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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Works Nov 19 2024Whatcom County Council Public Works & Health Committee COUNTY COURTHOUSE 311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105 Bellingham, WA 98225-4038 (360)778-5010 � 4 8 Committee Minutes - Final Tuesday, November 19, 2024 12:45 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 Kaylee Galloway Jon Scanlon Mark Stremler CLERK OF THE COUNCIL Cathy Halka, AICP, CMC Council Public Works & Health Committee Minutes - Final November 19, 2024 Committee Call To Order Roll Call Committee Chair Jon Scanlon called the meeting to order at 12:45 p.m. in a hybrid meeting. Present: 2 - Jon Scanlon, and Mark Stremler Absent: 1 - Kaylee Galloway Also Present: Tyler Byrd, Todd Donovan, and Ben Elenbaas Announcements Special Presentation AB2024-693 Presentation by Whatcom County Health and Community Services Staff on the Healthy Children's Fund Subsidy Program The following people spoke and read from a presentation and memo for this date (on file): • Erika Lautenbach, Health and Community Services Director • Sarah Simpson, Health and Community Services • Casey Osborn, Central Consulting Lautenbach stated she wanted to confirm that Councilmembers had an interest in hearing more from the implementation team and Child and Family Well -Being Task Force on their recommendations for policy before directing the Health and Community Services Department with specific policy priorities. She also updated Councilmembers about receiving responses for the Innovation Fund, and stated they are hoping to be making decisions about that in early December. She stated they will schedule a conversation with Council on January 28 regarding basic needs and whether or not Council would like to see an expansion on the vulnerable children's side of that. They would also like to discuss strategies with Council around the fact that Whatcom County has the worst rate of child abuse in the state of Washington. She spoke about subsidies and augmentation for today's discussion. Simpson read from the presentation regarding the recommended subsidy program budget, and she and the other speakers answered questions. They discussed with Councilmembers what the State Median income (SMI) Whatcom County Page ) Council Public Works & Health Committee Minutes - Final November 19, 2024 Committee is that the subsidy percentages are based off of, that the evaluation plan will be looking at the subsidy data to help inform years three and beyond, that a decision from Council to narrow the number of things in the implementation plan and focus more on subsidy for years three and four of the plan would be passed on to the implementation team to include in their plan, a recommendation to test it with this first two years and then come back and reassess, what year of the implementation plan they are in and how the costs fit into that, what incomes qualify for subsidy based on the percentages presented, how many children the presented subsidy program budget would allow them to help, whether there is a way to expand the subsidy for providers to include organizations not in the WCCC program and whether they could have a tiered system where providers outside the program might still get a lower subsidy rate, the input from the community that smaller providers do not participate in many of the State programs because of all the restrictions that then make them unprofitable, that the goal is to support families who are most cost burdened by childcare and incentivize more providers to serve WCCC plus the subsidy families so that there are more providers to serve this population, and the problem that many low-income families are enrolling in other childcare facilities due to the lack of slots. Simpson and Osborn spoke about running the risk of duplicating resources already available at the State level by investing in programs not connected with State subsidy, but that they could move forward with this plan and then consider potential iterations and additions to it as a phase II of the subsidy program. Scanlon spoke about types of jobs that might be helped by subsidizing those at 85 percent of SMI. Osborn stated a lot of families also have more than one child in care at the same time. Kayla Schott-Bresler, Executive's Office, answered whether Council needed to make a formal motion, and stated one option for Councilmembers would be to make a motion or staff could prepare a resolution that formalizes the decision, and that could be brought for consideration at the next meeting. Byrd asked if they could say that, for the subsidy and augmentation, the amount is up to $300 in order to provide flexibility, and Simpson stated they could do that. Whalcom County Page 2 Council Public Works & Health Committee Minutes - Final November 19, 2024 Committee Scanlon stated they could work out whether a resolution in two weeks should be brought to this committee or Committee of the Whole. This agenda item was PRESENTED. Committee Discussion and Recommendation to Council 1. AB2024--765 Resolution approving the Equipment Rental and Revolving Rental Rates (ER&R) for the 2025-2026 calendar years Brett Piepel, Public Works Department, briefed the Councilmembers and stated this resolution is to adopt and certify ER&R rates and policy and ensures compliance with Washington State County Road Administration Board (CRAB) regulations in order to continue to get their funding. It has already been incorporated into the proposed 2025-2026 budget. Scanlon moved that the Resolution be RECOMMENDED FOR APPROVAL. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 2 - Scanlon, and Stremler Nay: 0 Absent: 1 - Galloway Items Added by Revision Other Business Adjournment There were no agenda items added by revision. There was no other business. The meeting adjourned at 1:24 p.m. CO3 s 4 ••� GQ\� 0 Cathy Halka, t.&ir di'1' , etic WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL WHATCOM COUNTY, WA Jon Scanlon -via email 11/25/2024 Jon Scanlon, Committee Chair Meeting Minutes prepared by Kristi Felbinger Whatcom County Page 3