The Bellingham City Council Committee of the Whole held its final meeting of 2025, focusing on two major items: the city's new strategic communications plan and emergency response to recent severe weather. Communications Director Melissa Morin presented a comprehensive three-year plan aimed at transforming the city's approach from text-heavy, traditional government communication to visual-first, community-centered engagement. The plan emphasizes authentic transparency, consistent branding across departments, and innovative public involvement strategies.
Council unanimously approved an emergency resolution waiving competitive bidding for weather-related infrastructure repairs. The December 10th atmospheric river caused significant damage including sewer backups affecting 10 residences, road closures on Hanigan Road due to culvert failure, sink holes at Squalicum Pier, and a broken water main on Bayside Road. Public Works Director Joel Ingram noted that while the city's flood control infrastructure largely performed as designed, several critical repairs require immediate attention with costs coming from utility reserves.
The session revealed a council eager to modernize its communication approach while grappling with the practical challenges of representing diverse viewpoints. Members praised recent improvements in coordinated messaging, particularly when responding to community misinformation, and expressed enthusiasm for visual communication tools like infographics and videos.
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### Meeting Overview
The Bellingham City Council Committee of the Whole met on December 15, 2025, for two primary purposes: to receive a presentation on the city's new Strategic Communications and Engagement Plan for 2026-2028, and to approve an emergency resolution for weather-related infrastructure damages from the December 10 storm.
### Key Terms and Concepts
**Committee of the Whole:** A meeting format where all city council members participate in a working session to receive presentations and discuss issues before formal votes at regular council meetings. This committee generally does not have public comment periods.
**Strategic Communications Plan:** A three-year roadmap guiding how the city will communicate with residents through websites, social media, public engagement events, and emergency alerts. The plan emphasizes moving from text-heavy communications to visual-first approaches.
**Emergency Resolution:** A formal city council declaration that allows staff to bypass competitive bidding requirements during emergencies, enabling faster response to urgent infrastructure repairs and public safety threats.
**Infiltration and Inflow (I&I):** When stormwater enters sewer systems through cracks in pipes or improper connections, causing backups during heavy rain events. This is a major challenge for aging sewer infrastructure.
**Fish Passage Culverts:** Specialized drainage structures designed to allow fish migration while managing stormwater flow. These often provide better flood protection than traditional culverts.
**BTV:** Bellingham Television, the city's video production team that creates content for public meetings, city programs, and communications initiatives.
**One City Approach:** The communications team's goal to ensure consistent messaging and visual identity across all city departments, so residents receive unified information whether interacting with police, parks, planning, or other services.
### Key People at This Meeting
| Name | Role / Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Hollie Huthman | Committee Chair, City Council |
| Melissa Morin | Communications and Community Relations Director |
| Joel Ingram | Public Works Director |
| Nicole Oliver | Public Works Staff |
| Hannah Stone | City Council Member |
| Daniel Hammill | City Council Member |
| Edwin "Skip" Williams | City Council Member |
| Lisa Anderson | City Council Member |
| Michael Lilliquist | City Council Member |
| Jace Cotton | City Council Member |
| David | Council Communications Staff (referenced) |
### Background Context
Bellingham is transitioning from a small city to a mid-size city of nearly 100,000 residents, requiring more sophisticated communication strategies. The city has been building its communications capacity over recent years, recognizing that poor communication can lead to misinformation, community frustration, and wasted staff time addressing misunderstandings.
The December 10, 2025 weather event brought significant rainfall in a short period, testing the city's infrastructure and emergency response systems. While Bellingham avoided the catastrophic flooding seen in nearby communities like Sumas and Mount Vernon, the storm still caused sewer backups, road damage, and infrastructure failures that required immediate attention.
This emergency comes as the Pacific Northwest faces increasing extreme weather events, highlighting the importance of both infrastructure resilience and effective emergency communications.
### What Happened — The Short Version
The meeting began with Communications Director Melissa Morin presenting the city's new three-year communications plan. She emphasized that the city's communications work is about community service, not just public relations. The plan focuses on five main goals: building community trust through transparent communication, creating consistency across all city departments, embracing visual-first communications (moving away from text-heavy materials), improving emergency communications protocols, and enhancing internal communications among city staff.
Council members asked detailed questions about the city's brand identity, tone of voice, and how council communications fit into the broader strategy. Several members praised recent improvements in coordinated messaging, particularly when addressing community concerns or misinformation.
In the second part of the meeting, Public Works Director Joel Ingram presented an emergency resolution for weather-related damages from the December 10 storm. The city experienced sewer backups affecting about 10 residences near G Street, a water main break impacting two homes, road damage on Hanigan Road, and sinkholes at Little Squalicum Pier. Ingram noted that while Bellingham fared well overall, immediate repairs were needed to protect public safety and critical infrastructure.
The council unanimously approved the emergency resolution, including an amendment to add work needed for the Wilburn Culvert, allowing city staff to proceed with necessary repairs without competitive bidding delays.
### What to Watch Next
- The communications team plans to return in January or February 2026 with a specific plan for council communications and new visual formats for council information
- Weather monitoring continues as more atmospheric river events are forecasted, though not expected to match the intensity of December 10
- Long-term infrastructure projects are being accelerated, including sewer replacement work in the letter streets area planned for 2026-2027
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