HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinance Oct 8 2024COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360) 778-5010
Committee Minutes - Final
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
10 AM
Hybrid Meeting - Council Chambers
HYBRID MEETING (PARTICIPATE IN -PERSON, SEE REMOTE JOIN
INSTRUCTIONS AT www.whatcomcounty.us/joinvirtualcouncil, OR CALL
360.778.5010)
COUNCILMEMBERS
Tyler Byrd
Todd Donovan
Kaylee Galloway
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL.
Cathy Halka, AICP, CMC
Council Finance and Administrative Committee Minutes - Final October 8, 2024
Services Committee
Cali To Order
Roll Call
Committee Chair Todd Donovan called the meeting to order at 10 a.m. in a
hybrid meeting.
Present: 3 - Tyler Byrd, Kaylee Galloway, and Todd Donovan
Also Present: Barry Buchanan, Ben Elenbaas, Jon Scanlon, and Mark Stremler
Announcements
Council "Consent Agenda" Items
Donovan stated that Consent Agenda Item #2 is a substitute.
Consent Agenda Item #2 (AB2024-628)
Aly Pennucci, Executive's Office, answered whether language added to the
contract is new language in some of the County's standard contracts, and
stated it is the same substitute language as in Consent Agenda Item #8
(AB2024-664). Lydia Place wanted a statement saying that if funding was
going to shift, the County would give them 30 days' notice.
Consent Aszenda Item #s 2, 7, and 8 (AB2024-628, AB2024-659, and
AB2024-664) regarding__Healthy Children's Fund
Ann Beck, Health and Community Services, and Sarah Simpson, Health and
Community Services, answered whether the timelines for the Requests for
Proposal (RF Ps) are getting shorter, and stated that is the hope.
Consent Agenda Item #1 (AB2024-608)
Kayla Schott-Bresler, Executive's Office, answered whether the County will
be getting 15 credits for its use, and stated the County will not be getting
credits for county -specific use. She explained the project. She answered
whether the County would get a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the
credits to recoup its $1 million, and stated the project is one hundred
percent grant funded in terms of the contribution from the Economic
Development Investment (EDI) fund, and the they are not planning for a
repayment to the EDI fund from the City of Bellingham. She spoke about
the reason for that.
Elenbaas asked why the County needs to put $1 million into the wetland
mitigation bank when it has the potential of paying for itself.
Consent Agenda Item #s 2, 7, and 8 (AB2024-628, AB2024-659, and
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AB2024-664) regarding_Healthy Children's Fund
Ann Beck answered whether there is anything in these contracts that will go
toward strategy one of the Healthy Children's Fund implementation plan,
and stated none of these are going toward that but there are things in the
works that will.
Consent Agenda Item # 1 (AB2024-608)
The following people answered more questions:
• Kayla Schott-Bresler, Executive's Office
• Satpal Sidhu, County Executive
They discussed with Councilmembers what the County would get for a $1
million, whether that amount is just for the first phase, why the EDI board
felt that a grant was appropriate as opposed to a loan, whether the project
can be done more efficiently using a private entity, and that the County
should do wetland mitigation as part of the County's strategy and as an
investment for economic growth and future development.
Consent Agenda Item #6 (AB2024-655)
Jennifer Hayden, Health and Community Services, answered what the
timeline is to transition this from a contract -managed facility to a
County -managed facility, and she spoke about the six-month extension of
the contract.
Donovan clarified that both items two and eight are substitutes and asked if
Councilmembers were OK with the substitute language.
Galloway moved to recommend approval of Consent Agenda items one
through eight and noted that items two and eight are substitute versions.
Ann Beck answered what percentage of the money for Lydia Place (items
two and eight) is going to help people and what percentage is for overhead.
Scanlon spoke about the time between issuing RFPs and presenting a
contract, and maybe having a presentation about how they can condense that
timeline.
Councilmembers voted on the Consent items (see votes on individual items
below).
1. A132024-608 Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into an interlocal between
Whatcom County and the City of Bellingham to support the Wetland Mitigation Bank
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in the amount of $1,000,000
Galloway moved that the Interlocal be RECOMMENDED FOR
AUTHORIZATION BY CONSENT. The motion carried by the following
vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Galloway, and Donovan
Nay: 0
2. A13202J -628 Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into a contract between
Whatcom County and Lydia Place to increase housing stability for families with
children ages 0 to 5, in the amount of $1,155,524
Galloway moved that the SUBSTITUTE Contract be RECOMMENDED
FOR AUTHORIZATION BY CONSENT. The motion carried by the
following vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Galloway, and Donovan
Nay: 0
3. A 2024-6,1 1 Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into an Interlocal Agreement
between Whatcom County and Washington State Department of Transportation, in
the amount of $1,100,039
Galloway moved that the Interlocal be RECOMMENDED FOR
AUTHORIZATION BY CONSENT. The motion carried by the following
vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Galloway, and Donovan
Nay: 0
4. AB 024-A45. Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into a contract amendment
between Whatcom County and Sanitary Service Company, Inc. to collect waste
along Birch Bay Drive in the amount of $14,000, for a total contract amount of
$42,000
Galloway moved that the Contract be RECOMMENDED FOR
AUTHORIZATION BY CONSENT. The motion carried by the following
vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Galloway, and Donovan
Nay: 0
5. AB2024-648 Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into a contract between
Whatcom County and AssetWorks Inc., to provide professional services for the
implementation of the new ER&R asset management system, in the amount of
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$197,345.78
Galloway moved that the Contract be RECOMMENDED FOR
AUTHORIZATION BY CONSENT. The motion carried by the following
vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Galloway, and Donovan
Nay: 0
6. AB2024655 Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into a contract amendment
between Whatcom County and Clean Earth Environmental Solutions, Inc. to operate
the Disposal of Toxics facility in the amount of $405,000, for a total amended
contract amount of $5,191,260
Galloway moved that the Contract be RECOMMENDED FOR
AUTHORIZATION BY CONSENT. The motion carried by the following
vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Galloway, and Donovan
Nay: 0
7. A.1m32024 �659 Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into a contract between
Whatcom County and Ferndale Community Services to increase housing stability for
families with children ages 0 to 5, in the amount of $376,416
Galloway moved that the Contract be RECOMMENDED FOR
AUTHORIZATION BY CONSENT. The motion carried by the following
vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Galloway, and Donovan
Nay: 0
8. AB202J-664 Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into a contract between
Whatcom County and Lydia Place to expand mental health and parent support
services to low-income families with children ages 0-5, in the amount of $474,786
Galloway moved that the SUBSTITUTE Contract be RECOMMENDED
FOR AUTHORIZATION BY CONSENT. The motion carried by the
following vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Galloway, and Donovan
Nay: 0
Special Presentation
1. Af?, ?02 5 9 Report from the Assessor's Office
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Services Committee
Rebecca Xczar, County Assessor, read from a presentation (on file) and
answered questions about the senior exemption program and appeals to the
Board of Equalization (BOE), both of which have increased the workload of
the Assessor's Office this year. She answered how a new senior exemption
online portal will help seniors and how user friendly it would be, and stated
it will not be the only option. She answered what is driving the increase in
appeals, and stated that last year they improved the sales to assessed value
ratio from 88 percent up to 95 percent. She answered questions about how
they get the word out about the senior exemption and tax relief and deferral
programs, and how many appeals approved by the BOE were then appealed
by the Assessor's Office to the Board of Tax Appeals.
Satpal Sidhu, County Executive, asked whether exemptions are only on the
County's portion of the property tax or whether they are also on other parts
of the property tax bill such school levies, and fire.
Xczar stated there are three different levels of senior exemption so it
depends on what level a taxpayer is in. She summarized the exemption at the
different levels and then continued the presentation and answered questions
about the senior exemption software that is being built by a vendor for their
office, policies versus practice in regard to assessors coming on people's
property, and the trend over the last ten years for the number of successful
BOE appeals that were then appealed by the Assessor's Office.
This agenda item was REPORTED.
Committee Discussion and Recommendation to Council
1. A132_024 654 Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into a contract between
Whatcom County and Ferndale School District to purchase and install an
ADA-compliant playground, in the amount of $700,000
Erik Chambers, Health and Community Services, briefed the
Councilmembers and answered questions about the frequency of school
districts requesting American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for
infrastructure, and what the role is of the school districts funding this
versus the County's ARPA money funding it.
Sarah Simpson, Health and Community Services, spoke about the
State -funded Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP).
Chambers answered whether building the playground is a condition to
increasing the ECEAP slots and if this is a part of the broader infrastructure
needed to accommodate the growth, and stated the County made a condition
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of the award based on the school district receiving those additional ECEAP
slots. He answered whether the playground will be accessible to the
community and stated it will. He answered how the bidding process worked
for this project and what awarding the bid was based on. He answered
whether the funds were ARPA dollars that Council put into a bucket for
increasing childcare slots and which had to be used by 2026, and stated the
funds have to be under contract by the end of this year and spent by the end
of 2026.
Scanlon spoke about the purpose statement for the RFP and that it was open
for many different entities to apply, judging by the applicants.
Galloway stated she is contemplating whether this should still be funded out
of ARPA or whether it would be better suited for the Healthy Children's
Fund.
Erika Lautenbach, Health and Community Services Director, stated they
have a little over $4 million of ARPA dollars left that are allocated and
Council will see the remaining three contracts in two weeks for the other
projects. She asked the Council if they still want to commit to using ARPA
funds for childcare, and if not, which projects they would not want to fund
(since the Healthy Children's Fund dollars are already allocated). She stated
if they would like to have further policy conversation, they could hold this
for two weeks and then talk about it in the context of all four projects.
Donovan moved that the Contract be RECOMMENDED TO HOLD IN
COMMITTEE for two weeks.
Chambers answered whether the school district is incurring any costs right
now for this project, and stated they are not.
Donovan's motion that the Contract be RECOMMENDED TO HOLD IN
COMMITTEE for two weeks carried by the following vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Galloway, and Donovan
Nay: 0
Items Added by Revision
Other Business
There were no agenda items added by revision.
There was no other business.
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Council Finance and Administrative Committee Minutes - Final October 8, 2024
Services Committee
M;ournment
The meeting afttgdlat 11:12 a.m.
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Kristi Felbinger, Minutes Transcription
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WA
Todd Donovan -via email 10/16/2024
Todd Donovan, Committee Chair
Whatcons County page 7