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Home My WebLink AboutPublic Works Aug 6 2024Whatcom County Council Public Works & Health Committee COUNTY COURTHOUSE 311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105 Bellingham, WA 98225-4038 (360)778-5010 Committee Minutes - Final Tuesday, August 6, 2024 1:10 P Hybrid Meeting HYBRID MEETING - ADJOURNS BY 2:10 P.M.(PARTICIPATE IN -PERSON, SEE REMOTE JOIN INSTRUCTIONS AT www.whatcomcounty.us/joinvirtualcouncil, OR CALL 360.778.5010) COUNCILMEMBERS Kaylee Galloway Jon Scanlon Mark Stremler CLERK OF THE COUNCIL Cathy Halka, AlCP, CMC Council Public Works & Health Committee Minutes - Final August 6, 2024 Committee Call o Order, Roll Call Committee Chair Jon Scanlon called the meeting to order at 1:13 p.m. in a hybrid meeting. Present: 3 - Kaylee Galloway, Jon Scanlon, and Mark Stremler Also Present: Barry Buchanan, Tyler Byrd, Todd Donovan, and Ben Elenbaas Announcements Special Presentation AB2_ 24. `;24, Presentation from Lara Welker regarding Aging Well Whatcom The following people read from a presentation (on file) and answered questions: • Lara Welker, Aging Well Whatcom-Chuckanut Health Foundation • Chris Orr, Whatcom Council on Aging • Jeri Lautenbach, Lynden Community -Senior Center • Heather Flaherty, Chuckanut Health Foundation They spoke and answered questions about current and projected demographics in Whatcom County, the vision for the Aging Well Whatcom initiative, the priorities of the Aging Well Whatcom blueprint, opportunities for the Council to consider in support of seniors, including increasing funding for senior centers, expanding the Health and Community Services Department's focus on aging and older adults, and fostering older adult representation and civic participation, the importance of relationship and connection for seniors, whether they have a specific amount in a specific timeframe that they are requesting, and whether they have identified any potential sources of funds. Orr stated the request is to double the current funding from $265,000 to just over $500,000 for the four main senior centers to help get them caught up with current demands and programming that they are trying to provide. He stated they do not have a specific source. Traditionally, their funding has come through Whatcom County Parks and Recreation, but their request is that this can come from other sources, and that they can look at the County's investment in senior centers as a whole. Welker and Flaherty answered a question about working with the Health and Whatcom County Page I Council Public Works & Health Committee Minutes - Final August 6, 2024 Committee Community Services Department to expand their focus on aging and older adults, and stated it is a conversation they would also like to have with the Public Health Advisory Board and Board of Health. Councilmembers also discussed the funding request with the following: • Kayla Schott-Bresler, Executive's Office • Satpal Sidhu, County Executive They discussed why the senior centers are funded through the Parks Department, and whether it is something that Parks wants to keep running, the fact that the funds would come out of the General Fund either way, what percentage the $257,000 is of their whole budget and where the rest of the money comes or could potentially come from, the antiquated funding model with both the County and some of the cities currently in place and that now is an ideal time to revisit how the County partners with the cities to support senior centers, encouragement for Aging Well Whatcom to have a conversation with the Executive's team and Health Department, the Council having further discussion about the history of the County funding and partnerships with the cities, and also reaching out to the Child and Family Well-being Task Force. This agenda item was PRESENTED. Committee Discussion 1. AB202,4-314 Ordinance establishing Whatcom County Code Chapter 2.180 Naming County -Owned Public Buildings, Properties, Parks, and Facilities Scanlon stated the recommendation on this is to bring it back at a future date because the Parks and Recreation Department has proposed to have their own process for naming their facilities and will work with the Parks and Recreation Commission to put that together. Then staff will need time to work on this ordinance to remove some items regarding Parks and clean up other parts of the text. Bennett Knox, Parks and Recreation Department Director, stated they brought this to their commission last month and are looking to get feedback from them at the next couple meetings. They will then come back with their own separate proposed ordinance. Councilmembers discussed that the proposed language in Exhibit A would be adding all new code. Whatcom County Page 2 Council Public Works & Health Committee Minutes - Final August 6, 2024 Committee Scanlon moved to hold until staff is ready to present an updated proposal. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 3 - Scanlon, Galloway, and Stremler Nay: 0 This agenda item was HELD IN COMMITTEE. Motion approved to hold until staff is ready to present an updated proposal. 2. AB2024- 503 Discussion regarding the Public Works Six -year Transportation Improvemnt Program (TIP) for the years 2025-2030 Doug Ranney, Public Works Department, briefed the Councilmembers on what the Six -year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is, the various projects listed on the spreadsheet, and next steps. He answered whether they cannot apply for grants for a project that is not on the TIP, and stated they can, but it helps their grant applications to have a project on a transportation improvement plan. He answered whether the Council is being asked to consider exhibits B I and B2, and stated he just presented them for discussion to show their needs over the next six years with and without the ferry. He highlighted several projects on the plan and answered questions on those and others. He stated the resolution is scheduled to be on the agenda for introduction on September IOth. Elizabeth Kosa, Public Works Department Director, answered questions about Exhibits B 1 and B2 and the replacement cost for the ferry (on B 1) which is almost half (if you include financing costs) of what Council most recently heard it would be. She stated they will be holding work sessions with the Council in which they will recap what they talked about as far as the replacement of the ferry and the upgrades of the terminal structures. They have to have the placeholder on the TIP to show that they can continue with the project, but they have quite a bit of work to do_ She will give them an update on the health of the Road Fund on September 1 Oth but stated that she does not see a nexus for the Road Fund to be able to bail out the ferry system as far as a replacement, so they will need to look at alternatives and the bigger picture. Right now, they do not have a plan for anything changing other than what they have adopted with the level of service, so they are continuing with that plan until they change it. Ranney went over the timeline for approving the TIP and the Annual Road Program. This agenda item was DISCUSSED. Miatcom County Page 3 Council Public Works & Health Committee Minutes - Final August G, 2024 Committee Items Added by Revision Other Business Adiournment There were no agenda items added by revision. There was no other business. <Fyy6ttlii!f6,°f,, `0 The m®eetp�ira djca'ir�iyi.:21 p.m. t_A A f" o A hd iTs �j {.� I C7� r 7: �.� COUNTY a i S`i`AT E 0 F: o a:Y&OW Cathy Halka; C%mciUClerk i �1 Kristi Felbinger, Minutes Transcription WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL WHATCOM COUNTY, WA Jon Scanlon -via email 8/20/2024 Jon Scanlon, Committee Chair Wkatcom County Page 4