HomeMy WebLinkAboutSpecial Committee of the Whole November 1 20161
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WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
Special Committee of the Whole
November 1, 2016
CALL TO ORDER
Council Chair Barry Buchanan called the meeting to order at 12:30 p.m. in the
Council Chambers, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington.
ROLL CALL
Present: Barbara Brenner, Ken Mann, Satpal Sidhu, Rud Browne, Barry
Buchanan, Todd Donovan, and Carl Weimer
Absent: None
COMMITTEE DISCUSSION
1. 2017 -2018 WHATCOM COUNTY BUDGET COUNCIL REVIEW AND
RECOMMENDATIONS (AB2016 -198B)
Budget Work Session
Mike Russell, Administrative Services Department, answered questions about the
request for qualification (RFQ) and the additional service request (ASR) for a Council
Chambers remodel; the differences in cost between public projects and private projects; the
source of the $702,000 budget estimate; paying prevailing wage; expanding the scope of
the original request, and; developing a more competitive bid process.
Garrett Maupin, Administrative Service Department, described the difficulty getting
contractors to work on small County projects due to all the County processes and
requirements and the attempts to simplify the process.
Jack Louws, County Executive, stated he denied the ASR when it came forward and
was surprised by some of the costs.
Councilmembers discussed from where the $702,000 estimate came, having an idea
of what costs should be before getting engineering estimates, bid technology, and creating
a better bid process.
Advisory Boards, Commissions, and _Committees
Forrest Longman, Council Legislative Analyst, submitted handouts (on file) and a
staff memo. He referenced the memo and gave a staff report on the status of County
boards and commissions. He answered questions and councilmembers discussed the
possibility of creating sunset dates for certain special purpose committees, lacking a citizen
committee that focuses on the business community, whether the County has any authority
over cable franchises, and whether boards and commissions have impacts on the 2017-
2018 budget.
Browne suggested the following action items: Mr. Longman to recommend combining
or eliminating boards if possible, Mr. Longman to suggest other boards that other
jurisdictions have, create a business community committee, restart the Countywide Housing
Affordability Task Force (CHAT) for affordable housing, and refocus economic development
away from just public infrastructure and change it to something more robust.
Special Committee of the Whole, 11/1/2016, Page 1
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Jack Louws, County Executive, invited councilmembers to attend an Economic
Development Investment (EDI) Board meeting.
Brenner asked for information about participation on boards and commissions.
Linda Twitchell, Building Industry Association, spoke about her organization's input
on housing issues and suggested connecting with a Bellingham /Whatcom Chamber of
Commerce government affairs committee.
Councilmembers discussed the County government providing a platform for
community business organizations; looking at other community models for economic
development; the ability to combine certain boards and commissions with similar functions,
and; changing the name of the Flood Control Zone District Advisory Committee to better -
reflect how flood funds can be spent.
Browne stated combine the shellfish protection district advisory committees, two
behavioral health groups, the subzones, and the weed board and horticulture pest and
disease board.
Budget Work Session
Twitchell asked for more information on annual maintenance costs and fees related
to a new permit system.
Councilmembers discussed the Council process for working on the 2017 -2018
budget; Planning Department fees; and the Council policy to make all programs self -
sustaining, which prevents the implementation of certain programs that would save County
money, such as electronic home monitoring; how to set aside money for 2018 to implement
recommendations of the Incarceration Prevention & Reduction Task Force; the County's
markup in the fee for allowing inmates to make phone calls, and; Council review of the
unified fee schedule and individual funds.
OTHER BUSINESS
There was no other business.
ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 2:33 p.m.
The Council approved these minutes on December 6, 2016.
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Jill Nixon, Minutes Transcription
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Bar anan, Council Chair
Special Committee of the Whole, 11/1/2016, Page 2