# Bellingham City Council Takes Stand Against State Initiatives and Reviews 2025 Budgets October 14, 2024, was a significant day for Bellingham's city government as the City Council convened for a special meeting that would see them take collective positions on four contentious state ballot initiatives and conduct extensive budget work sessions. The meeting, held at City Hall, brought together all seven council members to address issues that would impact everything from natural gas regulations to long-term care insurance, alongside detailed reviews of departmental budgets for the coming year. Council President Daniel Hammill opened the meeting at 10 a.m., noting the dual nature of the agenda: four public hearings on state initiatives followed by budget work sessions that would require a venue change to the mayor's boardroom. Council Member Hannah Stone, who had proposed all four initiative resolutions, took the lead in explaining the council's reasoning for taking public positions on these statewide measures. ## The Natural Gas Debate: Initiative 2066 The morning's first order of business centered on Initiative 2066, which concerns regulating energy services, including natural gas and electrification. As Stone explained to the chamber, if passed, this initiative would "repeal and prohibit certain laws and regulations that discourage natural gas use and or promote electrification and require certain utilities and local governments to provide natural gas to eligible customers." The public hearing drew two speakers, both urging the council to take no action on opposing the initiative. Cynthia Ripka, speaking first, shared personal anecdotes about energy costs and emphasized choice as a constitutional right. "I believe that we can have good clean energy and we can work on that CO2," she said, noting her background as a nurse and her family's involvement in emergency services. "I am a creation science person, so I look at CO2 different, but you know what it was feeling forced that they're just so tired and overspent." Ashley Buttenschön followed with more pointed policy arguments, warning about economic impacts on restaurants and homeowners. "Many local restaurants rely on natural gas for cooking. Switching to electric could not only be costly, but could also negatively affect their operations," she argued. She cited the Seattle Times editorial board's recommendation to…