Council Member Martens distributed a draft ordinance during the regularly scheduled Council meeting on October 30, 2023. The Council asked the administration to review the draft ordinance and return to Council with feedback as soon as convenient. James Erb, Deputy City Attorney, sought Council direction by providing a summary of the draft ordinance, possible policy solutions, additional tenant resources, and opportunities to leverage current Bellingham Municipal Code and state law. Council Members discussed and asked questions regarding the ordinance. Michael Lilliquist / Daniel Hammill moved to direct staff and administration to, 1. Remove and delete declarations of compliance in the code; 2. Revise the municipal code that allows inspection of up to 100% of units on a single property when noncompliance is found in a sample of units, to allow inspection of up to 100% of units under substantially the same ownership when noncompliance is found in a sample of units; 3. Change code to require the release of inspection data conducted by private inspectors to the extent allowed by state law; 4. Explore the use of funds to assist low-income renters utilize state laws to remedy landlord disputes; 5. Modify and revamp the tenant resources page on the city’s website. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. Committee Of The Whole Minutes Page 2 December 4, 2023  Michael Lilliquist / Lisa Anderson moved to direct staff to draft investigate additional penalties for a landlord's ability to collect rent if they continue to fail inspections. Edwin H. "Skip" Williams / Michael Lilliquist moved to table the previous motion until discussion at the December 11, 2023 Executive Session. MOTION TO TABLE PREVIOUS MOTION CARRIED 7-0. Hollie Huthman / Daniel Hammill moved to request staff review language from the City of Seattle's Residential Rental Inspection Ordinance, "No rental increase can take effect if a rental unit does not meet minimum housing code requirements" for additional discussion at a later date. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 23945 4. An Ordinance Adopting the 2023-2024 Mid-Biennial Budget Adjustment p. 48 Andy Asbjornsen, Finance Director, and Forrest Longman, Deputy Finance Director, presented the proposed ordinance to adopt the 2023-2024 Mid-Biennial Budget Adjustment. Adoption of the attached ordinance will amend the 2023-2024 Budget to add $50,752,686 of revenue and $58,568,300 of expenditure Citywide. Council Members discussed and asked questions regarding the ordinance. Daniel Hammill / Hollie Huthman moved to recommend approval of the ordinance amending the 2023-2024 Biennial Budget, providing for adoption of the Mid-Biennial adjustments to the biennial budget pursuant to the terms of RCW 35.34.130. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 23946 5. Approval of the 11/6/23 City Council Committee and Regular Meeting Minutes p. 55 Daniel Hammill / Hollie Huthman moved to recommend approval of the November 6, 2023 minutes. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. 6. Old/New Business Council Member Williams shared that he and Council Member Huthman recently visited the Tukwila Justice Center. Judge Lev and Chief Mertzig organized the tour for consideration as the City reimagines the Municipal Court and public safety facilities. The center was intentionally designed to be community service-focused, representative of the area's diverse heritage, and practically combines public safety and court facility needs. They also attended a police academy graduation ceremony to recognize a recent graduate. Council Member Martens thanked Council Members and staff for the discussion on tenant protections and code enforcement. Committee Of The Whole Minutes Page 3 December 4, 2023  Council Member Anderson shared a revised draft resolution for Council's consideration, advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza. Council moved into Executive Session at 3:30pm to discuss three items until 4:09pm. 1. Litigation: DeBruin et al. v. City of Bellingham 2. Litigation: Benson v. City of Bellingham et al. 3. Potential Property Acquisition Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 4:09pm. Committee Of The Whole Minutes Page 4 December 4, 2023