### Meeting Overview The Bellingham City Council held their regular meeting on December 9, 2024, with six council members present (Council President Hammill excused). The meeting focused heavily on housing initiatives, including Mayor Lund's Executive Order 2024-02 expanding housing options, contract awards for infrastructure projects, and work sessions on landlord-tenant relations. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Executive Order 2024-02:** Mayor Lund's directive issued November 21, 2024, committing the city to intermediate steps addressing Bellingham's urgent housing shortage through administrative actions and proposed interim ordinances. **Interim Ordinance:** A temporary law allowing immediate action while staff develops permanent regulations, specifically mentioned for eliminating parking minimums citywide. **IDIQ Contract:** Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract allowing work to be performed under individual work orders on an as-needed basis over multiple years. **Conservation Easement:** A legal agreement restricting property development to protect environmental resources, particularly relevant for Lake Whatcom Watershed properties. **Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC):** A committee that reviews and recommends funding for projects using lodging tax revenue to support tourism and downtown activation. **Interfund Loan:** A financial mechanism allowing the city to loan money from one fund to another, such as the $600,000 loan from the general fund to the workers comp fund. **Junk Fees:** Unfair or excessive fees charged to tenants by landlords, which the council is working to prohibit through new ordinances. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Kim Lund | Mayor | | Hannah Stone | Council Member, First Ward | | Holly Huffman | Council Member, Second Ward (President Pro Tempore) | | Edwin "Skip" Williams | Council Member, Fourth Ward | | Lisa Anderson | Council Member, Fifth Ward | | Michael Lilliquist | Council Member, Sixth Ward | | Jace Cotton | Council Member, At-Large | | Blake Lyon | Planning and Community Development Director | | Alan Marriner | City Attorney | ### Background Context Bellingham faces a critical housing shortage stemming from the 2008-2012 economic recession deficit of thousands of housing units. The city has not caught up to current demand, necessitating urgent action. Mayor Lund's Executive Order represents a proactive approach to address this crisis through three main strategies: diversifying housing options across neighborhoods, streamlining permitting processes, and incentivizing difficult-to-develop housing like permanently affordable units and tiny home villages. The timing is strategic, as new state laws will soon require similar changes, making early action advantageous. The council's extensive work on landlord-tenant relations reflects growing concerns about housing affordability and tenant protection. Rising housing costs have made "junk fees" - excessive charges for services like application processing or pet deposits - increasingly burdensome for renters. ### What Happened — The Short Version The council approved two mayoral appointments and received information on two others. They awarded a $1,279,812 concrete repair contract to S&S Concrete Construction and a $434,910 contract to Summit Construction for the North Haven Tiny House Community Project. Three downtown activation projects received lodging tax funding totaling $235,080. The council approved the 2025 budget and increased the solid waste utility tax from 11.5% to 17.25%. They authorized two Lake Whatcom Watershed property acquisitions totaling $225,000. Work sessions on landlord-tenant relations produced amendments to proposed ordinances addressing excessive fees, with more discussion scheduled for December 16th. ### What to Watch Next - January 13, 2025: Public hearing on interim ordinance eliminating parking minimums citywide - December 16, 2024: Continued work session on landlord-tenant relations ordinances - December 20, 2024: Closing on Lake Whatcom Watershed property acquisition ($225,000) ---