HomeMy WebLinkAboutSpecial Committee of the Whole February 26 20191
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WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
Special County Council Meeting
February 26, 2019
CALL TO ORDER
Council Chair Rud Browne called the meeting to order at 10:50 a.m. in the Council
Chambers, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington.
ROLL CALL
Present: Barbara Brenner, Rud Browne, Barry Buchanan, Tyler Byrd, Todd
Donovan, Carol Frazey, and Satpal Sidhu.
Absent: None.
1. AB2019-142 DISCUSSION REGARDING OPERATION OF THE WARMING
SHELTER
The following staff answered questions:
• Jack Louws, County Executive
• Bill Elfo, County Sheriff
• Tyler Schroeder, County Executive's Office
• Dana Brown -Davis, Clerk of the Council
Staff and councilmembers discussed managing volunteers, the City of Bellingham
and County's declarations of emergency through March 1 or beyond, staffing the warming
shelter, creating a policy to handle future cold weather events, whether they can allow
staffing from the small cities' emergency management divisions, whether it's feasible to hire
a professional shelter manager or contract for the service, dividing the shelter population
among different churches and other nonprofit organizations, an appropriate facility for a
warming shelter, identifying where processes create problems and barriers to solutions,
point of entry to all shelter services, an appropriate threshold at which a warming shelter
should reopen, providing shelter to individuals without the developmental or mental
capacity to follow shelter rules, volunteer safety, and options for providing law enforcement
staff for safety during shifts.
The following people spoke:
• Dana Briggs spoke about the diversity of the homeless population and
providing shelter for all populations
• Heather Woods spoke about creating a long-term organizational plan for
future events
• Lynnette Allen spoke about the comfort of the warming center and planning
for the different populations
Councilmembers and staff continued to discuss whether to continue keeping the
warming center open beyond March 1 and providing law enforcement for safety.
Byrd moved to formally request via a letter that Bellingham staff any remaining
available shifts through March 1 with Bellingham police officers at Bellingham's cost.
Special County Council Meeting, 2/26/2019, Page 1
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The motion was seconded.
The motion carried by the following vote:
Ayes: Brenner, Browne, Buchanan, Byrd, Donovan, Frazey, and Sidhu (7)
Nays: None(0)
ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 11:55 a.m.
The County Council approved these minutes on March 12, 2019.
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Dana Bro�;r, Dbai��`puna4`oClerk
Jill Nixon, Minutes Transcription
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WHAT O NTYSHINGTON
Rud ' rowne, Council Chair
Special County Council Meeting, 2/26/2019, Page 2