# A City Council Grapples With Security and Spending The November 4th, 2024 Bellingham City Council meeting unfolded at a politically sensitive moment — just one day before the presidential election and amid an ongoing suspension of public comment that has stirred community tension. Council President Dan Hammill opened the meeting in the familiar City Hall chambers with the traditional land acknowledgment, but underneath the routine lay an undercurrent of civic unease that would surface repeatedly throughout the evening. All seven council members were present: Hannah Stone, Hollie Huthman, Skip Williams, Lisa Anderson, Michael Lilliquist, Jace Cotton, and Hammill presiding. Mayor Kim Lund also attended, presenting her report midway through the proceedings. The meeting addressed routine administrative matters alongside weightier issues of civic access, municipal finances, and the balance between security and transparency in local government. ## The Utility Easement Housekeeping The evening began with what staff characterized as routine "housekeeping" — a public hearing on relinquishing a surplus utility easement on North State Street. The properties at 701 and 705 North State Street had been developed years ago with structures built directly over a city utility easement that was no longer needed. When the property owners applied for permits to replace siding, doors, and windows on their condominium development, the city's review process flagged the easement issue. Joel Pfundt, the interim public works director, and Assistant Director Mike Wilson explained that the easement had outlived its usefulness. The city needed to formally relinquish it to clear the way for the property owners' renovation work. Wilson showed a map with the yellow-outlined easement area already occupied by existing buildings — a visual reminder of how development sometimes outpaces administrative cleanup. Dean Longwell, a longtime Bellingham resident and frequent public commenter, stepped to the microphone with a technical question that revealed his deep knowledge of municipal procedures. He wondered whether this utility easement had originally been part of an alley that was later vacated, which would trigger different legal requirements and potentially entitle the city to compensation. "Did the applicant go through the alley vacation process to get rid of this electrical line easement?" Longwell asked. "Because that requires a different set of protocols and procedures... from the standpoint of the public interest, where the city can get half of fair market value for that, that issue is not being discussed by the council." Council member Michael Lilliquist, who has served multiple terms and brings institutional knowledge to complex land use questions, responded that he believed Longwell was thinking of a different property with similar issues. City Attorney Emily Marriner clarified that the relevant alley had been vacated years ago under ordinance 7125, with the utility easement properly reserved at that time for potential future use. Now that the city had determined it wasn't needed, the easement could be cleanly relinquished. The council voted unanimously to approve the relinquishment — a routine decision that nonetheless illustrated the intricate web of property rights, municipal services, and development pressures that local governments must constantly untangle. ## Budget Tensions and Tough Choices The second public hearing focused on the 2025 city budget, marking another step in what has been a challenging budget process for Bellingham. Deputy Administrator Forrest Longman returned to the podium with a presentation that had become familiar to council members over weeks of budget workshops, but this was the public's chance to weigh in on the city's financial priorities. Longman painted a picture of creative problem-solving in the face of structural challenges. The city faces a persistent general fund deficit — expenses consistently outpacing revenues — that required both temporary measures and longer-term strategic thinking. "The 2025 proposed budget leverages creative uses of existing resources to provide short-term relief of a structural general fund deficit," he explained. The budget includes strategic investments that reflect the city's priorities: two additional police officers to restore specialty units that had been cut in previous budget crunches, a prosecutor for the new Therapeutic Community Court, and $1 million in opioid settlement funds to support the county's construction of a 23-hour crisis relief center. The city would also continue heavy investments in affordable housing and alternative responses to traditional policing. To close the budget gap, the city proposed several revenue adjustments. The most significant permanent change would increase the general fund's share of sales tax revenue to 68%, reducing the street fund's allocation by 5%. That lost street revenue would be backfilled by real estate excise taxes. The city also proposed temporarily diverting property taxes from the fully funded firefighters' pension fund — money that goes to retirees from before the state pension system existed. That pension fund is currently funded at about 130% of its obligations, making it a logical place to find temporary relief. Longman's presentation included a complex graph showing the city's five-year financial outlook — revenues in blue, expenses as a line, and projected reserves as colored bars. The visual story was sobering: expenses had far exceeded revenues for several years, requiring the city to draw down reserves. While the 2025 budget would stabilize things somewhat, more structural changes would be needed in 2026 and beyond. Three residents signed up to address the budget during public comment, each bringing different concerns to the microphone in the upper balcony. Adam Bellinger spoke first, focusing on two budget priorities that he felt deserved attention. He strongly supported the investments in public safety, particularly efforts to restore police specialty units like bike patrols. Bellinger shared a personal story that illustrated the retail theft crisis facing local businesses: "My mom, for example, owned the Sunset Beauty Supply. She closed it down last year because retail theft had gotten so onerous for her and the employees that were working there that she decided it was better to shut down than to let things continue." He argued that retail theft undermines the tax base that supports city services, making public safety investments crucial for economic health. But Bellinger also challenged the city's approach to affordable housing spending, arguing for more cost-effective alternatives. He cited specific numbers: the Millworks affordable housing project cost $37 million for 83 units, working out to $445,000 per unit. By contrast, he said tiny home villages cost about $50,000 per unit — meaning the city could house far more people for the same investment. "We could do 750 tiny homes for what it costs for the Millworks project phase one," Bellinger calculated. "I think we need to be looking at what is the most effective use of our tax dollars." Rebecca Bunn brought a more specific infrastructure concern, speaking from her experience living "on the other side of a bridge, which failed in 2021." She urged the council to consider the deferred costs of infrastructure failures and to carefully estimate alternatives when bridge replacement options come before them. She acknowledged that bridge funding might come from multiple budget sources, potentially including federal disaster assistance, but wanted to ensure the council would weigh all factors in future decisions. The final speaker, Natalie Chavez, used her budget testimony to directly challenge the council's suspension of public comment. She noted the apparent contradiction in allowing public comment during budget hearings while suspending it for general comment periods, arguing that security concerns didn't explain the selective approach. "If security was really the issue, then you would have suspended public comments for public hearings as well," Chavez said. "And if security was really the issue, then you would have reinstated the Zoom option for community members to make public comments like the Whatcom County Council did months ago without any issue." Chavez questioned what the council didn't want to hear during open sessions: "Is it the comments regarding the 22 North debacle, the homelessness crisis, the fentanyl crisis? Or perhaps about all the lawsuits that have been filed against the city of Bellingham?" She challenged the budget implications of enhanced security measures, asking how much taxpayer money would be spent on additional security. "You already have two police officers and security cameras. Are you going to hire six more, one for each of you and one for the mayor? Metal detectors, bulletproof glass. When is this going to end?" Her alternative proposal carried a note of sarcasm: "How about you all stay at home or in a conference room and attend the meeting that way? And community members can come into chambers and attend the meeting and make public comments at the podium like normal human beings." Before her time ran out, Chavez also urged the council to budget $50 million for potential lawsuit settlements, citing recent multi-million dollar payouts in San Francisco to employees terminated over COVID vaccine requirements. The budget hearing closed without a vote, as this was an information-gathering session. But the testimony highlighted the community's diverse concerns about city spending priorities and accessibility of government. ## Mayor's Report and Community Engagement Mayor Lund's report balanced routine appointments with updates on major community engagement opportunities. She began by seeking council approval for Colby LaBree's reappointment to a third term on the Historic Preservation Commission — a routine matter that passed unanimously. The mayor then highlighted two significant public planning processes moving forward. The Civic Athletic Complex master planning project represents a major investment in the community's recreational future, considering both the potential relocation of Carl Kosior Elementary School within the complex and locations for a new indoor recreation and aquatics center. A public open house was scheduled for Wednesday, November 6th at the Community Building at Bloedel Donovan Park, with Spanish interpretation and snacks provided. The Bellingham Plan — the city's comprehensive plan update — offered another chance for community input. After a year of gathering feedback, the planning team had developed a growth strategy that would guide the city's development for the next 20 years. Three November open houses were scheduled to gather final input on housing, transportation, climate resilience, and other essential topics. But the most sensitive portion of Lund's report addressed the suspension of public comment directly. She emphasized that the 85-year-old City Hall building wasn't designed for current security needs, and that several incidents over recent years — not just one triggering event — had highlighted vulnerabilities and escalated broader concerns. "I see this as an opportunity for us to reflect and evaluate options for improvements," Lund said. "We are examining these chambers as part of a larger body of work to make City Hall more safe and welcoming, while balancing concerns that have been raised by City of Bellingham employees, our labor leaders, and members of the public." The mayor framed the security review as part of creating "a more inclusive and welcoming City Hall, along with improved safety measures" — language that attempted to bridge the tension between access and security that has defined the public comment suspension. ## Budget Modifications and Financial Details When the meeting moved into Committee of the Whole session, the council tackled the technical work of budget modifications that had been developed through morning work sessions. President Hammill presented a extensive list of corrections, new operational proposals, and capital projects that would fine-tune the 2025 budget. The operational changes reflected the ongoing challenge of right-sizing city government while maintaining services. The Information Technology department would swap a technical support specialist position for a systems analyst — a move toward more specialized expertise. The Police Department would exchange a traffic officer position for a sergeant position, providing more supervisory capacity as the department worked to rebuild specialty units. One of the more significant organizational changes involved moving 3.5 security and information attendant positions from general administration to the Public Works facilities division, while adding a half-time position. This change would centralize campus security services and provide additional coverage for City Hall security concerns. The budget also added substantial environmental capacity: one environmental coordinator and four full-time crew members to manage the city's extensive property holdings in the Lake Whatcom watershed. This $732,000 investment reflected the city's ongoing strategy of purchasing watershed land to protect drinking water quality — properties that require active management to prevent degradation. Council member Lilliquist took a moment to explain the apparent contradiction between budget pressures and significant spending increases. "If you looked at the city's budget, we are doing fine in most areas, but we're doing not fine in the most important area, which is the general fund," he said. "All these increases are drawing from different funds, utility funds, real estate excise tax funds. They're grant supported." The legal requirement to maintain separate fund silos meant that money available for watershed management or stormwater improvements couldn't be used to solve general fund problems. "It may seem strange that we're talking about great budget pressures and still spending millions," Lilliquist acknowledged. "We're going to be spending over 100 million or 200 million, and we're still going to have budget woes because they're drawing from different pots of money." The capital projects included in the budget modifications showed the breadth of infrastructure needs facing the city. A new skate park under the Bay Street Bridge would get $100,000 for feasibility and design work — a project funded by real estate excise taxes. Multiple creek restoration projects would receive federal and state grant funding, totaling nearly $1.7 million for fish passage improvements and water quality enhancements. The council unanimously approved all budget modifications, setting the stage for final budget adoption later in November. ## Food Security and Municipal Priorities Among the more unusual items on the agenda was a resolution supporting increased funding for the Bellingham Food Bank — not typically the kind of item that warrants a separate council resolution. But President Hammill's presentation made clear why this issue deserved special attention. Food insecurity in Bellingham had increased by 124% over the past several years, with the food bank seeing its client load triple since 2021. The mayor's 2025 budget proposed increasing city funding to the food bank by $100,000, bringing the total contribution to $250,000. Hammill, who volunteers weekly at the food bank, painted a vivid picture of the need: "I'll be there tomorrow in the line working the line as I do every week. And the number of cars that are present when I get there at 2:30 in the afternoon, it's about 50 plus households that are represented. And the line really does never slow down. It just keeps going right until 6:00 at the end of the day, and we typically run out of food." The resolution served both as a statement of values and as a commitment to addressing underlying issues of food security. Hammill noted precedents where the council had passed resolutions declaring racism and homelessness as public health crises, and had approved a sales tax measure for mental health and affordable housing services. The food bank funding increase reflected a pragmatic recognition that municipal government needed to step up where other systems were failing to meet basic human needs. The unanimously approved resolution reinforced that commitment while acknowledging that city funding alone wouldn't solve the underlying economic pressures driving food insecurity. ## Public Comment and Democratic Access The evening's most telling moment came during "Old/New Business," when Council member Hannah Stone raised the issue that had been simmering underneath the entire meeting. She requested that the council have a substantive discussion about public comment and safety measures before new leadership takes over in 2025 — acknowledging that upcoming elections could change the council's composition and priorities. Stone's concern went beyond the immediate security issues to broader questions about how public comment could be structured to better serve both residents and council members. "To me, it never feels good to receive comments from community members after we've voted," she said. "Something's come up for discussion and we've taken a vote, and now people are expressing their concern or support for an issue." She wanted the council to consider whether public comment should happen at the beginning or end of meetings, how much time to allow, and whether to schedule it on the same night as regular business or on alternative Mondays. These procedural questions reflected deeper issues about the relationship between elected officials and the public they serve. Council member Williams supported having the conversation at the upcoming council retreat, arguing for "a thorough and honest discussion about that topic and really get down to what are the operating principles that we're going to be doing from that point forward." Williams framed the current suspension as temporary and specific: "Right now, the way that I see it is that it has been suspended for three meetings for a very specific reason. And then it comes back." But he acknowledged that any broader reforms to public comment procedures would be better addressed through a longer-term planning process. The exchange highlighted the delicate balance between maintaining order and preserving democratic access. While the council continued to hear public testimony during the two formal hearings, the broader suspension of public comment had clearly created tension with community members who saw it as limiting their ability to hold elected officials accountable. ## Infrastructure Updates and Environmental Progress The Public Works and Natural Resources Committee report provided updates on two significant infrastructure initiatives that showed the city's long-term thinking on environmental and transportation issues. Council member Stone, who chairs the committee, reported on the implementation of recycling and single-use plastics regulations that had been rolling out across the city. The transition to single-stream recycling had been adopted by nearly 100% of customers, while preparations for mandatory organics management were on track to begin in January 2025. The environmental benefits were substantial: the new recycling system reduced truck traffic by 50% as larger containers and bi-weekly pickup replaced smaller bins with weekly service. Organics diversion was particularly important because organic waste comprised about 30% of the city's waste stream — material that could be composted rather than sent to landfills. Sean O'Neill, the sanitation and solid waste manager, had presented data showing minimal contamination in the new recycling system, suggesting that residents were successfully adapting to the larger containers and cleaner sorting requirements. The city was also working with Sustainable Connections and contractor SSC to help more than 500 local businesses comply with single-use plastics requirements. The second major update covered the Eldridge Avenue non-motorized pilot project, which had removed street parking to install bike lanes in accordance with the city's adopted Bicycle Master Plan. The project had been completed in April 2024 and was now generating data on usage patterns and traffic impacts. Initial results showed increased usage of the bike lanes and sidewalks, but traffic speeds hadn't decreased as much as planners had hoped. The one-year pilot would continue collecting data through spring 2025, when staff would return with final recommendations about whether to make the changes permanent. Both projects reflected the city's commitment to long-term environmental and transportation goals, even when they required short-term disruption or adjustment by residents and businesses. ## Routine Business and Legislative Action The meeting's final business demonstrated the routine but essential work of municipal government. The consent agenda moved efficiently through authorizations for accounts payable, payroll, and various interlocal agreements without discussion — the kind of administrative work that keeps city services running but rarely attracts public attention. The final consideration of ordinances included two items that had moved through the required legislative process. An ordinance extending interim development regulations for landmark trees passed unanimously, continuing protections while the city develops more permanent tree preservation policies. A budget amendment ordinance also passed unanimously, formally adopting modifications to the current biennial budget that had been discussed throughout the year. These technical adjustments ensured that the city's financial records accurately reflected approved spending and revenue changes. ## Looking Forward The November 4th meeting captured a city council wrestling with the fundamental tensions of local governance in challenging times. Budget pressures required difficult choices between competing priorities, while security concerns threatened to limit the democratic access that makes local government accountable to its residents. The approaching end of the calendar year and potential changes in council leadership added urgency to these discussions. Whether through a council retreat or formal work sessions, the coming months would likely see continued debate about how to balance transparency with security, and how to structure public comment in ways that serve both democratic participation and effective governance. The meeting adjourned at 7:53 p.m., just over an hour after it began — efficient by council standards, but leaving many larger questions unresolved. As Mayor Lund had noted, the final 2025 budget would come back to council on November 18th, requiring continued collaboration and compromise. The suspension of public comment would continue through the end of the year, giving the council time to develop longer-term solutions but also prolonging the tension with community members who felt shut out of their own city government. In many ways, the meeting illustrated both the promise and the frustration of local democracy — the place where abstract policy questions become concrete decisions affecting daily life, where citizen engagement can be both invigorating and contentious, and where elected officials must balance competing demands with limited resources and imperfect information.