City Council - Public Works and Natural Resources Committee

City of Bellingham Public Works and Natural Resources Committee Minutes January 25, 2021, 11:00 AM Mayor Seth Fleetwood Contact: (360) 778-8200, ccmail@cob.org Council Members, Michael Lilliquist, Chair www.cob.org/council Gene Knutson, Lisa Anderson All meetings are held in the City Hall Council Chambers at 210 Lottie Street, Bellingham, WA, unless otherwise noted. Call to Order Roll Call Present: Committee Chair Michael Lilliquist, Sixth Ward Committee Member Gene Knutson, Second Ward Committee Member Lisa Anderson, Fifth Ward Council Standing Committee Meeting 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: Public Works and Natural Resources Michael Lilliquist, Chair Gene Knutson, Lisa Anderson Council President Stone, turned the meeting over to Mayor Fleetwood for an update. He condemned the acts of vandalism, spray painting, assaults, and tearing down of flags from the plaza on City Hall. He clarified that the escalations resulted from protestors. Investigations are ongoing. The Mayor explained that the City's intention is to bring an end to the encampment by the end of January. The resolve to do so is strong and tactical decisions will not be announced but will be soon. Swift Haven and CTK's warming site opened last night and an overnight option is also being staff by volunteers. An RFQ for an operator will go out soon for a site and he is hopeful that an operator will be ready by spring. Overall, efforts are still being made and there are places for people to go as capacity is increasing. City Hall and the Public Works and Natural Resources Committee Minutes Page 1 January 25, 2021  Library will be closed for the remainder of this week for the health and safety for the public, campers, and City staff. The encampment will be ending on the timeframe that he indicated earlier this month. He will give an update later on this tonight. 22887 1. An Ordinance Increasing Appropriations in the Wastewater Fund p. 3 Lisa Anderson moved to recommend approval. MOTION CARRIED 3-0. 22888 2. Bid Award for Whatcom Creek Trunk Main (EU-0182), BID #62B-2020 p. 6 Gene Knutson moved to recommend approval. MOTION CARRIED 3-0. 22329 3. Draft Ordinance for Apprenticeship Program on Bellingham Contracts p. 11 Presentation during Committee. Modelled after the Whatcom County ordinance and the D.O.T.'s program that provides an apprenticeship plan. The apprenticeship program would require a new full-time employee. Discussion only. 22889 4. Update on the City of Bellingham Urban Forestry Management Plan p. 20 Analiese Burns, Habitat and Restoration Manager at Public Works, provided an overview on the Urban Forestry Management Plan. She outlined how we can learn from the City of Vancouver, as their plan was adopted in 2007. King County has a robust program and has online tools that help communicate their goals to the public. In our plan, an inter-departmental effort between Planning and Public Works collaborate to ingegrate policies. In 2015 Bellingham Habitat RestorationTechnical Assessment provided a map for review. Information only. 22890 5. Residential Solid Waste Collection Overview p. 39 The city currently has a contract with SSC that runs thru 2034. Eric Johnston, Public Works Director, explained that Solid Waste is a public health issue. In the State of Washington, collection is regulated by the Washington Department of Ecology and Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC). In Whatcom County, the County is responsible for Public Works and Natural Resources Committee Minutes Page 2 January 25, 2021  Comprehensive County Solid Waste Management Plan and local regulations. The City chooses to contract with a hauler for residential collection. This is exempt from the UTC. Non-residential hauling franchise is regulated by the UTC. Information only. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 12:12 PM. Public Works and Natural Resources Committee Minutes Page 3 January 25, 2021