City Council - Regular Meeting

City of Bellingham City Council Regular Meeting Minutes June 6, 2022, 7:00 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. Please note the doors to City Hall unlock at 6:30 PM. Call to Order The City Council Regular meeting was called to order by Council President Stone at 7:00 p.m. Announcements & Upcoming Meetings: Bellingham City Council meets all requirements of the State of Washington Open Public Meetings Act. Roll Call Present: Council President Hannah Stone, First Ward Council Member Daniel Hammill, Third Ward Council Member Edwin H. "Skip" Williams, Fourth Ward Council Member Lisa Anderson, Fifth Ward Council Member Michael Lilliquist, Sixth Ward Council Member Kristina Michele Martens, At Large Excused Council Member Hollie Huthman, Second Ward Presentation 23361 1. Introduction of Rebecca Mertzig as Chief of Police p. 6 Mayor Seth Fleetwood introduced Rebecca Mertzig as the new Chief of the Bellingham Police Department. Rebecca Mertzig held the rank of Lieutenant at the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office and served as the Police Chief for the City of Stanwood. Chief Mertzig has 18 years of law enforcement experience and progressed to Lieutenant in 2020. She was named Deputy of the Year in 2010 and has received the FBI-LEEDA Trilogy Award. She has her bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Eastern Washington University. City of Bellingham Regular City Council Meeting Page 1 of 7 6/6/2022 Minutes Public Hearing 23362 1. Public Hearing on Proposed Ordinance Authorizing Acquisition, by p. 7 Eminent Domain, of Real Property Interests Needed to Construct the Telegraph Road Multimodal Safety Improvement Project, ES-0537 Council President Stone opened the Public Hearing. Timothy Carey spoke in support of the ordinance but seeks resolution on an outstanding 2004 trail easement payment. With one constituent comment, Council President Stone closed the Public Hearing. Michael Lilliquist / Daniel Hammill moved for first and second reading. MOTION CARRIED 6-0. Mayor's Report Standing time for briefings, updates and reports to Council by the Mayor, if needed. Information only. 23363 1. Mayor's Appointment of Nick Kelly to the Mayor's Neighborhood p. 210 Advisory Commission Mayor Fleetwood appointed Nick Kelly as the Primary Representative from the Cornwall Neighborhood to the Neighborhood Advisory Commission. This is his first term, which will expire on June 7, 2024. 23364 2. Mayor's Appointments to the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board p. 213 Mayor Fleetwood appointed two new board members to the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board including, Steve Walker for his first term, which will expire on May 27, 2025, at which time he may be reappointed and Thor Beck as the Student Representative to his first one-year term, which will expire on May 27, 2023, at which time he may be reappointed. 23365 3. Mayor's Appointment of Timothy Shride to the Bellingham Sister p. 220 Cities Board Mayor Fleetwood appointed Timothy Shride to his first term, which will expire on May 26, 2025, to the Bellingham Sister Cities Board. City of Bellingham Regular City Council Meeting Page 2 of 7 6/6/2022 Minutes  Mayor Fleetwood recognized the Public Works, Wastewater Treatment Plan Team, who recently received an Outstanding Performance Award from the Washington State Department of Ecology. Mayor Fleetwood recognized the upcoming holiday, Juneteenth, which was recently established as a legal holiday for city, state, and federal employees. The Mayor encourages city, staff, and community to enjoy in celebrations on June 18th from 2pm to 6pm at Maritime Heritage Park. Council Standing Committee Meetings: Public Works and Natural Resources 10:00 AM Michael Lilliquist, Chair Lisa Anderson, Kristina Michele Martens 23366 1. Request for Sewer Service at 2337 Yew Street Road p. 224 Michael Lilliquist / Lisa Anderson moved to recommend approval of sewer service at 2337 Yew Street Road. MOTION CARRIED 6-0. 23367 2. Resolution to Approve the 2023-2028 Transportation Improvement p. 235 Program (TIP) Michael Lilliquist / Lisa Anderson moved to recommend approval of the resolution to approve the 2023-2028 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Michael Lilliquist / Lisa Anderson moved final approval of Resolution #2022-11. MOTION CARRIED 6-0. Public Health, Safety, and Justice 10:45 AM Daniel Hammill, Chair Hollie Huthman, Edwin H. "Skip" Williams 23368 1. Interagency Agreement for a Mutual Aid Response Team p. 286 Daniel Hammill / Lisa Anderson moved to recommend approval of the Interagency Agreement for a Mutual Aid Response Team known as the Whatcom County Law Enforcement Mutual Aid Response Team (LEMART). MOTION CARRIED 6-0. City of Bellingham Regular City Council Meeting Page 3 of 7 6/6/2022 Minutes  Parks and Recreation 11:15 AM Edwin H. "Skip" Williams, Chair Hollie Huthman, Lisa Anderson z 23369 1. Status Update on Parks & Recreation Projects p. 342 Nicole Oliver, Director of Parks and Recreation, provided an update on various capital improvement and planning projects for the committee including,  Arroyo Park Bridges  Lorraine Ellis Playground  Boulevard Park Shoreline  Sunset Pond Trail  Cornwall Beach Park  The Pier at Little Squalicum Park  Little Squalicum Estuary  Waypoint Park  Whatcom Creek Trail Trestle Demo  West Cemetery Creek Bridge Committee Of The Whole 1:00 PM Hannah Stone, Chair Hollie Huthman, Daniel Hammill, Edwin H. "Skip" Williams, Lisa Anderson, Michael Lilliquist, Kristina Michele Martens 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. 23370 1. An Ordinance Amending the 2021-2022 Biennial Budget Increasing p. 366 Expenditures Related to a Bridge Loan to Preserve Affordable Housing The ordinance will provide a $4,000,000 bridge loan to Mercy Housing Northwest in order to support the purchase of the Evergreen Ridge apartment complex, an existing 145-unit low-income housing facility that will lose its low- income restrictions if it is not preserved. Mercy has applied for, and is optimistic it will receive, a $4,000,000 grant for the project from the Washington State Department of Commerce. There is no anticipated impact on other city projects. Hannah Stone / Daniel Hammill moved for first and second reading. MOTION CARRIED 6-0. City of Bellingham Regular City Council Meeting Page 4 of 7 6/6/2022 Minutes 23372 2. Consideration of Six Requests to Docket Amendments to the p. 370 Bellingham Comprehensive Plan for Review in 2022-23 McKayla Dunfey, Planning and Community Development, discussed six amendments. Five items were moved forward, with the final amendment (REZ 2022-09) not docketed at this time. Hannah Stone / Edwin H. "Skip" Williams moved final approval of Resolution #2022-12. MOTION CARRIED 6-0. 23371 3. Consideration of an Ordinance Establishing a Shelter Protection Area p. 470 Immediately Adjacent to the Proposed Interim Housing Facility Located at 910 West Holly Street During Committee of the Whole, Lisa Anderson / Dan Hammill moved to extend the shelter protection area created by the ordinance to the outer edges of H Street, Clinton Street, C Street, and Roeder Avenue. Hannah Stone / Edwin H. "Skip" Williams moved for first and second reading. MOTION CARRIED 6-0. 23373 4. Presentation of Draft Climate Action Fund Resolution p. 477 The Mayor and staff presented a draft Climate Action Fund resolution. The draft resolution proposes to add a ballot measure to the November 2022 ballot and reflects input gathered from City Council and the public over the last several months. The resolution proposes an additional property tax levy to raise critical funds for programs and projects aimed at addressing climate change. The levy would raise $6M per year for ten years. There will be a public hearing on the Climate Action Fund Resolution at the June 27, 2022, Regular City Council meeting. 5. Approval of Minutes Daniel Hammill / Edwin H. "Skip" Williams moved approval of the May 16, 2022, minutes of the Special City Council meeting as submitted. MOTION CARRIED 6-0. City of Bellingham Regular City Council Meeting Page 5 of 7 6/6/2022 Minutes  Lisa Anderson / Edwin H. "Skip" Williams moved approval of the May 23, 2022, Regular City Council meeting as submitted. MOTION CARRIED 6-0. 6. Old/New Business No items for discussion. Executive Session 4:30 PM Closed to the public. Report in the Regular Meeting only: 1. Potential Property Acquisition (Stamps, approx. 5 min) Staff provided information on a potential property acquisition. No action taken. 2. Potential Property Acquisition (Stamps, approx. 5 min) Staff provided information on a potential property acquisition. No action taken. 3. Potential Litigation (Stamps, approx. 10 min) Staff provided information on a potential litigation matter. No action taken. 4. Potential Litigation (Erb, approx. 10 min) Staff provided information on a potential litigation matter. No action taken. 5. Potential Property Acquisition (Marriner, approx. 5 min) Staff provided information on the potential acquisition of a .23-acre property located on 28th Street directly north of Hoag’s Pond in the South Neighborhood of Bellingham (parcel # 3703 0712 7264 0000). Michael Lilliquist / Lisa Anderson moved to authorize Mayor Fleetwood to enter into a purchase and sale agreement for the property with the following terms: Purchase of the property for $35,000, with a closing date to occur as soon as practical following Council approval. MOTION CARRIED 6-0. Consent Agenda All matters listed on the Consent Agenda are considered routine and/or non-controversial items and may be approved in a single motion. A member of the Council may ask that an item be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered separately. City of Bellingham Regular City Council Meeting Page 6 of 7 6/6/2022 Minutes 23374 1. Authorization of Payroll Labor Cost Payments Dated May 01, 2022 to p. 514 May 15, 2022 23375 2. Authorization of A/P Transactions Issued May 13, 2022 through May p. 515 19, 2022 23376 3. Authorize Interagency Agreement Between the City of Bellingham p. 516 and the University of Washington Daniel Hammill / Lisa Anderson moved approval of the Consent Agenda in its entirety. MOTION CARRIED 6-0 Final Consideration of Ordinances 23354 1. An Ordinance Amending the 2021-2022 Biennial Budget, Increasing a p. 522 Seasonal Senior Construction Inspector to Full Time Lisa Anderson / Edwin H. "Skip" Williams moved approval for third and final reading. Upon motion, said bill was placed on final passage and approved by the following roll call vote: AYES: Hammill, Williams, Anderson, Lilliquist, Martens, Stone NAYS: (None) EXCUSED: Huthman MOTION CARRIED 6-0 and was thereafter named Ordinance #2022-06-014. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:45pm. Hannah Stone, Council President ATTEST: Kelley Goetz, Deputy City Clerk APPROVED: 6/27/2022 City of Bellingham Regular City Council Meeting Page 7 of 7 6/6/2022 Minutes