Whatcom County Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee

The most significant development was the confirmation of a preliminary budget ceiling of $225 million for the combined project — $205 million for the jail and $20 million for the BCC. This ceiling is contingent on Whatcom County cities extending their financial contributions through 2035, which would provide an additional $23-24 million to the project. A March 16th letter from all city mayors indicates their willingness to make this extension. Several council members expressed comfort with proceeding at this budget level, contingent on conservative revenue projections and receipt of pending reports. The discussion revealed growing consensus around building both facilities concurrently, with Council Member Kaylee Galloway stating she supports "setting a budget cap that includes both the BCC and the jail build concurrently." Council Member Ben Elenbaas emphasized the interconnected nature of the facilities, saying he believes "we have to have the right size jail to fully implement all the behavioral health plan." Two critical reports are expected within the next two weeks: a jail capacity analysis (delivered to staff that morning) and a behavioral health analysis from Aaron Persky and Associates. These reports will provide data on facility sizing, operational costs, and service models that council members have been requesting. The meeting highlighted ongoing tension around fiscal conservatism, with multiple council members advocating for zero to 1% growth assumptions for sales tax revenue rather than the higher projections previously used. Treasurer Steve Oliver emphasized the need to set a budget ceiling soon to keep the project moving forward while acknowledging that financial modeling will continue as economic conditions evolve.

**No formal votes were taken** — this was an informational briefing and committee discussion. **Key Information Presented:** - Budget ceiling established at $225 million total ($205M jail, $20M BCC) - $11.2 million in state funding for BCC confirmed as more flexible for capital costs - Jail capacity analysis delivered to executive's office the morning of March 24 - Behavioral health analysis expected for public release within one week - Cities have indicated willingness to extend contributions to 2035 for additional $23-24M **Staff Recommendations:** Executive's office requesting council decision on budget ceiling by late April to maintain project timeline and provide guidance to design-build team.

"We're really at a point where we need to kind of pick a number in regards to the level of capital expenditures that we think that we can comfortably take on." **Deputy Executive Shot Wrestler, on concurrent facility construction:** "The jail is something we are required to do and the behavioral care center is something we are choosing to do here locally." **Council Member Ben Elenbaas, on total project approach:** "I am more worried about what our total budget is going to be than just like what the jail is going to cost and what the behavioral health is going to cost because I want an outcome and I want to be able to implement our plan." **Council Member Kaylee Galloway, on budget comfort level:** "I support setting a budget cap that includes both the BCC and the jail build concurrently." **Council Member John Scanlon, on future expansion concerns:** "The cities if they choose to could just continue to push and push and push to expand down the road and to me I feel like we need some type of upper limit there." **Council Member Jessica Rienstra, on interconnected facilities:** "Just trying to keep our focus on the fact that those are all linked together and not oppositional poles."