HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommittee of the Whole September 15 20091
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WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
Committee Of The Whole
September 15, 2009
Council Chair Seth Fleetwood called the meeting to order at 6:15 p.m. in the Council
Conference Room, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington.
Present: Absent:
L. Ward Nelson
Bob Kelly
Sam Crawford
Carl Weimer
Laurie Caskey- Schreiber
Barbara Brenner
Seth Fleetwood
Nelson moved to go into executive session for 45 minutes to discuss the first two
agenda items.
Ayes: Fleetwood, Crawford, Weimer Caskey- Schreiber, and Nelson (5)
Nays: None (0)
Absent: Brenner and Kelly (out of the room)
1. DISCUSSION WITH WHATCOM COUNTY CHIEF CIVIL DEPUTY PROSECUTOR
RANDALL WATTS REGARDING PENDING LITIGATION (AB2009 -018)
2. DISCUSSION WITH KAREN MAKES REGARDING PENDING LITIGATION
(AB2009 -018)
(Clerk's Note: The committee came out of executive session at 6 :37 p.m.)
3. DISCUSSION WITH COUNCIL STAFF REGARDING 2009 -2010 BUDGET
CONCERNS (AB2009 -017)
Dana Brown - Davis, Clerk of the Council, stated the Council Office is out of money for
the Board of Equalization and for code updates. They need about $20,000.
Caskey- Schreiber asked if they can just stop the Board of Equalization (BOE)
hearings. Brown -Davis stated they cannot. She would like Council support to submit a
supplemental budget request. A memo from the administration says that all supplemental
budget requests must be budget neutral or better. This is just to get to the end of this
year.
Crawford asked the definition of budget neutral, and if the Council is supposed to cut
something else.
Kelly asked if that implies that they are creating budget time by submitting a
supplemental. They would have to take it out from someplace else.
Rebecca Craven, Council Policy Analyst, stated the intent of the administration is for
a department to take the budget amount out from within the department budget.
Committee of the Whole, 9/15/2009, Page 1
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Crawford asked why they are out of money in September. Brown -Davis stated they
have historically had an average of 24 days of Board of Equalization Hearings. This year,
they will have 69 days of hearings. They have already codified 64 ordinances so far this
year. In an average year, they codify 72 ordinances for an entire year.
Caskey- Schreiber stated that's because they have a Planning Director who is finally
getting stuff done.
Fleetwood asked if Executive Kremen has any money left in his discretionary fund.
Weimer stated they should change the administrative formula and quit paying rent
on the Chambers.
Nelson stated take what's left of the travel fund.
Caskey- Schreiber stated just submit the supplemental budget request and see if the
administration refuses it.
Crawford asked if the administration has ever had an idea that there are things the
Council can cut from its budget. Brown -Davis stated the administration has never
questioned what they do, which is all mandated.
Brenner stated the Council has been letting the administration get away with calling
the Council a department. The Council is one of three divisions of government. They have
many more State- and federally- mandated functions than a regular department. Make sure
they stop calling the Council Office a department.
Nelson moved to direct County Council Staff to submit a request for a $20,000
supplement budget request.
The motion carried with the following vote.
Ayes: Fleetwood, Kelly, Crawford, Weimer Caskey- Schreiber, and Nelson (6)
Nays: None (0)
Brown -Davis stated the City of Bellingham has increased its rates for broadcasting
Council meetings from $50 to $95 in 2010. They can drop the fee to $75 if they switch the
broadcast time from Wednesday night to a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday evening. Another
thing to consider is that the office can be in the same situation next year. A question is
whether they continue to videotape the Council meetings, or save that money to codify
ordinances.
Brenner stated the County must be able to broadcast the Council meetings, or else
the public will only hear things from the Bellingham City Council perspective, which
broadcasts its meetings all the time. Many people have told her that they can't get to
County Council meetings. They need to broadcast the meetings.
Crawford stated he would like to know the City's rationalization for different fees at
different broadcast times. Also, the County has the franchise for Comcast. Comcast has
certain obligations to fulfill under that franchise agreement. The City decided to spend
$300,000 to come up with a television broadcast department. Without the County's
franchise with Comcast, the City can't run the system it has invested in. He would like to
know if there is a rationale to remind the City that it is using the County's franchise.
Committee of the Whole, 9/15/2009, Page 2
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Brenner stated the County can always go back to broadcasting on Comcast. Brown -
Davis stated she could look into that option.
Crawford stated Comcast currently fills channel 26 with other content because there
is no local content. If they did run just the County Council meeting, fewer people would see
it because they don't turn on that channel.
Kelly stated that if folks want to see it, they'll find it. Otherwise they don't have to
have it.
Crawford stated they need some guidance from someone who understands the
County's authority.
Brown -Davis asked if a majority of the Council wants to continue with BTV 10 next
year and have the meetings televised on a certain day. She can look into Comcast.
Fleetwood stated they can look into Comcast and get a report back later.
Kelly stated submit this rate increase with the supplemental budget request.
Brown -Davis asked if the Council wants to do a supplemental budget request for Mr.
Bricklin.
Fleetwood stated staff can prepare the request, and the Council will answer that
question at the next meeting.
Weimer asked if they will also need more money next year for BOE. Brown -Davis
stated she doesn't have that answer, because they never know how many petitions they'll
get.
Crawford stated the County will soon go to annual evaluations. Brown -Davis stated
she's heard that the number of petitions went up when other counties changed to annual
evaluations.
4. DISCUSSION WITH THE COUNCIL'S PLANNING AND POLICY ANALYST
REGARDING WORK ASSIGNMENTS RELATED TO THE URBAN GROWTH AREA
REVIEW PROCESS (AB2009 -017)
Rebecca Craven, Council Policy Analyst, stated she will include new maps on the UGA
notebooks for Thursday night. There is a list of issues the Council may be interested in
having her work on. They include capital facilities, ability to provide urban services,
defining the shortcomings in the capital facilities plans, the options for review and
designation decisions, expansions of urban growth areas into agricultural lands, policy
choices, identification of potential mitigation measures and the timing of those measures,
sensitive watershed proposal consistency, the growth forecast, and a Nooksack City
proposal regarding an urban growth area affected by flooding and sediment. A question is
whether the Council is interested in suggesting to Nooksack that it downzone that area.
Crawford asked where that idea came from. Craven stated it came from her as a
result of a conversation about a Bed and Breakfast owner that went out of business due to
Swift Creek sediment, who is now seeking compensation from someone for putting them out
of business.
Committee of the Whole, 9/15/2009, Page 3
Crawford stated leave that alone. They could be in that situation under any
circumstance.
Caskey- Schreiber stated there is some level of responsibility to avoid a bad situation.
Craven stated it is within the City of Nooksack, so it's their decision.
Caskey- Schreiber asked the City if it will consider swapping UGA areas.
Fleetwood stated he is interested in Ms. Craven pursuing that item. He asked if the
Council concurred with Ms. Craven working on items one through six.
The Council concurred.
Brenner stated her main issue is the capital facilities plan.
Nelson stated he would like to get both sides of the argument. Craven stated she
would do that.
Fleetwood stated Ms. Craven has authority to go forward on items one through six,
but not item seven.
OTHER BUSINESS
ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m.
Jill Nixon, Minutes Transcription
The Council approved these minutes on October 13 , 2009.
Please contact the Council Office to obtain an
official, signed copy:
360- 676 -6690 or council@�omhatcomma.us
Committee of the Whole, 9/15/2009, Page 4