June 2005
Watching Government
Bellingham City Council
Compiled by Earl Dennis
Action Taken at April 18, 2005 Meeting
Shall the council:
76. Authorize the mayor to award the low bid of $243,657 to Advanced Combustion Systems of Bellingham for an air monitoring system at the Post Point wastewater treatment facility? The EPA requires incinerator emissions to be monitored. Forty bids were solicited and three were received. (AB16467) Approved 7-0
77. Authorize the mayor to award the final low bid of $3,068,743 to Ebenal General of Bellingham for the Kearney Road water storage tank? A 2.48-million-gallon tank replaces a smaller tank. The larger tank will provide added fire protection and more uniform pressure in the Cordata and Bakerview areas. Eventually, it will feed into another zone north of King Mountain. Skaar Construction was initially the low bidder, but failed to include a subcontractors’ bid of $460,000 raising their total above Ebenal’s. One hundred and fifteen bids were solicited and five were received. (AB16468) Approved 7-0
78. Add the Barlow Building, 211 W. Holly, to the city’s list of historic landmarks? It is also known as the Bellingham Hardware Building; the video store Film Is Truth occupies a portion of the building. Built in 1892 and extensively remodeled in 1926, it represents two boom periods in Bellingham. The designation makes the property eligible for reduced property taxes based on its recent exterior remodel costs. AB16459 (Resolution 2005-12) Approved 7-0
79. Add the Sweet and Company Building, 1021 N. State, to the city’s list of historic landmarks? The 1902 built commercial building’s front (State Street) side above the main header beam is the only historic part still intact. The rest has been remodeled over the years. The owner has proposed remodeling the entire front to match a 1938 photograph. The designation makes the property eligible for reduced property taxes based on its recent exterior remodel costs. AB16460 (Resolution 2005-13) Approved 7-0
80. Add the Morse Hardware Building, 1023–25 N. State, to the city’s list of historic landmarks? The 1902 building is the fourth largest building on State Street owned by the Morse family and the first masonry building built on State Street. The Morse Company operated from the building for a century. The designation makes the property eligible for reduced property taxes based on the cost to remodel the exterior. AB16461 (Resolution 2005-14) Approved 7-0
81. Add the Daylight Building, 1201–13 N. State, to the city’s list of historic landmarks? The 1904 building, located on the northwest corner of State and Chestnut, was designed by Bellingham architeect Frank C. Burns and has been used for retail, service, commercial, industrial and residential uses for a century. Fires have gutted the interior several times, but most of the exterior details remain. The designation makes the property eligible for reduced property taxes based on the cost to remodel the exterior and to encourage maintenance of historic structures. AB16462 (Resolution 2005-15) Approved 7-0
82. Add the Sanitary Meat Building, 1015–19 N. State, to the city’s list of historic landmarks? The three buildings were built between 1902 and 1936 as the market for meat grew. They were a meat wholesale and retail market for 65 years and have been general retail since. The designation makes the property eligible for reduced property taxes based on the cost to remodel the exterior. AB16463 (Resolution 2005-16) Approved 7-0
83. Amend the multifamily tax exemption for 1031 N. State Street (part of the Morse Hardware site—formerly 1015 N. State Street)? This amendment will allow the building to use a nine-foot ground floor height while using a 12-foot ground floor façade and exempt these improvements from the property taxes for ten years. AB16452 (Resolution 2005-17) Approved 7-0
84. Oppose Whatcom County Council’s provisional designation for Sudden Valley as an urban growth area? Sudden Valley has until December 31, 2006, to incorporate as a city. Council directed staff on March 28, 2005, to create a resolution opposing the designation and asking it be designated as a recreational subdivision to help protect the watershed by limiting urban development. The city also opposes Sudden Valley’s incorporation as a city and any deadline extension. AB16473 (Resolution 2005-18) Approved 7-0
85. Authorize $54,040,122 in modifications to the 2005 adopted budget to account for differences between estimated and actual year-end balances? The budget is drawn up before the end of the year and estimates are used. Beginning reserves will increase from the 2005 budget estimate of $60,234,920 to the actual number of $114,275,042. (AB16444 (Ordinance 2005-04-30) Approved 7-0
86. Reauthorize $6,202,615 for goods and services ordered in 2004 but unpaid at year’s end? AB 16445 (Ordinance 2005-04-31) Approved 7-0
87. Reauthorize $34,469,686 for goods and services that were authorized for acquisition in 2004, but did not have purchase orders or contracts issued by year’s end? AB16446 (Ordinance 2005-04-32) Approved 7-0
88. Hire a temporary environmental modeling and data management technician at a cost of $35,668? See the 3/14/05 meeting, number 50, for the reasons given for hiring the technician. AB16419 (Ordinance 2005-04-33) Approved 7-0
89. Authorize the mayor to purchase the PUD fiber optic network for $126,198? On August 10, 2004, the Public Utility District commission voted to stop its telecommunications operations and dispose of the assets, including 16 miles of buried fiber around the city. The cost to build the network was $364,927. City staff determined the greatest public benefit is to keep the assets under public ownership for exclusive use by the various public agencies connected to the network. AB16448 (Ordinance 2005-04-34) Approved 7-0
90. Appropriate an additional $128,045 for the fleet replacement fund? Replacement vehicles have two costs: the vehicle itself and equipment to be added later, such as radios in police cars. In 2005, the city changed the purchase method to cover both costs simultaneously. An additional $87,845 is needed for equipment and $40,200 for unanticipated expenses in the police and parks/recreation departments. AB16449 (Ordinance 2005-04-35) Approved 7-0
Action Taken at April 25, 2005 Meeting
Shall the council:
91. Declare that an emergency existed to justify an exemption from the formal bidding process? On December 8, 2004, a culvert on Old Lakeway Drive collapsed and the city did not have the resources to fix it. The obstruction, located near Whatcom Creek, caused water to spill over the roadway and additional rainfall would have closed the street and flooded a private residence. Strider Construction was brought in the same day and the repairs were finished in four days. During the work, Strider had to run pumps 24 hours a day to move the creek water around the work area and used extensive erosion and sediment controls to protect Whatcom Creek. The repair cost was $34,735. AB16489 (Resolution 2005-19) Approved 7-0
92. Set the May 16 City Council meeting as the public hearing date for the six-year transportation plan? The public will have an opportunity to comment on city transportation projects and priorities for the next six years. AB16494 (Resolution 2005-20) Approved 7-0
93. Transfer $211,474 from the general fund to a computer reserve fund? In 2004, the city received a $33,000 refund on the Human Resources Information System software. City staff is currently working to add payroll to the HRIS system and has requested the refund be used for that project and that all the project funds be placed into one account to simplify the budget. AB16464 (Ordinance 2004-04-36) Approved 7-0
94. Amend the municipal code on gambling to comply with state law? In 2002, the state redefined the gambling laws on cheating. City code has not been updated for those changes, resulting in the gambling commission’s inability to charge some local gambling establishments with crimes. This amendment updates the definitions for professional gambling in the third degree, cheating in the second degree, obstruction of a public servant and causing a person to violate a rules or regulations. AB16466 (Ordinance 2004-04-37) Approved 7-0
95. Increase the Tourism Commission from 12 to 13 members? Of the 12 members, five (two collectors and three potential recipients) are selected to serve on the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee on a rotating basis. To create equal representation on the tax advisory committee, another member must be added; however, there are not enough serving on the commission to provide for a three-person rotation. This ordinance adds another position to the Tourism Commission to allow for a three-person rotation. AB 16476 (Ordinance 2004-04-40) Approved 7-0
