Whatcom County Council

The February 24, 2026 Whatcom County Council meeting was dominated by urgent calls for flood action from Sumas residents and broader discussions about public safety infrastructure. Council processed routine business including budget amendments and advisory committee appointments, but the evening's most significant moments came during the 56-minute public comment period where flood victims, business owners, and residents demanded immediate flood mitigation efforts. The meeting's formal business included passing a $319,393 budget amendment (reduced from the original $1.8 million due to new charter requirements), postponing three additional budget items pending quarterly financial reports, and approving various interlocal agreements. Council also appointed members to multiple advisory committees and confirmed executive appointments. However, the emotional weight of the evening centered on repeated testimony from Sumas flood survivors describing their community's devastation. Jessica Kohler corrected the record on displacement numbers, noting that Public Works had understated the scale—20 people are currently in hotels, but the actual displacement count is much higher. Nicole Sandoval, a small business owner, painted a picture of economic collapse: "Without immediate and intentional interventions, our historic town risks becoming a literal ghost town." Council members appeared moved by the testimony, with several speakers thanking them for their strong pushback during earlier flood presentations demanding more immediate action. Stacey Daly noted that 56 days had passed since Council approved $750,000 from the Healthy Children's Fund for flood victims with children, yet none of that money had reached families despite Whatcom Long-Term Recovery being ready to distribute it. The meeting also featured debate over infrastructure priorities, jail capacity issues, and concerns about planning department corruption. Multiple speakers linked inadequate jail capacity to constitutional violations, while others questioned why tax revenues have doubled but basic infrastructure continues to deteriorate.

**Budget and Financial Items (All passed):** - AB 2026-145: Approved substitute budget amendment for $319,393 (7-0) - reduced from original $1.8 million due to new charter requirements requiring quarterly financial reports - Three budget items postponed to March 24th: Strawberry Point stormwater ($1M+), Ferndale Senior Center improvements, and Courthouse building envelope repairs **Consent Agenda (All passed 7-0):** - AB 2026-137: Collective bargaining agreement with Professional and Technical Employees Local 17 - Six interlocal agreements including $1.5M FEMA grant match, fire investigation services, and flood mitigation projects **Advisory Committee Appointments:** - Appointed Troy Lautenbach to Solid Waste Advisory Committee (7-0) - Appointed Patricia Newbold to Business and Commerce Advisory Committee (7-0) - Appointed Brian Dykstra and Samantha Doering to Flood Control Zone District Advisory Committee after accepting late applications (6-1, Stremler opposed accepting late applications) **South Fork Park Resolution:** - AB 2026-165: Declared certain county-owned structures worthless (4-3) - Boyle, Galloway, Rienstra, Scanlon in favor; Buchanan, Elenbaas, Stremler opposed **Performance Audits Ordinance:** - AB 2026-040: Held for workgroup review (Scanlon, Rienstra, Elenbaas) rather than introduced **Executive Session Items:** - Authorized property acquisition for flood control (7-0, amount confidential) - Approved legal defense for three county employees in lawsuit (6-0, Stremler abstaining)

**Stacey Daly, on flood emergency:** "Because we're sitting ducks right now in Sumas... The capacity of the river, isn't that an emergency? Because that has filled in. That, I would deem that as an emergency that needs to be removed." **Nicole Sandoval, on economic devastation:** "Without immediate and intentional interventions, our historic town risks becoming a literal ghost town. This is not an exaggeration. I'm not being dramatic. It is our daily reality that this could be true." **Dale Sandstrom, on children's trauma:** "My daughter cries when they see hard rain because they're afraid they're going to get displaced again." **Lyle Sorensen, on planning failures:** "Knowing about a deficit of funding for four or five years and not planning alternatives to make up those gaps is negligent. It's reckless. It's a lack of priority of public safety." **Brian Dexter, on Canadian flood volunteers:** "When they're all done, I asked them, what can we ever do to repay you? How can we thank you? And he just looked at me and he said, just fix your river, right? That's what you can do, fix your river." **Samantha Doering, on repair planning:** "People should never have to repair a home with the thought of, I will have four feet of water in my home again next year. How should I plan to mitigate that, to make it less of a burden on myself and my children?"

--- # Whatcom County Council February 24, 2026 ## Meeting Overview The Whatcom County Council convened on February 24, 2026, for what would become a three-hour marathon meeting dominated by urgent calls for action on multiple fronts. All seven council members were present: Elizabeth Boyle, Barry Buchanan, Ben Elenbaas, Kaylee Galloway, Jessica Rienstra, Jon Scanlon, and Mark Stremler. What began as routine business quickly transformed into a community forum where residents from flood-ravaged Sumas, frustrated farmers, and concerned citizens demanded accountability from their government. The meeting was notable for the raw emotion and urgency expressed during public comment, particularly from Sumas residents still displaced from recent flooding. Council members would later demonstrate their own frustration with bureaucratic delays, delivering an unprecedented 0-7 vote that underscored their collective impatience with the status quo. ## Floods, Failures, and Desperate Pleas for Action The evening's most powerful testimony came from flood victims whose lives remain in limbo. Jessica Kohler of Sumas corrected a misstatement from earlier committee testimony, clarifying that far more than 20 people remain displaced from their homes after recent flooding. "I know 20 people personally, just in SUMAS, that are displaced," she said, emphasizing that the number was much higher when including Nooksack and Everson residents. Stacey Daly, who had listened to the morning's flood presentation, expressed the community's growing desperation: "We don't have time... we're sitting ducks right now in Sumas." She revealed that it had been 56 days since the council unanimously approved $750,000 from the Children's Healthy Children's Fund for flood victims with children zero to five years old, yet the money remained undistributed. "Every day is a challenge when you are struggling after a flood," she said, her frustration palpable. Perhaps most heartbreaking was the testimony from Dale Sandstrom, who spoke about his children's trauma: "My daughter cries when they see hard rain because they're afraid they're going to get displaced again." He described irreplaceable losses — letters, paintings, treasures that can never be bought at a store or on Amazon. Brian Dexter from Everson captured the community's sentiment perfectly: "We're really good at just spinning our wheels. But when it comes time to put something on paper and actually move forward with the project, it seems that we just kind of stall out." He recounted how Canadian volunteers who had helped with flood recovery told him simply: "just fix your river... you can't keep doing this to your people." ## Planning Commission Controversy John Westerfield delivered a scathing critique of what he characterized as an improper change to Planning Commission appointment procedures. He accused the council of violating county charter by accepting additional candidates after the application deadline had passed. "There was an item 2026-125 to appoint persons to vacancies in the Planning Commission. The deadline to apply for those positions was 10 a.m. on Tuesday, February the 2nd... The vote you took to accept additional candidates was invalid and in violation of the code." Westerfield argued that Lindsey Ellen Boss should have been appointed by default as the only timely applicant, calling the process "shameful" and suggesting it was politically motivated to prevent someone with conservative leanings from serving on the board. ## Agricultural and Development Concerns Leslie Cook addressed the complex relationship between urban growth areas and water district boundaries, particularly in Birch Bay. She presented maps showing discrepancies between current planning and water district service areas, arguing that properties outside water districts are severely limited in their development potential despite being zoned for agricultural use. Dwayne Engelsman challenged the accuracy of county-commissioned reports on Birch Bay's growth rate, stating that Birch Bay Water and Sewer disputed the findings. "The actual growth rate in Birch Bay over the last decade has been .6%, not even 1%. The report commissioned by the county suggested that there was a growth of 1.5%," he said, calling it "a failing grade by any standards." ## Infrastructure and Public Safety Failures Richard Verbree painted a stark picture of deteriorating county infrastructure, particularly in the north Ferndale-Custer area. He described a flashing light at a four-way stop that had been destroyed in an accident six months earlier and never replaced, leading to additional accidents. "Things don't get fixed," he said, expressing bewilderment at how the county could collect twice the taxes it did 10 years ago yet fail to perform basic government functions. Lyle Sorensen delivered perhaps the most pointed critique of the county's planning processes, using the jail project as an example of perpetual delays. "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail," he began, describing how a council member had told him years ago they would have a new jail of about the same size as currently planned. "Knowing about a deficit of funding for four or five years and not planning alternatives to make up those gaps is negligent. It's reckless." ## Crisis Response and Mental Health Adam Bellinger continued his ongoing advocacy for improvements to the designated crisis responder system, presenting data showing that about 40 percent of non-fatal overdose victims refuse medical treatment. He argued for requiring designated crisis responders to evaluate anyone who overdoses, noting that response time is directly correlated to successful intervention. ## Jail Concerns and Constitutional Issues Several speakers addressed the county jail situation from different perspectives. Jeff Reon, who identified himself as having been incarcerated for 24 years, warned that the current jail conditions were unconstitutional and could lead to federal intervention. "You guys are operating in jail, that's unconstitutional... it's just a matter of time before some of these guys decide to get an idea and say, hey, let's just start filing 42 USC 1983s." Kendra took a different approach, arguing that the overcrowding problem stemmed from systemic failures in due process rather than lack of space. "If the courts consistently followed the Constitution and the Washington State Constitution, the RCWs, the WACs, and all the criminal rules, we would not have this level of overcrowding," she said. ## Planning Department Corruption Allegations Brian Gass delivered an emotional condemnation of what he characterized as corruption in the county's planning department and executive office. He accused specific staff members of "fraud that is being covered up" and warned council members they would be held accountable by voters if they failed to take action. "I feel like they've wrecked my idea of public service," he said, promising to make it an election issue if corrupt planners weren't fired. ## Business and Industrial Concerns Matt Lloyd from Bell Pole in Bellingham requested that the council not accept comprehensive plan language calling for downzoning heavy industrial areas to light industrial. He emphasized his company's mission "to radically love and influence lives" and their commitment to being a positive part of the community. Ryan Bowman raised concerns about the placement of drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities near schools and childcare centers, questioning zoning codes and permitting processes. He asked whether the council would review zoning buffers around schools and conduct cumulative impact analysis for such facilities. ## Consent Agenda and Routine Business The consent agenda moved smoothly, with seven items receiving 7-0 approval. These included collective bargaining agreements, grant authorizations, and interlocal agreements primarily related to flood control and stormwater management. ## Budget Amendment and Charter Compliance Council Member Scanlon presented the first budget amendment under new charter requirements, noting the need for executive certification that appropriations wouldn't make fund balances go negative. Finance Director Randy Riddell was credited with ensuring compliance with the new charter provision. The council passed a substitute version of the budget amendment for $319,393, significantly reduced from the original $1.8 million request due to charter requirements that the council have the most recent quarterly financial report before approving new spending not paid for by grants. ## Postponements and Parliamentary Procedures Several budget-related items were postponed to the March 24th Finance Committee meeting due to the new charter amendment requirements. The council also delivered what may have been their first-ever 0-7 vote when they unanimously rejected a committee recommendation to hold a parks resolution until photos were available — photos that had already been provided. ## Advisory Group Appointments The council made several appointments to advisory committees, including positions on solid waste, business and commerce, and flood control zone district committees. There was some debate about accepting late applications for the Flood Control Zone District Advisory Committee, with the motion passing 6-1. ## Closing and What's Ahead The meeting ended with the council having demonstrated both their frustration with bureaucratic processes and their commitment to addressing urgent community needs. The repeated calls from flood victims for immediate action, combined with the council's own impatience with delays, suggested a shift toward more urgent governance approaches. Council members had expressed appreciation for the Canadian volunteers' simple message: "just fix your river." As residents continue to plan their home repairs with the expectation of future flooding, the pressure on county leadership to move from planning to action has never been more intense. The community's message was clear: time is running out, and another flood season approaches with the same vulnerabilities that have devastated Sumas twice in recent years. The meeting adjourned with multiple crises demanding immediate attention, from flood mitigation to infrastructure repair to jail overcrowding, while residents wait to see whether their government can finally move from endless studies to concrete action.