HomeMy WebLinkAboutCriminal Justice October 22 2019Whatcom County
Council Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360)778-5010
Committee Minutes - Final
ESTIMATED TIME - MEETING MAY BEGIN EARLIER/LATER THAN 2:30 P.M.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
2:30 PM
Council Chambers
COUNCILMEMBERS
Barry Buchanan
Tyler Byrd
Carol Frazey
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Dana Brown -Davis, C.M.C.
Council Criminal Justice and Public Committee Minutes - Final October 22, 2019
Safety Committee
Call To Order
Roll Call
Committee Chair Buchanan called the meeting to order at 2:30 p.m. in the Council
Chambers, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington.
Present: 3 - Barry Buchanan, Carol Frazey and Tyler Byrd
Absent: None
Also present: Todd Donovan, Barbara Brenner, and Rud Browne
Special Presentation
1. AB2019-517 Report from District Court
Bruce VanGlubt, District Court Administrator, submitted a handout (on file), and gave
an update on staffing and program successes in District Court, the electronic
equipment program, and domestic violence treatment for indigent offenders. He
answered questions about the electronic equipment program including correlations
between costs and use of the program and incarceration costs, population, and
duration; removing barriers to getting more people into the program; and a
comparison of recidivism rates between the different release programs. He answered
questions about domestic violence treatment for indigent offenders including finding
state certified agencies in our community that have capacity for treatment.
This agenda item was REPORTED.
2. AB2019-518 Report from Superior Court
Dave Reynolds, Superior Court Administrator, gave a presentation about the
make-up and function of Superior Court and the Clerk's Office, the types of cases the
court deals with, and a new electronic case management system. He answered
questions about why the Clerk's Office is part of Superior Court and whether it
creates conflicts since the Clerk is a neutral record administrator, and how long it will
be until they are able to accept electronic filing of all case types.
This agenda item was REPORTED.
Committee Discussion and Recommendation to Council
AB2019-530 Resolution establishing a Stakeholder Advisory Committee for the Public Health,
Safety, and Justice Facility Needs Assessment
Committee Chair Buchanan gave an update and a history of the resolution formation.
Tyler Schroeder, Executive's Office, answered a question about the percentage of jail
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Council Criminal Justice and Public Committee Minutes - Final October 22, 2019
Safety Committee
Other Business
Adjournment
bed use and distribution of adviosry committee membership from the County, the City
of Bellinham, and the small Cities.
Councilmembers discussed the voting member representation of the Cities on the
advisory committee, going back to the Cities to see if the membership should be
expanded to be more equitable for the all the Cities, having citizens from differing view
points on building a new jail on the committee to get a diverse set of opinions on all
sides of the issue, and having two separate advisory groups --one that is community
based and one that is government based.
This agenda item was HELD IN COMMITTEE.
There was no other business.
The meeting adjourned at 3:34 p.m.
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Kristi Felbinger, Minutes Transcription
SIGNED COPY ON FILE
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