HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommittee of the Whole Sep 29 2020Whatcom County
Council Committee of the Whole
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360)778-5010
Committee Minutes - Final
VIRTUAL MEETING - ENDS NO LATER THAN 5 P.M.
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
3:25 PM
Virtual Meeting
COUNCILMEMBERS
Rud Browne
Barry Buchanan
Tyler Byrd
Todd Donovan
Ben Elenbaas
Carol Franey
Kathy Kershner
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Dana Brown -Davis, C.M.C.
Council Committee of the Whole Committee Minutes - Final September 29, 2020
Call To Order
Roll Call
Council Chair Barry Buchanan called the meeting to order at 3:25 p.m. in a
virtual meeting.
Present: 7 - Rud Browne, Barry Buchanan, Tyler Byrd, Todd Donovan, Carol Frazey, Ben
Elenbaas and Kathy Kershner
Absent: None
Announcements
Committee Discussion
1. AB2020-219 Discussion and update on strategies and other items related to COVID-19 (Council
and Health Board)
Tyler Schroeder, Executive's Office, briefed the Councilmembers on
updated allocations of CARES Act dollars for the County and the City of
Bellingham and contract amounts for how the money will be spent. He
highlighted an additional amount of $4.5 million in CARES Act dollars for
local government operations with recommended budget and buckets for the
Council to consider.
Erika Lautenbach, Health Department Director, updated the
Councilmembers on the following:
• The Public Health portion of the additional $4.5 million dollars: The
funds are retroactive to March 27, 2020 but must be spent by the end
of the year. Almost half of the money will stay in Whatcom County
government.
• The housing and human services response: They want to make sure
they are also supporting behavioral health providers.
• Use of the allocation for school technology.
• A recent outbreak at a long-term care facility in Whatcom County
and whether they know how the outbreak happened.
• Work with Steve Bennett from Western Washington University on a
social marketing campaign geared toward younger people.
Dr. Steve Bennett, Western Washington University, briefed the
Councilmembers on the social marketing campaign and what they learned
from a Whatcom County survey.
He and Lautenbach answered questions about how to best get messages out,
how to fund messaging efforts, how to help people understand how to
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Council Committee of the Whole Committee Minutes - Final September 29, 2020
practice non -pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) with friends and family,
whether there is a bench mark or baseline data for the rate of anxiety and
depression in youth prior to COVID-19, and whether spending money to tell
people that our response is the right response will make a statistical
difference in the outcome.
Satpal Sidhu, County Executive, asked Dr. Bennett to describe similar past
campaigns.
Bennett answered whether there is data for the exact sources of confirmed
cases.
Kershner spoke about using CARES Act dollars on measures that will help
us get back to normal such as getting County staff working forty house a
week again without furloughs.
This agenda item was DISCUSSED.
2. AB2020-345 Discussion of proposed Cherry Point amendments
Councilmembers discussed an emailed request for more time to work on
the amendments, getting the greenhouse gas mitigation standards back in,
getting clarity on the refinery language, dealing with all the suggested
changes at one time, inviting the Pipeline Safety Trust to the conversations
and scheduling a public work session with the interested parties to work on
the suggested amendments.
Dana Brown -Davis, Clerk of the Council, answered whether they could
schedule such a work session.
Elenbaas moved that the Council gather their concerns for Cherry Point
amendments and then schedule a work session and invite all interested
parties to join. The motion was seconded by Browne.
Councilmembers discussed the motion, when concerns for consideration
would need to get submitted to the Clerk of the Council and whether all
concerns have already been submitted.
Matt Aamot, Planning and Development Services Department, stated staff
would like the group to took at the definition of fossil fuel transshipment
facilities in Exhibit B, page 32, Section 20.97.160.3; restoring the
definition of facility emissions in the Zoning Code (Section 20.97.124.1);
and a question about the connection between change of use and the zoning
scheme of permitted uses, conditional uses, and prohibited uses.
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Council Committee of the Whole Committee Minutes - Final September 29, 2020
Councilmembers discussed Aamot's questions with him, having more time
to submit additional comments, maintaining a public process, and whether
to set a deadline to submit comments.
Donovan listed the concerns that are currently on the table.
The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 7 - Donovan, Elenbaas, Frazey, Kershner, Browne, Buchanan, and Byrd
Nay: 0
Browne moved to extend an invitation to the Pipeline Safety Trust. The
motion was seconded by Byrd.
Councilmembers discussed the motion.
Buchanan suggested a friendly amendment that it just be a
recommendation that the group includes them.
Councilmembers discussed the motion.
Browne accepted the friendly amendment.
The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 6 - Elenbaas, Frazey, Kershner, Browne, Buchanan, Donovan
Nay: 0
Out of the Meeting: 1 - Byrd
This agenda item was DISCUSSED AND MOTION(S) APPROVED.
3. AB2020-382 Discussion regarding Council Office contracts for 2021
Dana Brown -Davis, Clerk of the Council, briefed the Councilmembers.
Councilmembers discussed whether Council meetings should still be aired
on BTV-10.
Cathy Halka, Council Legislative Analyst, briefed the Councilmembers on
the options for Hearing Examiner services. She answered what the
requirements are for being the Hearing Examiner and why the person is not
an elected official.
Karen Frakes, Prosecuting Attorney's Office, answered a question about the
requirement that the Hearing Examiner be an attorney.
Halka stated she is looking for feedback on whether the Council Office
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Council Committee of the Whole Committee Minutes - Final September 29, 2020
Other Business
Adiournment
should bring forward a contract amendment including a five percent
reduction in pay for Hearing Examiner services for the 2021 year.
Donovan suggested they move forward with a contract amendment as
described in the packet and Councilmembers (except for Elenbaas)
concurred.
This agenda item was DISCUSSED.
There was no other business.
The meeting adjourned at 5:05 p.m.
The County��Cpppgjl approved these minutes on October 13, 2020.
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