Bellingham City Council Budget and Finance Committee

The Bellingham City Council Budget and Finance Committee held a brief afternoon session to consider updates to the fee schedule for the city's rental registration and safety inspection program. The committee unanimously approved an ordinance that streamlines billing practices and aligns late fee structures to reduce public confusion and administrative burden. The proposed changes represent administrative refinements rather than major policy shifts, following two years of experience operating under the enhanced program approved by council in 2023. Staff emphasized that the changes focus on making the fee structure more practical and understandable while maintaining program effectiveness. Julia Burns, the city's new Rental Protection Program Specialist, presented the updates alongside Planning and Community Development Director Blake Lyon. The changes include aligning late fees for inspections and registrations, extending the timeframe for late fee accruals from every 15 days to industry standards, and removing direct references to collections in favor of license revocation procedures allowed under the Bellingham Municipal Code. The committee also received an overview of ongoing program improvements, including policy formalization, enhanced inspector consistency measures, public outreach efforts, and the development of an interactive property inspection map for public use. A tenant advisory group is expected to be established in the coming month.