HomeMy WebLinkAboutSpecial Committee of the Whole May 30 20171
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WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
Special Committee of the Whole
May 30, 2017
CALL TO ORDER
Council Chair Barry Buchanan called the meeting to order at 2:30 p.m. in the Council
Chambers, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington.
ROLL CALL
Present: Barbara Brenner, Ken Mann, Satpal Sidhu, Carl Weimer, Todd
Donovan, Rud Browne and Barry Buchanan.
Absent: None.
COMMITTEE DISCUSSION
1. CONTINUATION OF COUNCIL'S REVIEW OF THE 2016 CRITICAL AREAS
ORDINANCE UPDATE (AB2016 -276K) REVIEW OF CERTAIN QUESTIONS,
COMMENTS, AND SUGGESTIONS BY STAFF AND COUNCILMEMBERS RELATED
TO: ARTICLE 5 — CRITICAL AQUIFER RECHARGE AREAS, ARTICLE 8 —
CONSERVATION PROGRAM ON AGRICULTURE LANDS, ARTICLE 9 —
DEFINITIONS
Cliff Strong, Planning and Development Services Department, introduced the
presentation.
George Boggs, Conservation District, submitted and read from a presentation (on
file) on the conservation program on agricultural lands (CPAL) program and answered
questions.
The following staff answered questions:
• Matt Mahaffie, Planning and Development Services Department
• Ryan Ericson, Planning and Development Services Department
Councilmembers discussed and staff answered questions on the guidance provided to
Type 1 properties; the difference between the standard buffers and the buffers allowed with
a farm plan; the lack of farm plan requirements for small hobby farms, resulting in
problems with the critical aquifer recharge area (CARA) data and the lack of buffers for
aquifers; how to protect people's privacy; broadening the use of the jail crew; and
anticipated federal funding changes.
Boggs submitted and read from a presentation on the Whatcom Conservation District
Livestock Program (on file) and answered questions.
Strong referenced the staff memo beginning on Council packet page 189 and gave a
staff report.
Special Committee of the Whole, 5/30/2017, Page 1
1 The following staff answered questions:
2 • John Wolpers, Health Department
3 • Mark Personius, Planning and Development Services Department
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5 Councilmembers discussed and staff answered questions on who sits on the Board of
6 Supervisors, whether the tribes contribute to discretionary funding, signs of improving
7 groundwater, how the Health Department monitors the health of private wells, the impact of
8 the CARA classification, best available science, requiring small hobby farms to have farm
9 plans to protect CARAs, whether the pollution identification control (PIC) program would
10 help small hobby farms, getting water testing data from the large water associations to
11 determine nitrate levels and trends, whether small water associations do or can be
12 compelled to test and report nitrate levels monthly, providing educational outreach to the
13 1,500 small hobby farms in the county, and whether hobby farms contribute to nitrate
14 problems.
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16 2. DISCUSSION OF THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE ADOPTING VARIOUS MINOR
17 AMENDMENTS TO WHATCOM COUNTY CODE TITLE 20 ZONING, MAKING
18 CORRECTIONS, UPDATES, AND CLARIFICATIONS (AB2017 -169)
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20 This item was not discussed.
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23 OTHER BUSINESS
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25 There was no other business.
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27
28 ADJOURN
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30 The meeting adjourned at 4:25 p.m.
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`vTh � Council approved these minutes on June 27, 2017.
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34 AiT�i�^ �\NTCO ° *r`/ WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
35 WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
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38 rt t
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40 Dina Bap erlfh�e js,`Cou�icil Clerk Bar achanan, Council Chair
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45 Jill Nixon, Minutes Transcription
Special Committee of the Whole, 5/30/2017, Page 2