City Council - Special Meeting

City of Bellingham City Council Public Comment Session Minutes September 20, 2021, 7:00 PM Mayor Seth Fleetwood Contact: (360) 778-8200, ccmail@cob.org Council Members Hannah Stone, Gene Knutson, Daniel Hammill, www.cob.org/council Pinky Vargas, Lisa Anderson, Michael Lilliquist and All meetings are held in the City Hall Council Chambers at Hollie Huthman 210 Lottie Street, Bellingham, WA, unless otherwise noted. Call to Order Council President Stone opened the Public Comment Session. Roll Call Present: Council President Hannah Stone, First Ward Council Member Michael Lilliquist, Sixth Ward Council Member Hollie Huthman, At-Large Communications Director, Janice Keller Information Technology Services Department, Marty Mulholland There was a minimum of 46 people in attendance at the Public Comment Session. Attendees who wished to address the Council were given 3 minutes to share their comments. A total of 21 attendees elected to speak publicly. One attendee was removed for unmuting and laughing while another attendee was speaking and then unmuting and laughing again after being muted by the host (Zoom name was "Defund BPD"). One attendee used profanity but was not muted or removed from the meeting (Zoom name was "communism will win"). Included below is a list of speakers and the topics addressed during their comment periods: 1. Shean Halley (on the line with Nancy Bergman) - opposed to separation of public comment from regular council meetings. 2. Natalie Chavez (on the line with Nancy Bergman) - opposed to separation of public comment from regular council meetings, opposed to public comment not being recorded, opposed to COVID related restrictions and concern regarding adverse reactions to vaccinations. 3. Nancy Bergman (on the line with Nancy Bergman) - concern regarding limited access to alternative COVID treatment options. 4. Jean Purcell (on the line with Nancy Bergman) - concern regarding adverse reactions to COVID vaccinations. City Council Special Meeting Minutes Page 1 September 20, 2021  5. Dena Jensen – expressed need to include additional, more effective options than the severe weather shelters under their current constrained accessibility, encouraged community members to post comments on Engage Bellingham or email ccmail@cob.org to create a record. 6. Douglas Gustafson - speaking on behalf of HomesNOW! Not later., need for increased shelter capacity and extended permit options for tiny home villages. 7. Robert F. - resident of Birchwood, opposed to increased density in single family areas. 8. Gail Adderley - concern regarding need for increased winter shelter capacity and services for unsheltered members of the community, opposed to sweeps. 9. Mark Stidham - spoke regarding “the lies of government and collusion of civic leaders to silence citizens regarding issues of public health”. 10. Max Karls - spoke in support of medical professionals, vaccinations, masks, and social distancing. 11. Melissa Wisener (Gragg) - criticism for local government, concern regarding housing costs and end to eviction moratorium, and need for solutions rather than sweeps. They referenced SOS (Serenity Outreach Services). 12. Misty Flowers - opposed to separation of public comment from regular council meetings, concern regarding severe reactions to vaccinations. They referenced an event September 29th at 7:00PM. 13. "communism will win" - speaker used profanity in comments about how infliction of harm on another that results in death is murder. 14. Tyler ("owner") - expressed opposition to mandatory vaccinations, government pressure creates fear, stated position is not political but force would be met with force. 15. Sandy Flanders - support housing for all and no barrier shelter and opposed to sweeps. 16. Dr. Richard Tran - opposed to separation of public comment from regular council meetings, need to reopen council chambers, support for individual rights. Requested data to support the current state of emergency. 17. Karen Frances - supported public comment and stated that compassion and accountability for all is a path forward. 18. Bug Gragg (on the line with Melissa Wisener) - support for vaccinations, masks and social distancing. 19. Susan - concern regarding miscommunication, support for personal choice and constitutional right to not get vaccinated. At the conclusion of the session, two speakers asked follow-up questions related to the format of the public comment sessions: Dr. Richard Tran and Doug Gustafson requested opportunities for increased dialogue exchange with council members. 20. Amanda (on the line with Tyler / "owner") - mother spoke about the negative impact of mask mandates on young child’s social engagement. City Council Special Meeting Minutes Page 2 September 20, 2021  21. Ken D. – opposed to separation of public comment from regular council meetings, support for dialogue between public speakers and council members, support for terms of service regarding profanity. Adjournment There being no further comments, the session adjourned at 8:14 PM. Next public comment session will be held on Monday, October 4, 2021. City Council Special Meeting Minutes Page 3 September 20, 2021