City Council - Special Meeting

City of Bellingham City Council Special Meeting Minutes October 10, 2022, 1:00 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. Call to Order President Stone called the meeting to order at 1pm. Roll Call Present: Council President 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 Michael Lilliquist, Sixth Ward Council Member Kristina Michele Martens, At Large Committee Of The Whole Hannah Stone, Chair Hollie Huthman, Daniel Hammill, Edwin H. "Skip" Williams, Lisa Anderson, Michael Lilliquist, Kristina Michele Martens 23476 1. Budget Work Session p. 3 Mayor Fleetwood welcomed Council and staff to in-person budget discussions. Bill Hewett, Fire Chief, provided an overview of the 2021-2022 Department Achievements and outlined the proposed 2023-2024 budget. Budget highlights include:  10 additional firefighters to staff a 2nd Basic Life Support (BLS) care.  6 permanent firefighters, transitioning from volunteer firefighter program  1 additional battalion chief to assist with administrative workload and increase crew supervision.  1 additional captain to oversee EMS training for both Advanced Life Support (ALS) and BLS crews. City Council Special Meeting Minutes Page 1 October 10, 2022   1 non-uniform logistical support person to assist with administrative workload and free up other staff.  Additional $700,000 allocated for overtime to better reflect actual needs. Additional funding for personal protective equipment. Council Members asked questions. Rebecca Judd, Library Director, and Rick Osen, Library Board of Trustees Chair, provided an overview of the 2021-2022 Department Achievements and outlined the proposed 2023-2024 budget. Budget highlights include:  Level of Services increases in Facilities (square feet/capita), Materials (expenditures/capita), and Staffing (budgeted FTE).  Increased access to Library services on the north side of Bellingham through Bellis Fair Mall branch pilot.  Additional staffing capacity in key operational areas, including a full time Head of Public Services. Council Members asked questions. Lisa Anderson / Michael Lilliquist moved to request staff to provide a comprehensive analysis of sick leave and vacation use to support the statement that the increase in overtime was due to increased sick leave and vacation leave. Provide data points for the past four years so that we know how much overtime budget is attributed to filling positions in District 8. MOTION CARRIED 6-0. Recused: Daniel Hammill The 2022 Budget Work Session meetings continue from 1:00pm-3:00pm at City Hall on the following dates:  October 17, 2022 (Public Works, Parks, Capital)  October 24, 2022 (HR, Finance, Legal, IT)  October 31, 2022 (Police, Planning, Museum)  November 7, 2022 (Mayor, Council, Municipal Court) Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 2:53pm. City Council Special Meeting Minutes Page 2 October 10, 2022