City Council - Public Works and Natural Resources Committee

City of Bellingham Public Works and Natural Resources Committee Minutes June 27, 2022, 1:00 PM Mayor: Seth Fleetwood Contact: (360) 778-8100, mayorsoffice@cob.org Council Members: Michael Lilliquist, Chair Contact: (360) 778-8200, ccmail@cob.org Lisa Anderson, Kristina Michele Martens https://cob.org/council All meetings are held in the City Hall Council Chambers at 210 Lottie Street, Bellingham, WA, unless otherwise noted. Call to Order The Public Works and Natural Resources Committee meeting was called to order by Council President Stone at 1pm. Councilmember Anderson chaired the meeting in Councilmember Lilliquist's absence and Councilmember Edwin H. “Skip” Williams joined to meet quorum. Roll Call Present: Committee Member Lisa Anderson, Fifth Ward Committee Member Kristina Michele Martens, At Large Committee Member Edwin H. "Skip" Williams, Fourth Ward Excused: Committee Chair Michael Lilliquist, Sixth 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: 23379 1. Report From the June 1, 2022, Lake Whatcom Policy Group Meeting p. 3 The Lake Whatcom Policy Group consists of representatives from the Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District, the Whatcom County Council, the Sudden Valley Community Association, and the Bellingham City Council. Councilmember Anderson provided a summary of the discussion and recommendations from the June 1, 2022, Lake Whatcom Policy Group Meeting. Public Works and Natural Resources Committee Minutes Page 1 June 27, 2022  This included,  Update on how the stormwater utility was developed and recent program activities. The purpose of the utility is to pay for the 50-year Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) Plan that was adopted by the City, County, and the Water District in order to fund Lake Whatcom management activities, capital projects, maintenance, outreach and education, homeowner retrofits, and lake monitoring. A copy of the 2021 utility district report is available at, https://www.whatcomcounty.us/2830/Lake-Whatcom-Stormwater- Utility.  Lake Whatcom watershed thinning projects. The City will be contracting for tree thinning on a city-owned watershed acquisition property in the North Beaver Creek area. The goal is to restore characteristics of a mature forest.  Review of the land acquisition program. The Land Acquisition program is a city program that buys property throughout the watershed to reduce impacts on water quality. Staff reviewed the impact of the land acquisition program in reducing potential development units in the watershed.  State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) forestry regulations and impacts on water quality and other ecological goals. DNR presented a historical overview of the evolution in forest practice regulations that impact the watershed. Multiple federal and state regulations and programs have affected forestry practices over time. The September 2022 meeting will discuss the status of lake response model update and TMDL reassessment process and an update on tributary monitoring. The December meeting will focus on the 2022 AIS program review and briefing on the Homeowner Incentive Program (HIP). Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 1:06pm. Public Works and Natural Resources Committee Minutes Page 2 June 27, 2022