### Meeting Overview The Whatcom County Planning and Development Committee met on January 14, 2025, for their first meeting of the year. The committee appointed Ben Elenbaas as chair and addressed a technical correction to properly approve two open space applications that had been voted on in November but required a formal resolution. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Open Space Applications:** Proposals from landowners to enroll their property in Whatcom County's open space program, which provides tax benefits in exchange for keeping land undeveloped and providing public benefits like habitat protection or agricultural preservation. **Public Benefit Rating System:** A scoring system that evaluates open space applications based on criteria like wildlife habitat value, agricultural productivity, scenic value, and other factors to determine which properties qualify for the program. **Conservation Easement Program:** A related program where landowners voluntarily restrict development on their property in perpetuity, typically managed by the same county staff who handle open space applications. **Resolution vs. Motion:** A resolution is a formal legal document that requires specific procedures and documentation, while a motion is a procedural vote during a meeting. State law requires open space approvals to be done through resolutions. **Planning Commission:** A citizen advisory board that reviews and makes recommendations on land use matters, including open space applications, before they go to the County Council for final decision. **Committee Chair:** The council member who leads committee meetings, manages the agenda, and represents the committee in communications with other bodies. **RCW (Revised Code of Washington):** The state law that governs how counties must administer programs like open space taxation. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Ben Elenbaas | County Council Member, newly appointed committee chair | | Todd Donovan | County Council Member, committee member | | Jon Scanlon | County Council Member, committee member | | Alexander Harris | Planning Department staff, runs open space program with Lauren Templeton | | Cathy Halka | Clerk of the Council | | Kaylee Galloway | County Council Member (observer) | | Barry Buchanan | County Council Member (observer) | | Tyler Byrd | County Council Member (observer) | | Mark Stremler | County Council Member (observer) | ### Background Context This meeting addressed a procedural error from November 2024 when the council approved two of four open space applications but didn't complete the proper legal paperwork. The open space program allows property owners to receive significant property tax reductions in exchange for keeping their land undeveloped and providing public benefits. However, only properties that score high enough on the county's public benefit rating system qualify for approval. The November meeting revealed tension in the current system when one application near Ferndale had appealing qualities (lots of wooded property) but didn't meet the scoring criteria. This highlighted potential problems with the decades-old rating system that may not reflect current environmental priorities or best available science. Council members expressed interest in revisiting these criteria, but any changes would likely require state-level legislative action to avoid having to re-evaluate every existing enrolled property. ### What Happened — The Short Version The committee quickly appointed Ben Elenbaas as chair for 2025, then addressed the main business: fixing a paperwork error from November. In November, the council had voted to approve two open space applications (Green Bomb and Knox Reiner) out of four submitted, but staff had mistakenly processed this as a simple motion rather than the formal resolution required by state law. Alexander Harris from the planning department explained that they needed to pass a proper resolution to make the November decisions legally valid. The committee unanimously recommended approval of the resolution. During discussion, Council Member Donovan brought up the ongoing concern about the scoring system, noting that one rejected application near Ferndale had attractive features but didn't meet the metrics. Council Member Galloway suggested this might require state-level legislative fixes, and Harris indicated staff could return in Q2 with more research on potential updates to the rating system. ### What to Watch Next • The full County Council will vote on the resolution to formalize the November open space decisions at an upcoming meeting • Staff will research options for updating the public benefit rating system and may return to committee in Q2 2025 with recommendations • Any potential changes to the rating system may require state legislative action in the next legislative session ---