HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublc Works Nov 5 2025Whatcom County
Council Public Works & Health Committee
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360)778-5010
•
Committee Minutes - Final
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
10:05 AM
Hybrid Meeting - Council Chambers
HYBRID MEETING - MAY BEGIN EARLY - ADJOURNS BY 10:25 A.M.
(PARTICIPATE IN -PERSON, SEE REMOTE JOIN INSTRUCTIONS AT
www.whatcomcounty.us/joinvirtualcouncil, OR CALL 360.778.5010)
COUNCILMEMBERS
Ben Elenbaas
Jon Scanlon
Mark Stremler
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Cathy Halka, AICP, CMC
Council Public Works & Health Committee Minutes - Final November 5, 2025
Committee
Call To Order
Roll Call
Committee Chair Jon Scanlon called the meeting to order at 9:56 a.m. in a
hybrid meeting.
Present: 3 - Jon Scanlon, Mark Stremler, and Ben Elenbaas
Also Present: Barry Buchanan, Tyler Byrd, and Kaylee Galloway
Announcements
Special Presentation
1. AB2025-771 Presentation on most recent progress of Healthy Children's Fund (HCF), how HCF
supports in -home child care providers, child care subsidy implementation update and
introduction to the draft Implementation Plan
Sarah Simpson, Health and Community Services, read from a presentation
(on file) on the Healthy Children's Fund Draft 2025-2026 Implementation
Plan.
The following people also spoke and answered questions:
• Kayla Schott-Bresler, Executive's Office
• Aly Pennucci, Executive's Office
Simpson spoke about Healthy Children's Fund (HCF) funding for the food
bank (see substitute presentation page nine). She stated over the course of
the first four years of HCF spending, they have either contracted or are
recommending a total of $1.5 million to be dedicated to the food bank and
food will be available on an amended contract if they would like.
Councilmembers and the speakers discussed the food bank borrowing from
its next year's money to meet short term needs, whether there is interest in
adding a fourth focus area under "Priority: Supporting Vulnerable Children"
in the draft implementation plan to the effect of "basic needs and food
access," how much HCF funding the food banks might be able to use toward
food once they have met the goals for diapers, wipes, and formula, that
Health and Community Services offered a contract amendment to the
Bellingham Food Bank to expand their spending to be up to 25 percent of
the contracted amount for food but that the food bank wanted to pause and
not have a contract amendment at this time, that the Bellingham Food Bank
would like to move forward with their originally -requested contract
Whalcom County page I
Council Public Works & Health Committee Minutes - Final November 5, 2025
Committee
amendment to extend the contract ending date from February 2026 to June
and to not have food on it at this time (during the SNAP upheaval), whether
it would have to meet the criteria of ages zero to five if food was involved,
and that the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program is not sufficient
for providing enough formula for families and can be difficult to access.
Kayla Schott-Bresler, Executive's Office, stated the County has two
contracts with the Food Bank Network through the Bellingham Food Bank-
-the Healthy Children's Fund contract that they are discussing now, but also
a second contract that is funded by the General Fund and Community
Priorities Fund. That contract had about $750,000 a year for 2025 and for
2026, and they have not yet discussed this with the food bank, but would be
open to giving them budget authority to spend some of their 2026 money in
2025 if that is something that is needed to get through this SNAP crisis.
Councilmembers and the speakers discussed how the Council should give
direction if that is something they would like to do, where the HCF capital
and subsidy requests for proposals (RFPs) are in their process, and how
they are addressing the promised 5,000 slots for childcare in the next two
years.
This agenda item was PRESENTED AND DISCUSSED.
Items Added by Revision
Other Business
Adjournment
There were no agenda items added by revision.
There was no other business.
The meeting adjourned at 10:28 a.m.
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WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WA
Jon Scanlon -via email 11/14/2025
Jon Scanlon, Committee Chair
Meeting Minutes prepared by Kristi Felbinger
Whatcom County Page 2