HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Works Apr 14 2026Whatcom County
Council Public Works & Health Committee
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360) 778-5010
Committee Minutes - Final
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
1PM
Hybrid Meeting - Council Chambers
HYBRID MEETING - MAY END LATE - ADJOURNS BY 1:30 P.M. (PARTICIPATE
IN -PERSON, SEE REMOTE JOIN INSTRUCTIONS AT
www.whatcomcounty.us/joinvirtualcouncil, OR CALL 360.778.5010); AGENDA
REVISION 4.13.2026
COUNCILMEMBERS
Elizabeth Boyle
Barry Buchanan
Ben Elenbaas
Kaylee Galloway
Jessica Rienstra
Jon Scanlon
Mark Stremler
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Cathy Halka, AICP, CMC
Council Public Works & Health Committee Minutes - Final April 14, 2026
Committee
Call To Order
Roll Call
Committee member Mark Stremler called the meeting to order at 1:02 p.m.
in a hybrid meeting.
Present: 6 - Barry Buchanan, Ben Elenbaas, Kaylee Galloway, Jessica Rienstra, Jon
Scanlon, and Mark Stremler
Absent: 1 - Elizabeth Boyle
Announcements
Special Presentation
1. AB2026-289 Presentation from the Child and Family Well Being Task Force on the 2026 Healthy
Children's Fund Report Card
The following people presented:
Tilda Doughty, Task Force Co -Chair
• Christina Jackson, Child and Family Well -Being Task Force
Sallye Quinn, Task Force Co -Chair
Doughty introduced the 2026 Healthy Children's Fund Report Card, thanked
Health and Community Services staff, and spoke about significant
developments since the last report card in the spring of 2025.
Jackson spoke about concerns around continued fund deployment and
contracting delays, and findings of the independent audit which also
acknowledged those. She spoke about community awareness, and stated the
task force recommended stronger communication and greater transparency
with the public in the March 2025 report card and that same concern also
surfaced in the independent audit. She spoke about progress being made on
that front.
Quinn spoke about updated task force recommendations regarding the gift
of public funds and that the County take a clear position that the use of the
Healthy Children's Funds constitutes a fundamental public purpose,
communication and the launch of a new dedicated website, childcare
capacity expansion and remaining strong in support of subsidies, use of
some of the administrative funds for expanding capacity in other County
departments such as the Finance Department and legal, publishing a draft
contract with requests for proposal (RFPs), raising the threshold for
contracts requiring council approval, and helping early learning and care
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Council Public Works & Health Committee Minutes - Final April 14, 2026
Committee
workforce expansion by developing a network for professional and career
development.
Councilmembers and Quinn discussed how they might solve the issue of
gifting of public funds, including getting the Attorney General's opinion on
the issue or drafting a resolution passed by the Council that acknowledges
the public purpose of the fund, and if the task force gets members of the
community expressing concerns or challenges with the implementation of
the Healthy Children's Fund.
This agenda item was PRESENTED.
Committee Discussion
1. AB2026-279 Discussion of an ordinance adopting Whatcom County Code Chapter 16.38 Source
Control of Existing Development to require the use of best management practices for
stormwater pollution prevention within the Wbatcom County Washington Phase I1
Municipal Stormwater Permit Area
Stremler stated there is a substitute ordinance in the related file
(AB2026-281) which is scheduled for introduction.
Sue Sullivan, Health and Community Services, stated they are introducing
this ordinance and code establishing a long source control program for
existing development in order to comply with the requirements in the
Western Washington phase two municipal stormwater permit issued by the
Department of Ecology. She briefed the councilmembers on the ordinance
(see Staff Memo on file) and discussed with them if there was consultation
with advisory groups or impacted parties when writing this new code and if
they should reach out to outside groups and those impacted for their input
before the public hearing, that they intend to develop a communication
strategy before conducting inspections, a concern that programs like this
take more from people than what is mandated by the law, and that the
preferred version of the ordinance is the substitute which has a different
title.
This agenda item was DISCUSSED.
Items Added by Revision
There were no agenda items added by revision.
Other Business
There was no other business.
Adjournment
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Council Public Works & Health Committee Minutes - Final April 14, 2026
Committee
The meeting adjourned at 1:38 p.m.
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Cathy. Halka: du.'t� l Berk
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WA
Mark Stremler for Elizabeth Boyle on 4/24/2026
Elizabeth Boyle, Committee Chair
Meeting Minutes prepared by Kristi Felbinger
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