HomeMy WebLinkAboutFinance Jul 22 2025Whatcom County
Council Finance and Administrative Services Committee
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360)778-5010
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Committee Minutes - Final
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
9:20 AM
Hybrid Meeting - Council Chambers
HYBRID MEETING - ADJOURNS BY 9:50 A.M. (PARTICIPATE IN -PERSON, SEE
REMOTE JOIN INSTRUCTIONS AT www.whatcomcounty.us/joinvirtualcouncil, OR
CALL 360.778.5010)
COUNCILMEMBERS
Barry Buchanan
Tyler Byrd
Todd Donovan
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Cathy Halka, AICP, CMC
Council Finance and Administrative Committee Minutes - Final July 22, 2025
Services Committee
Call To Order
Roll Call
Committee Chair Todd Donovan called the meeting to order at 9:20 a.m. in
a hybrid meeting.
Present: 3 - Tyler Byrd, Todd Donovan, and Barry Buchanan
Also Present: Ben Elenbaas, Kaylee Galloway, Jon Scanlon, and Mark Stremler
Announcements
Council "Consent Agenda" Items
Buchanan moved to recommend approval of Consent Agenda items one
through eleven.
Byrd stated he has questions on Consent Agenda item numbers 4 and 11 and
Stremler stated he had a comment on item number 4.
Consent Agenda item #4 (AB2025-521)
Stremler stated the contract is a lot of money, but hopefully, because of
reporting requirements, they will be able to see that it was money well spent
at the end.
Sue Sullivan, Health and Community Services, responded to questions and
stated this contract would be bolstering RE Sources' current program but
that it is a pilot program for the County.
Councilmembers discussed how this program is different from other
recycling -related projects the County has contracted with RE Sources for,
and other manufacturing companies that need a similar service.
Consent Ay
enda item #1 1 (AB2025-530)
Bennett Knox, Parks and Recreation Department Director, briefed the
councilmembers on the interlocal agreement and answered questions. He
answered whether uses or events in the space have to meet our code and
insurance requirements, and stated they require them to have the same
insurance they require of others. He spoke about similar agreements in the
county and what it takes for a community group to do something like they
are doing here.
Councilmembers voted on the Consent items (see votes on individual items
below).
Whalcom County page
Council Finance and Administrative Committee Minutes - Final July 22, 2025
Services Committee
I. AB2025-511 Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into an interlocal agreement
between Whatcom County and Tacoma Pierce County Health Department to support
the Provider Resources Website as a shared service between local health
jurisdictions, in the amount of $0
Buchanan moved that the Interlocal be RECOMMENDED FOR
AUTHORIZATION BY CONSENT. The motion carried by the following
vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Donovan, and Buchanan
Nay: 0
2. AB2025-519 Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into an interlocal agreement
amendment between Whatcom County and Lookout Mountain Holdings LLC to
extend the performance period of the radio tower lease for an additional five years at
a cost of $57,084.73, for a total amended contract amount of $111,084.73
Buchanan moved that the Contract be RECOMMENDED FOR
AUTHORIZATION BY CONSENT. The motion carried by the following
vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Donovan, and Buchanan
Nay: 0
3. AB2025-520 Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into an agreement between
Whatcom County and Akin for services related to the Parents for Parents (P4P)
program, in the amount of $112,757
Buchanan moved that the Contract be RECOMMENDED FOR
AUTHORIZATION BY CONSENT. The motion carried by the following
vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Donovan, and Buchanan
Nay: 0
4. AB2025-521 Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into a contract between
Whatcom County and RE Sources to improve and expand the commercial recycling
infrastructure in Whatcom County, in the amount of $92,059
Buchanan moved that the Contract be RECOMMENDED FOR
AUTHORIZATION BY CONSENT. The motion carried by the following
vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Donovan, and Buchanan
Nay: 0
Wlurlcom County Page 2
Council Finance and Administrative Committee Minutes - Final July 22, 2025
Services Committee
5. AB2025-522 Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into a contract between
Whatcom County and San Juan Cruises to provide temporary passenger ferry service
to and from Lummi Island during the 2026 dry dock period, in the amount of
$118,809.60
Buchanan moved that the Contract be RECOMMENDED FOR
AUTHORIZATION BY CONSENT. The motion carried by the following
vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Donovan, and Buchanan
Nay: 0
6. AB2025-523 Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into an interlocal agreement
amendment between Whatcom County and the Mount Baker School District to
extend the performance period of a radio tower lease for an additional five years at a
cost of $0, for a total amended contract amount of $0
Buchanan moved that the Contract be RECOMMENDED FOR
AUTHORIZATION BY CONSENT. The motion carried by the following
vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Donovan, and Buchanan
Nay: 0
7. AB2025-525 Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into an Interlocal Agreement
between Whatcom County and Washington State Department of Transportation, for
the Whatcom County Ferry with a Youth Zero Fare Policy, in the amount of $68,500
Buchanan moved that the Interlocal be RECOMMENDED FOR
AUTHORIZATION BY CONSENT. The motion carried by the following
vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Donovan, and Buchanan
Nay: 0
8. AB2025-526 Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into an Interlocal Agreement
between Whatcom County and Washington State Department of Transportation,
renewing the operating deficit agreement for the Whatcom County Ferry
Buchanan moved that the Interlocal be RECOMMENDED FOR
AUTHORIZATION BY CONSENT. The motion carried by the following
vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Donovan, and Buchanan
Nay: 0
Whatcom County Page 3
Council Finance and Administrative Committee Minutes - Final July 22, 2025
Services Committee
9. AB2025-527 Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into an interlocal agreement
between Whatcom County and the Washington State Department of Commerce to
provide resources to fund homelessness crisis response systems, in the amount of
$18,819,091
Buchanan moved that the Interlocal be RECOMMENDED FOR
AUTHORIZATION BY CONSENT. The motion carried by the following
vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Donovan, and Buchanan
Nay: 0
10. A132025-528 Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into a contract amendment
between Whatcom County and North Sound Behavioral Health Administrative
Services Organization to provide behavioral health services within the North Sound
Integrated Care Network in the amount of $469,534, for a total amended contract
amount of $3,494,669
Buchanan moved that the Contract be RECOMMENDED FOR
AUTHORIZATION BY CONSENT. The motion carried by the following
vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Donovan, and Buchanan
Nay: 0
11. AB2025-530 Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into an interlocal agreement
between Whatcom County and the Blaine Birch Bay Park and Recreation District
No. 2 for usage of the gymnasium at Bay Horizon Park for recreational programming
Buchanan moved that the Interlocal be RECOMMENDED FOR
AUTHORIZATION BY CONSENT. The motion carried by the following
vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Donovan, and Buchanan
Nay: 0
Committee Discussion and Recommendation to Council
1. AB2025-488 Ordinance amending the project budget for the Birch Bay-Lynden Road and Blaine
Road Intersection Improvements Fund; CRP #906001, request no. 1
Byrd moved that the Ordinance be RECOMMENDED FOR ADOPTION.
The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Donovan, and Buchanan
Nay: 0
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Council Finance and Administrative Committee Minutes - Final July 22, 2025
Services Committee
AB2025-492 Ordinance amending the project budget for the E. Smith/Hannegan Road Intersection
Improvements Fund, request no. 4
Byrd moved that the Ordinance be RECOMMENDED FOR ADOPTION.
The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Donovan, and Buchanan
Nay: 0
3. AB2025-494 Ordinance amending the project budget for the Lummi Island Ferry Replacement and
System Modernization Fund, request no. 1
Buchanan moved that the Ordinance be RECOMMENDED FOR
ADOPTION.
Byrd stated his reading of this is that they are not spending money but just
moving it from the Road Fund to the Lummi Island Ferry Replacement and
System Modernization Project Fund.
Elizabeth Kosa, Public Works Department Director, stated they have not
spent the money yet. It is for the replacement of the ferry and is part of the
grant they got from the State to be paid over a 20-year period. They want to
keep it separate so it does not get spent on anything else. This ordinance
transfers the money so they can only use it for its intended purpose so they
stay in compliance with the grant. They plan on spending it when they
construct a new vessel and do the terminal upgrades.
Buchanan's motion that the Ordinance be RECOMMENDED FOR
ADOPTION carried by the following vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Donovan, and Buchanan
Nay: 0
4. AB2025-498 Ordinance amending the project budget for the New Public Health, Safety and Justice
Facility, request no. 8
Donovan stated this is adding $4 million in expenditure authority for
pre -construction services.
Buchanan moved that the Ordinance be RECOMMENDED FOR
ADOPTION.
Donovan spoke about the description of the supplemental request (on file)
totaling $6,372,756, and that the numbers seem to be presented weirdly in
that table compared to what they are actually doing and what they had seen
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Council Finance and Administrative Committee Minutes - Final July 22, 2025
Services Committee
before.
Rob Ney, Administrative Services Department Facilities, referred to the
"Staff Memo" on file in AB2025-499 (the discussion item associated with
this ordinance).
Kayla Schott-Bresler, Executive's Office, stated that Staff Memo provides
more detail on the allocations and forecasting, but it just did not get
uploaded to this ordinance file.
Buchanan's motion that the Ordinance be RECOMMENDED FOR
ADOPTION carried by the following vote:
Aye: 3 - Byrd, Donovan, and Buchanan
Nay: 0
5. AB2025-502 Ordinance amending the 2025 Whatcom County Budget, request no. 8, in the amount
of $3,548,146
Buchanan moved that the Ordinance be RECOMMENDED FOR
ADOPTION. The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 2 - Donovan, and Buchanan
Nay: 1 - Byrd
Items Added by Revision
There were no agenda items added by revision.
Other Business
Adjournment
There was no other business.
The meeting adjourned at 9:42 a.m.
Whatcom County Page 6
Council Finance and Administrative Committee Minutes - Final
Services Committee
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C4hy Halk. ,.0 iPr i
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July 22, 2025
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WA
Todd Donovan -via email 8/7/2025
Todd Donovan, Committee Chair
Meeting Minutes prepared by Kristi Felbinger
"a(cwn County page 7