# Budget Season Finale: Committee of the Whole Clinches the 2025 Budget The City of Bellingham's Committee of the Whole convened on the afternoon of November 18, 2024, for what proved to be the final act of budget season. With five council members present—Council President Daniel Hammill presiding, along with Hannah Stone, Edwin "Skip" Williams, Lisa Anderson (attending remotely), and Jace Cotton—the committee moved through a carefully choreographed agenda that would set the city's financial course for 2025. The atmosphere was notably business-like, reflecting the culmination of months of budget discussions that began with the preliminary budget introduction on September 30th. This was not a meeting for debate or deliberation—it was time to formalize decisions already made through weeks of work sessions and public hearings. ## The 2025 Paramedic Training Partnership Assistant Fire Chief Dave Pethick opened the proceedings with a straightforward presentation of the annual interlocal agreement with Whatcom County for paramedic training. "It is that time of year again where we're looking for permission to enter into an agreement with Whatcom EMS to pay for our 2025 cohort," Pethick explained with the casual tone of someone who has made this same pitch many times before. The agreement, valued at $1,144,274, would fund training for five Bellingham firefighter students and five students from other regional agencies. This collaborative approach reflects a regional strategy for emergency medical services, with costs covering student backfill, preceptor and evaluation expenses, books, and other training materials. The discussion was brief and technical. Council members had no questions, and Williams moved approval without comment. The motion carried 5-0, marking the first in what would be a series of unanimous votes throughout the afternoon. ## Housing Crisis Response: YWCA Building Code Exemption The committee's second item brought the ongoing housing crisis into focus, though the discussion remained procedural. Planner Sara Ullman presented a resolution to exempt the YWCA's new interim housing facility at 315 Lakeway Drive from certain state building code requirements. "I won't belabor the point. I think most of the information is in the packet," Ullman said efficiently. "Just to add the building official and fire marshal have inspected the building and found that it poses no threat to human life, safety or health." The facility, designed to serve up to 20 female-identifying adults and their children under six, represents the city's continued effort to address homelessness through partnerships with nonprofit organizations. The five-year building code exemption, authorized under RCW 19.27.042, allows the YWCA to operate the shelter while raising funds for full code compliance. The resolution passed unanimously with minimal discussion, reflecting the committee's support for emergency housing solutions even when they require regulatory flexibility. ## Solid Waste Tax Increase: Paying for Environmental Cleanup The committee's third item carried more fiscal weight—a 50% increase in the solid waste utility tax, from 11.5% to 17.25%. Andy Asbjornsen, serving as Acting Finance Director, explained that this increase would generate approximately $1.1 million annually for environmental remediation work. "This brings in additional about 1.1 million in revenue to the environmental Remediation Fund to work towards those environmental remediation sites that are right around the corner with R.G. Haley and Cornwall," Asbjornsen stated. The tax increase, while significant percentage-wise, translates to less than $2.50 per month for the average residential customer. The revenue will help fund the city's obligations under court-ordered consent decrees for cleaning up the former Cornwall Avenue Municipal Landfill and R.G. Haley site, eventually allowing for construction of the planned Salish Landing Park. Council members asked about the impact on commercial customers, confirming that the increase would apply to both residential and commercial solid waste services. The ordinance passed unanimously, another testament to the thorough groundwork laid during the budget process. ## Investment Income Consolidation: Streamlining City Finances The committee's fourth item involved a technical but significant change to how the city manages investment income. The proposed ordinance would expand the practice of allocating investment earnings to the General Fund, replacing a 1992 ordinance that applied this policy to only certain specified funds. Asbjornsen explained that the change would "align us with the RCWs that define what we can, what the city can use the funds for, and where the authority needs to be defined in the municipal code." Council Member Lisa Anderson, attending remotely, pressed for specificity about which funds would be affected. "Could you provide us with the list of additional sources of funds that we will be moving that interest over, and which ones legally were not allowed in the previous ordinance?" she asked. Asbjornsen acknowledged that the ordinance was deliberately broad to avoid frequent amendments as fund situations change, but promised to provide Anderson with a list of currently known funds. He explained that proprietary funds like water, sewer, and storm utilities would generally keep their interest earnings, as would special revenue funds like impact fees that are legally required to maintain their own interest. Council Member Hannah Stone sought confirmation of her understanding: "The default is to provide authority to move, right, as applicable by law as we're able to do so, to move those investment, the interest rate earned to the general fund?" "Yes, as applicable," Asbjornsen confirmed, and Stone moved approval. The ordinance passed 5-0. ## The Main Event: Adopting the 2025 Budget The committee's final substantive item was the culmination of months of work—the ordinance adopting the city's 2025 budget. Asbjornsen introduced Eric Johnson as the city's new Budget and Treasury Manager, highlighting the transition of responsibilities within the finance department. "He will actually be assuming the role that Forrest [Longman] has played in the past and really leading our budget efforts from the finance perspective," Asbjornsen explained, noting that Johnson had been working behind the scenes for four years before taking on this visible leadership role. The budget they presented represented the final version after numerous work sessions, amendments, and two public hearings. With operating expenditures of $392,057,194 and capital expenditures of $156,940,883, the 2025 budget totals nearly $549 million across all city funds. Asbjornsen noted that general fund reserves had been modified down to $20 million, as discussed in previous sessions. The budget incorporated all previously approved amendments and represented the council's consensus after extensive deliberation. Council Member Williams, perhaps reflecting the collective sentiment after months of detailed budget review, moved approval with a succinct statement: "I think we've been appropriately briefed on all of this and taking the time to examine all of the budget issues. So I will move to approve the budget." The motion carried unanimously, finalizing the city's financial blueprint for 2025. ## Personal Reflections and Community Connections In the old/new business portion of the meeting, Council President Hammill shared several personal observations that revealed the human side of municipal governance. He thanked Library Director Rebecca Judd for arranging a tour of the Whatcom County Jail's library services, describing the facility's constraints: "The jail's library literally exists within a broom closet, or it's a mop closet. Sorry, maybe it's a little bit bigger, but the carts have to be pulled out every time that Barry or Mr. McHale is there providing those services." Hammill also highlighted a ceremonial event that connected the fire department's present with its historical roots—a "push-in ceremony" for new fire apparatus at Fire Station Two. "The story behind that goes back in the day when horses used to pull the fire apparatus years and years ago," he explained, describing how firefighters would unhitch horses and manually push equipment back into the station. The modern ceremony involved about 75 people, including the mayor, council members, veteran firefighters, and new academy recruits, physically pushing a 37,000-pound fire engine into the station. "I thought it was just really quite amazing to see... the changing of the guard to see some of the more veteran firefighters and then the folks that are serving us currently and then the new folks coming on," Hammill reflected. In his final item, Hammill reported on his testimony before the Washington State Supreme Court regarding a public defender proposal that would triple the number of public defenders statewide. He argued that Bellingham's situation differed from larger jurisdictions: "According to the municipal court that we have the one that the city runs our public defense is 2 to 1 to the prosecution and so we have ample resources. And that problem just doesn't exist in our community." ## Behind Closed Doors: Executive Session Agenda The committee concluded its public business by announcing an extensive executive session covering potential litigation, labor relations strategy, and multiple property acquisitions. The agenda included discussions with various city attorneys about legal matters and collective bargaining strategy, plus five separate property acquisition discussions. This private portion of the meeting, lasting until evening, reminded observers that much of municipal business involves confidential legal and strategic matters that must be handled away from public view, even as the substantive policy decisions happen in full transparency. ## The Rhythm of Municipal Governance The November 18th Committee of the Whole meeting exemplified the procedural rhythm that characterizes municipal government at budget season's end. After months of detailed analysis, public input, and careful deliberation, the committee moved through its agenda with the efficiency of a well-rehearsed team. Each unanimous vote reflected not just agreement on the specific items, but confidence in the process that brought them to this point. The paramedic training agreement continued regional cooperation in emergency services. The YWCA building exemption demonstrated flexibility in addressing housing needs. The solid waste tax increase showed commitment to environmental remediation despite the cost to ratepayers. The investment income ordinance streamlined financial management. And the budget adoption formalized the city's priorities for the year ahead. The meeting's tone was workmanlike rather than celebratory, reflecting both the routine nature of these annual tasks and the serious responsibility of stewarding public resources. With a nearly $549 million budget now formally adopted and the necessary supporting ordinances in place, the City of Bellingham was prepared to begin 2025 with clear financial direction and the legal framework to implement its plans. As the committee moved into executive session and prepared for the evening's regular council meeting, they had completed the essential work of municipal budgeting—translating community needs, legal requirements, and fiscal realities into the formal structure that would guide city operations for the coming year.