Real Briefings
The Bellingham City Council's Budget and Finance Committee convened on the morning of June 1, 2026, with Council Member Lisa Anderson presiding as chair. Joining her on the committee were Council Members Dan Hammill and Michael Lilliquist. Mayor Kim Lund attended to lead the presentation, accompanied by Deputy Longman. The meeting was brief — a single agenda item, city agenda item 24943 — but the subject it opened was anything but small: the formal kickoff of the 2027 budget process for a city navigating a structural fiscal challenge that has grown more pressing with each passing year.
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| Item | Deadline / Date | Details | |---|---|---| | Departmental budget submissions | Mid-July 2026 | Each city department to deliver budget proposals to the administration | | Administration budget review | July–August 2026 | Mayor and staff review department submissions | | Proposed 2027 budget delivered to Council | Late September 2026 | Mayor Lund will present the formal proposed budget | | RFA voter referendum (special election) | February (year not specified; presumed February 2027) | RFA ballot measure goes …
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# Bellingham Budget and Finance Committee
## June 1, 2026 — 2027 Budget Priorities and Constraints
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## Meeting Overview
The Bellingham City Council's Budget and Finance Committee convened on the morning of June 1, 2026, with Council Member Lisa Anderson presiding as chair. Joining her on the committee were Council Members Dan Hammill and Michael Lilliquist. Mayor Kim Lund attended to lead the presentation, accompanied by Deputy Longman. The meeting was brief — a single agenda item, city agenda item 24943 — but the subject it opened was anything but small: the formal kickoff of the 2027 budget process for a city navigating a structural fiscal challenge that has grown more pressing with each passing year.
There were no votes taken, no ordinances passed. This was a conversation — a public laying-out of the financial landscape ahead and an early exchange between the mayor's office and council members about priorities, fears, and trade-offs. But the tone was sober and, at moments, pointed. Expenses continue to outpace revenues. Levers are running out. A proposed Regional Fire Authority represents the city's best hope for a durable structural fix — but that question won't be settled until voters weigh in at a special election in February. Until then, the city must plan for two futures simultaneously.
The meeting lasted roughly thirty minutes and marked the beginning of what promises to be one of the more difficult budget cycles in recent Bellingham history.
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## The 2027 Budget: Setting the Stage
Mayor Kim Lund opened with a clear-eyed diagnosis of where the city stands. She described the memo in council members' packets and referenced preliminary one-on-one budget prioritization meetings she had already held with some council members — a sign that the administration had been quietly laying groundwork for weeks before this public kickoff.
The timeline she laid out: departments have until mid-Jul…
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### Meeting Overview
The City of Bellingham Budget and Finance Committee met on June 1, 2026, at 11:10 a.m. in Council Chambers. The committee, chaired by Councilmember Lisa Anderson and joined by Councilmembers Dan Hammill and Michael Lilliquist, heard a single presentation from Mayor Kim Lund and staff on the 2027 budget development process, priorities, and constraints (Agenda Item 24943).
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### Key Terms and Concepts
**Regional Fire Authority (RFA):** A special-purpose governmental entity that consolidates fire and emergency medical services under a dedicated funding structure, separate from a city's general fund. Bellingham is exploring an RFA as a long-term solution to its structural budget gap in public safety funding. Voters would decide whether to create one in a special election planned for February.
**General Fund:** The primary operating fund of a city government, used to pay for day-to-day services such as police, fire, parks, library, and administration. Bellingham's general fund is under persistent pressure because expenses are growing faster than revenues.
**Reduction in Force (RIF):** A formal process through which an employer eliminates staff positions, typically due to budget shortfalls. Mayor Lund noted that a small number of reductions in force were required to adopt the current-year budget.
**Position Review Process:** A management strategy in which open or vacant positions are carefully evaluated before being refilled, allowing the city to reduce costs without formal layoffs. Deputy City Manager Marilyn Longman described this as a key cost-reduction tool the city will continue to use.
**Continuum of Need (housing):** A framework that addresses housing across a full spectrum — from emergency shelter and transitional housing to affordable and market-rate permanent housing. Bellingham's budget priorities include preserving programs and policies that support housing supply across this continuum.
**Tiny Home Village:** A form of transitional or low-cost housing consisting of small, individual dwelling units clustered on a shared site. Bellingham has operated two such villages and is pursuing a third; budget funds have been set aside and staff member Jason Cornelison is leading site identification.
**Furlough:** A temporary, mandatory unpaid leave of absence used as an alternative to layoffs during budget shortfalls. Councilmember Anderson referenced furloughs from her private-sector experience as a potential tool to preserve city positions.
**Structural Budget Imbalance:** A condition in which recurring expenses chronically exceed recurring revenues — not a one-time shortfall, but a built-in gap that persists year over year. Mayor Lund described this as Bellingham's ongoing challenge, with "very few levers left to pull."
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### Key People at This Meeting
| Name | Role / Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Lisa Anderson | Bellingham City Councilmember; Budget and Finance Committee Chair |
| Dan Hammill | Bellingham City Councilmember; Budget and Finance Committee Member |
| Michael Lilliquist | Bellingham City Councilmember; Budget and Finance Committee Member |
| Hannah Stone | Bellingham City Councilmember (non-committee member who spoke during discussion) |
| Kim Lund | Mayor, City of Bellingham; presented budget priorities |
| Marilyn Longman | Deputy City Manager; spoke on position review strategy |
| Jason Cornelison | Staff member in the Mayor's office; leading the search for a third tiny home village …
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