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Real Briefings

Committee of the Whole

BEL-CTW-2024-10-21 October 21, 2024 Committee of the Whole City of Bellingham
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The Committee of the Whole addressed critical budget concerns and advanced contentious rental fee regulation ordinances in a packed session spanning nearly five hours. The most alarming development was a $10.8 million budget shortfall requiring immediate action to prevent Fire and Police departments from running out of operating funds in November. This massive overage, primarily driven by $7 million in Fire Department overruns due to chronic understaffing and overtime costs, signals serious structural budget challenges as the city transitions to annual budgeting. The committee also made significant progress on regulating rental "junk fees" after months of public input and stakeholder meetings led by Councilmember Cotton. Council adopted a revised draft ordinance targeting unfair and excessive fees charged to tenants, setting the stage for additional public engagement before final consideration. The proposed regulations would cap move-in fees, limit late charges, restrict pet fees, and require transparency in rental advertising. Budget presentations from Parks and Recreation and Planning and Community Development revealed departments adapting to fiscal constraints through position freezes and service reductions, including elimination of park ambassadors and nighttime security at downtown parks. Despite cuts, both departments highlighted substantial achievements in 2024, from record golf course revenues to a tripling of ADU permit applications.

**Budget Amendment Approval (7-0 vote)**: Council unanimously approved Ordinance Amendment No. 15, adding $10.8 million to the General Fund to cover Fire Department ($7 million) and Police Department ($3.8 million) overruns through year-end. The Fire Department shortfall stems primarily from $2.6 million in overtime costs due to persistent staffing shortages and high attrition rates (24 departures this biennium). Police overruns include increased jail costs ($396,058 for 24 individuals) and doubled home monitoring expenses to $632,573. **Junk Fees Ordinance Advancement (7-0 vote)**: Council adopted a substitute versi…

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**Budget Crisis Management**: The $10.8 million budget amendment sparked intense discussion about fiscal sustainability and the transition from biennial to annual budgeting. Finance Director Asbjornsen explained that the Fire Department had not received budget adjustments throughout the entire 2023-2024 biennium, leading to an accumulation of overages including $950,000 in regular wages, $2.4 million in benefits, and $2.5 million in overtime and comp time. Council Member Anderson expressed concern about the "pit in her stomach" seeing such a large shortfall, demanding detailed breakdowns of where the money went. The amendment reduces projected General Fund reserves from $26.5 million to approximately $20 million, eliminating the small economic reserve buffer the city had planned to maintain. Chief Hewett noted that while staffing challenges drove most overruns, the department expects to begin 2025 at full operational staffing with only one recruit academy planned, potentially reducing overtime costs. **Rental Fee Regulation Strategy**: The junk fees discussion revealed significant tension between urgency to address tenant concerns and the need for thorough policy development. Councilmember Cotton argued that extensive groundwork had already been completed…
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**Fire Chief Bill Hewett**: Emphasized that staffing challenges were the primary driver of budget overruns, noting 24 departures during the biennium and sick leave rates that haven't returned to pre-pandemic levels. Expressed optimism about starting 2025 at full operational staffing with reduced training costs from running only one recruit academy. **Police Chief Rebecca Mertzig**: Attributed increased jail costs to booking restrictions and warrant accumulation, explaining that individuals with extensive criminal history and multiple warrants require longer jail stays. Noted that friendship diversion services costs nearly doubled from $321,432 in 2019 to a projected $632,573 in 2024. **Parks Director Nicole Oliver**: Defended budget cuts while highlighting major achievements including $2.4 million in golf course revenue (a record), successful greenways levy renewal, and completion of significant capital projects. Acknowledged secu…
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**Council Member Anderson, on budget crisis:** "I will be honest, when I saw 10 million coming forward, knowing our budget situation and got a big pit in my stomach that hasn't cleared yet." **Finance Director Asbjornsen, on firefighter overtime:** "We're seeing growing overtime in the fire department with it's projected to end potentially north of 2.6 million this year in overtime." **Council President Hammill, on jail costs:** "This jail bill and the booking bill make no sense to me whatso…
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**Budget Process**: The final 2025 budget ordinance will be updated to reflect the reduced General Fund reserve of approximately $20 million rather than the originally projected $26.5 million. A smaller budget amendment will be needed to close out the 2023-2024 biennium, potentially including additional fire contract settlement costs. **Fire Department Oversight**: Staff will provide detailed written breakdown of the $7 million Fire Department overage by line item to Council. The department expects full operational staffing by early 2025 and will run only one recruit academy, potentially reducing overtime costs significantly. **Junk Fees Work Session**: Council will hold an additional work session to review legal and plannin…

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**General Fund Reserves Reduced**: The city's financial cushion dropped from a projected $26.5 million to approximately $20 million, eliminating the planned economic reserve buffer and creating tighter fiscal constraints for 2025 operations. **Junk Fees Ordinance Advanced**: The rental fee regulation ordinance moved from individual councilmember initiative to official city policy development with dedicated staff resources and formal public engagement plan approved. **Budget Oversight Enhanced**: Council demanded more granular financial reporting and indicate…
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# Council Confronts Budget Realities as Ambitious Projects Compete for Limited Resources Monday's Committee of the Whole meeting unfolded like a tale of two cities — one where ambitious infrastructure dreams persist amid the stark financial realities of municipal governance. With rain drumming against the Mayor's Boardroom windows, city council members and department heads gathered to parse through budgets that would define Bellingham's trajectory for 2025. The morning's agenda carried the weight of consequential decisions: Parks and Recreation's expansive capital projects, Planning and Community Development's housing initiatives, an emergency $10.8 million budget amendment, and lengthy discussions over landlord-tenant fee regulations. Each item revealed the complex balancing act between community aspirations and fiscal constraints. ## Meeting Overview The October 21, 2024 Committee of the Whole convened at 10:31 AM with all seven council members present under Council President Daniel Hammill's leadership. The hybrid meeting format allowed both in-person attendance at City Hall and remote participation, reflecting the city's commitment to accessibility even as budget pressures mounted. The session would stretch over four hours, punctuated by detailed presentations, pointed questions about municipal spending, and robust debates about regulatory approaches to housing policy. What distinguished this meeting was its scope — touching on everything from playground replacements to police overtime costs, from trail maintenance to tenant protection measures. The discussions revealed a city government wrestling with growth pressures, infrastructure needs, and evolving social expectations while operating within increasingly tight financial parameters. ## Parks and Recreation: Ambitious Vision Meets Budget Reality Nicole Oliver, Parks and Recreation Director, opened her presentation with characteristic enthusiasm, noting that her initial seven-page presentation had been significantly condensed for time. Her overview painted a picture of a department successfully adapting to new funding structures while maintaining an impressive array of services and capital projects. The most significant budget development was a $700,000 reduction in general fund costs, achieved by accurately reflecting that capital projects and construction crews were funded through the RCO (Recreation and Conservation Office) and other dedicated sources rather than the general fund. "So it w…
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### Meeting Overview The City of Bellingham Committee of the Whole met on October 21, 2024 to discuss budget presentations from Parks & Recreation and Planning & Community Development departments, authorize a $10.8 million budget adjustment for Fire and Police departments, and begin work on proposed ordinances to regulate rental fees in the city. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Budget Amendment:** A formal change to an already-adopted budget to increase or decrease spending authority, in this case adding $10.8 million to cover unexpected Police and Fire Department costs. **Park Ambassadors:** R&B (Recreation and Business) positions that provided park security and maintenance oversight, being phased out as employees leave. **Greenways Levy:** A voter-approved funding source that generated about $1.3 million annually for parks projects and was renewed through 2034. **Junk Fees:** Unfair or excessive fees charged to renters, including application fees, administrative fees, pet fees, and other charges that may exceed actual costs or be misleading. **Development Services Fund:** A funding source that pays for planning department staff through fees charged on development projects, separate from the general fund. **Biennial Budget:** A two-year budget cycle that Bellingham is transitioning away from in favor of annual budgets for better tracking. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Nicole Oliver | Parks and Recreation Director | | Blake Lyon | Planning and Community Development Director | | Andy Asbjornsen | Finance Director | | Bill Hewett | Fire Chief | | Rebecca Mertzig | Police Chief | | Iris Nott | Legislative Policy Analyst | | Jace Cotton | Council Member (ordinance sponsor) | ### Backgro…
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Budget & Finance Housing Public Safety Parks & Recreation Government Operations AB 24253 AB 24254 AB 24288 AB 24289 City Council Committee Whole Fire Department General Fund Parks Recreation Planning Community Development Police Department Andy Asbjornsen Bill Hewett Blake Lyon Daniel Hammill Hannah Stone Hollie Huthman Iris Nott Jace Cotton Lisa Anderson Michael Lilliquist Nicole Oliver Rebecca Mertzig Skip Williams Budget Finance Fire Department General Fund Housing Policy Junk Fees Overtime Parks Recreation Planning Police Department Public Engagement Public Safety Public Safety Umbrella Rental Housing Security Staffing