Council

Hybrid Meeting - Council Chambers

Agenda — 50 items

1. 1 COUNTY COUNCIL
2. 2 CALL TO ORDER
3. 3 ROLL CALL
4. 4 FLAG SALUTE
5. 5 ANNOUNCEMENTS
6. 6 COUNTY EXECUTIVE'S REPORT
7. 7 MINUTES CONSENT
8. 1. Special Committee of the Whole for April 7, 2026 MIN2026-039 APPROVED BY CONSENT Pass
9. 2. Committee of the Whole Executive Session for April 28, 2026 MIN2026-040 APPROVED BY CONSENT Pass
10. 3. Committee of the Whole for April 28, 2026 MIN2026-041 APPROVED BY CONSENT Pass
11. 4. Regular County Council for April 28, 2026 MIN2026-042 APPROVED BY CONSENT Pass
12. 12 PUBLIC HEARINGS
13. 1. Resolution declaring Whatcom County Flood Control Zone District personal property, a single-family house, as surplus and approve sale (Council acting as the Flood Control Zone District Board of Supervisors) AB2026-282 APPROVED Pass
14. 2. Resolution declaring Whatcom County Flood Control Zone District personal property as surplus and approve sale (Council acting as Flood Control Zone District Board of Supervisors) AB2026-284 APPROVED Pass
15. 3. Resolution declaring Whatcom County Flood Control Zone District personal property as surplus and to approve sale (Council acting as the Flood Control Zone District Board of Supervisors) AB2026-286 APPROVED Pass
16. 4. Ordinance establishing a Ferry District to fund and manage the Lummi Island ferry system AB2026-339 ADOPTED Pass
17. 17 OPEN SESSION
18. 18 CONSENT AGENDA
19. 19 (From Council Finance and Administrative Services Committee)
20. 1. Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into a contract amendment between Whatcom County and Cascadia Law Group PLLC to increase the maximum consideration in the amount of $50,000, for a total amended contract amount of $200,000 AB2026-347 AUTHORIZED BY CONSENT Pass
21. 2. Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into a contract between Whatcom County and Ceterra Northwest, LLC to provide on-call construction materials testing and materials inspection for Whatcom County Public Works projects in the amount not to exceed $200,000 AB2026-348 AUTHORIZED BY CONSENT Pass
22. 3. Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into a contract between Whatcom County and Sustainable Connections to conduct an innovative waste reduction program for large scale events, in the amount of $83,588 AB2026-349 AUTHORIZED BY CONSENT Pass
23. 23 OTHER ITEMS
24. 24 (From Council Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee)
25. 1. Resolution establishing a preliminary planning budget cap, affirming governing commitments, and providing recommendations to the administration from the Whatcom County Council on the capital construction of the Whatcom County Jail and Behavioral Care Center AB2026-340 REVISED SUBSTITUTE APPROVED AS AMENDED Pass
26. 26 (From Council Committee of the Whole)
27. 26 Approved the “Revised Substitute Resolution for 5.12.26” 5-2 as amended, with Elenbaas and Stremler opposed.
28. 2. Request for motion regarding council meeting procedures for discussion of agenda bill items on the day of introduction AB2026-272 DISCUSSED AND MOTION(S) APPROVED
29. 27 Motion approved 6-1, with Rienstra opposed, to amend to add three whereas statements after the fourth to last whereas statement as amended that read: WHEREAS, modern correctional facility design recognizes that the physical environment itself materially affects behavioral health outcomes, staff safety, institutional stability, trauma response, recidivism, and the ability to provide effective treatment and programming, and that investments in therapeutic housing environments, behavioral health treatment space, visitation, educational and vocational programming, and trauma-informed architectural design within the jail facility are integral to the Justice Project’s goals of improved behavioral health outcomes, reduced recidivism, and successful reentry; and WHEREAS, the purpose of the replacement jail is not merely to expand incarceration capacity, but to replace an outdated and inadequate facility with one capable of safely and humanely delivering behavioral health treatment, medical care, stabilization services, reentry support, and programming that are not feasible within the constraints of the current facility; and WHEREAS, the existing Whatcom County Jail was not designed to meet modern standards for behavioral health treatment, medical care, trauma-informed housing, classification, programming, or staff wellness, and the replacement of that facility with one designed to incorporate dedicated behavioral health treatment space, detoxification and medication-assisted treatment capacity, therapeutic and trauma-informed housing environments, visitation and reentry services, educational and vocational programming, and humane working and living conditions will itself function as a foundational component of the community's behavioral health infrastructure, benefiting incarcerated individuals, employees, contractors, and the broader community, but not a substitute for the broader community-based services and supports that must accompany it.
30. 28 COUNCIL APPOINTMENTS TO ADVISORY GROUPS
31. 28 Motion had been approved 5-2, with Stremler and Elenbaas opposed, to amend Elenbaas’ original motion by amending Elenbaas' final proposed whereas clause to strike "substantial investment in behavioral health benefiting incarcerated individuals, employees, contractors, and the broader community;" and replace with "foundational component of the community's behavioral health infrastructure, benefiting incarcerated individuals, employees, contractors, and the broader community, but not a substitute for the broader community-based services and supports that must accompany it.” This amendment to the proposed motion to amend the resolution is reflected in the motion above.
32. 1. Appointment to vacancies on the Lynden/Everson Flood Subzone Advisory Committee, Applicants: Ladd Shumway, Jackie Abercrombie, Luke Wolfisberg (Council acting as the Flood Control Zone District Board of Supervisors) AB2026-325 APPOINTED
33. 30 CONFIRMATION OF EXECUTIVE APPOINTMENTS TO ADVISORY GROUPS
34. 1. Request confirmation of the County Executive’s appointment of Neal Walker to the Food System Committee AB2026-350 CONFIRMED Pass
35. 31 MOTION 1 Motion approved 5-2, with Elenbaas and Stremler opposed, to rescind the motion passed on April 1st, 2025 to require discussion on the day of introduction.
36. 32 ITEMS ADDED BY REVISION
37. 32 MOTION 2 Motion approved 6-1, with Stremler opposed, to require discussion in committee on the day of introduction for the following: ordinances amending the County budget, ordinances requiring a public hearing, and all official recurring county plans or plan updates.
38. 33 INTRODUCTION ITEMS
39. 1. Ordinance increasing the Petty Cash Revolving Fund for the Parks and Recreation Department, in the amount of $500 AB2026-333 INTRODUCED Pass
40. 2. Ordinance amending the project budget for the Austin Court Stormwater Improvement Project Fund, request no. 1 AB2026-351 INTRODUCED Pass
41. 35 Motion approved to accept late applications 6-1, with Elenbaas opposed
42. 3. Ordinance amending the project budget for the North Commercial Street Acquisition, request no. 1 AB2026-353 INTRODUCED Pass
43. 36 Appointed Luke Wolfisberg with 7 votes and Ladd Shumway with 4 votes
44. 4. Ordinance amending the project budget for the New Public Health, Safety and Justice Facility, request no. 11 AB2026-355 INTRODUCED Pass
45. 5. Ordinance amending the 2026 Whatcom County Budget, request no. 8, in the amount of $8,914,924 AB2026-369 INTRODUCED Pass
46. 6. Resolution amending the 2026 Flood Control Zone District and Subzones Budget, request no. 3, in the amount of $34,964 (Council acting as the Whatcom County Flood Control Zone District Board of Supervisors) AB2026-373 INTRODUCED Pass
47. 7. Ordinance amending the project based budget for the Lummi Nation Ferry Lease Fund-3901, request no. 1 AB2026-374 INTRODUCED Pass
48. 8. Ordinance amending the project budget for the Central Shop National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Stormwater Improvements Project Fund, request no. 2 AB2026-379 INTRODUCED Pass
49. 42 COMMITTEE REPORTS, OTHER ITEMS, AND COUNCILMEMBER UPDATES
50. 43 ADJOURN

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