HomeMy WebLinkAboutClimate Action Sep 10 2024Whatcom County
Council Climate Action and Natural Resources Committee
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360) 778-5010
Committee Minutes - Final
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
1:15 PM
Hybrid Meeting - Council Chambers
HYBRID MEETING (PARTICIPATE IN -PERSON, SEE REMOTE JOIN
INSTRUCTIONS AT www.whatcomcounty.us/joinvirtualcouncil, OR CALL
360.778.5010)
COUNCILMEMBERS
Todd Donovan
Kaylee Galloway
Mark Stremler
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Cathy Halka, AICP, CMC
Council Climate Action and Natural Committee Minutes - Final September 10, 2024
Resources Committee
Call To Order
Roll Call
Committee Chair Kaylee Galloway called the meeting to order at 1:16 p.m.
in a hybrid meeting.
Present: 3 - Todd Donovan, Kaylee Galloway, and Mark Stremler
Also Present: Barry Buchanan, Tyler Byrd, Ben Elenbaas, and Jon Scanlon
Announcements
Special Presentation
1. A112024-587 Presentation from Conservation Easement Program (CEP) Oversight Committee and
Planning & Development Department staff regarding Conservation Easement Program
The following people spoke:
• Alex Harris, Planning and Development Services Department
• Paul Schissler, Conservation Easement Program Oversight
Committee Chair
Schissler read from a presentation (on file) on an overview of the
Conservation Easement Program (CEP), working forestland easements,
addressing farmland access problems, and where they are with funding. He
answered questions about whether the working forestland easements would
include public access as with an open space designation, and whether a
development unit is the same value in forestry as it is in agriculture. He
stated the dollar value would be different but there are homes being built in
commercial forest land, so they are trying to discourage that with policy
and an incentive. He answered whether they ever look into other County
plans to determine if they could have conversations with the landowner and
the Parks Department (or other agencies) regarding the possibilities for
public access. He stated he believes those conversations occur.
He spoke about farmland access and the Buy, Protect, Sell_ (BPS) model,
and CEP program funding. He answered why there is a big spike in
protected acres in 2026 (represented on presentation page 7) and whether it
includes Stewart Mountain, and stated it accounts for the four easements in
forestland but does not include land acquisitions where the County has used
Conservation Futures to buy property.
Councilmembers and the speakers discussed the fact that the County is
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Council Climate Action and Natural Committee Minutes - Final
Resources Committee
September 10, 2024
collecting a lower levy rate than what is allowed for the Conservation
Futures Fund and that it may be something to explore, how they are making
sure that development rights that have been removed are getting factored in
to comprehensive planning and land capacity, the fact that development
rights in the program are not transferred and that transferring them might be
more beneficial for the county's housing crisis, the problem with selling
transferred development rights as long as cities are giving development
rights away for free, whether there have been audits of the program to
determine if it is reaching its intended goals, whether there are any barriers
to access in the program that should be removed or advocated for in State or
Federal policy, new or other possible revenue sources for the program,
whether the "sell" component of the BPS model results in farmers being
able to keep agricultural lands working, and how removing development
rights affects the ability to get a conventional loan to purchase those
parcels.
This agenda item was PRESENTED.
Items Added by Revision
Other Business
Adjournment
There were no agenda items added by revision.
There was no other business.
The meeting adjourned at 1:50 p.m.
Cathy Hal ka; Ierk
A
Kristi Felbinger, Minutes Transcription
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WA
Kaylee Galloway -via email 9/16/2024
Kaylee Galloway, Committee Chair
Whatcom County Page 2