Bellingham City Council

Shall the council:

176. Authorize the mayor to sign the supplemental agreement with the Port of Bellingham for the New Whatcom redevelopment area? At the 12/13/04 meeting, vote number 271, the council approved an agreement to redevelop New Whatcom with the port using the Waterfront Futures Group’s recommendations. This supplement appropriates $53,165 — with the port adding the same amount — to hire consultants to complete the preliminary SEPA evaluation on the environmental impact of redeveloping the area and the planning and public involvement activities to take place later this year. (AB17078) Approved 6-0, Bob Ryan excused.

177. Authorize the mayor to award the sole bid of $81,837 to Mount Baker Cable of Bellingham to complete the installation of redundant communications cable? The installation along Bakerview and Hannigan roads completes a backup system. Forty-nine bids were solicited and one was received. (AB17089) Approved 6-0, Bob Ryan excused.

178. Authorize the mayor to award the sole bid of $39,892 to SANZ, Inc. of Seattle to expand computer storage capacity? In 2004, the city purchased computer storage with two terabytes of space. It’s almost at capacity and needs expanding. Forty-two bids were solicited and one was received. (AB17091) Approved 6-0, Bob Ryan excused.

179. Appropriate $3,085,122 for goods and services checks issued from June 30 through July 14, 2006? (AB17093/17094) Approved 6-0, Bob Ryan excused.

180. Appropriate $2,626,779 for city payroll checks issued from June 16 through June 30, 2006? (AB17095) Approved 6-0, Bob Ryan excused.

181. Proclaim August 14, 2006 as “Gwangju, Korea Appreciation Day?” The mayor of Gwangju, South Korea, will be in Bellingham on August 14 to open a photo exhibit and give the title of “Honorary Citizen of Gwangju” to Dr. George F. Drake for his work aiding orphans during the Korea War. This resolution expresses support and appreciation for the long lasting ties between South Korea and the city of Bellingham. AB17076 (Resolution 2006-26) Approved 6-0, Bob Ryan excused.

182. Amend a resolution placing a charter change on the general election ballot? At the 7/10/06 meeting, vote number 171, the council voted to place a charter amendment on the November 7, 2006, ballot changing the finance director position from elected to appointed. This vote corrects Resolution 2006-24 which failed to include language on qualifications for the position. AB17051B (Resolution 2006-27) Approved 6-0, Bob Ryan excused.

183. Purchase the city’s electricity through Puget Sound Energy’s Green Power program? At the 3/14/05 meeting, vote number 53, the council voted to join the Cities for Climate Protection program to reduce global warming and air pollution emissions. Participation in the plan requires the city to create an inventory of greenhouse gases sources and develop a plan to reduce the emissions. The city accounts for 2.5 percent of electricity use in Bellingham and electricity is responsible for more than 60 percent of the greenhouse emissions. The Puget Sound Energy program invests all revenue from green power purchases into the Green Power program to help increase the available sources of renewable energy. The city estimates its increase in electrical power cost for 2007 to be $257,000. AB17084 (Resolution 2006-28) Approved 6-0, Bob Ryan excused.

184. Appropriate an additional $100,000 for the special legal services fund? This fund is used to pay outside council to handle litigation matters. The amount in the 2006 budget for outside council is $32,741. The current balance of $6,601 is not sufficient to cover the rest of the year. AB17055 (Ordinance 2006-07-71) Approved 6-0, Bob Ryan excused.

185. Accept a private grant of $10,000 from Recreational Equipment Industries (REI) for Lake Samish Park? REI is giving 100 communities around the country $10,000 grants for parks that have been identified by employees for their outdoor recreation opportunities, customer interest and location relative to an REI store. The grant will be used for trail signs and to rehabilitate various trails. Volunteers will perform a majority of the work. AB17061 (Ordinance 2006-07-72) Approved 6-0, Bob Ryan excused.

186. Authorize the repayment of a $3,080,000 intercity loan used to purchase property in the Lake Whatcom watershed? Bond proceeds will repay the wastewater fund loan plus $5,171 in interest. The council at the 6/5/06 meeting, vote number 135, authorized a bond sale of $5 million to purchase land in the watershed. AB17063 (Ordinance 2006-07-73) Approved 6-0, Bob Ryan excused.

187. Change a parking services position from office assistant 1 to office assistant 2? There were originally three office assistant positions. One position was eliminated in 2004, another resigned, and some of the work for the third was eliminated by automation. The remaining duties are all classified level 2. The change will have a positive fiscal impact over the first two years, but over the next seven years there will be a net increase of about $4,000 a year. AB17062 (Ordinance 2006-07-74) Approved 6-0, Bob Ryan excused.

Shall the council:

188. Appropriate $400,000 to settle the case of Veit vs. city of Bellingham? The city of Bellingham and Burling Northern Railroad were sued over an unsafe railroad crossing. A Burlington Northern train struck Alizon Veit’s car on September 10, 2001, and she sustained serious injuries. The city decided to settle the case out-of-court to save trial expenses. Approved 6-0, Louise Bjornson excused.

189. Approve parallel parking along 10th Street? Install 12 parallel parking slots in front of the Taylor Street dock instead of 27 angled slots. (AB17033B) Approved 4-2, Joan Beardsley and John Watts opposed, Louise Bjornson excused.

190. Authorize the mayor to award the low bid of $323,191 to Oceanside Construction of Bellingham for West Street improvements? The project is between Squalicum Parkway and North Street and will install two 10-foot lanes, curbs, stormwater controls, a pedestrian path and provisions for an illuminated crosswalk at Squalicum Parkway. Measures to reduce speeding traffic include a traffic circle at the intersection of West and North and a six-foot wide median at the Squalicum intersection. Eighty-nine bids were solicited and eight were received. (AB 17102) Approved 6-0, Louise Bjornson excused.

191. Appropriate $4,360,455 for goods and services checks issued from July 14 through July 28, 2006? (AB17104/17105) Approved 6-0, Bob Ryan excused.

192. Appropriate $2,511,283 for city payroll checks issued from July 1 through July 15, 2006? (AB17106) Approved 6-0, Bob Ryan excused.

193. Appoint a committee to prepare pro and con arguments for the voter’s pamphlet? At the 7/10/06 meeting, vote number 171, the council placed a charter amendment on the November 7, 2006 ballot. If approved, it will change the finance director’s position from elected to appointed. Three individuals, Ken Hoover, Rud Brown and Tim Douglas will prepare statements supporting passage and three individuals, Rick Tremaine, Orphalee Smith and Sharon Crozier will prepare statements opposing passage. AB17098 (Resolution 2006-29) Approved 6-0, Louise Bjornson excused.

194. Grant final plat approval for Matthei Place at Harris Avenue and 15th Street? Matthei Place is a Kulshan Community Land Trust demonstration program of 14 permanently affordable single-family lots with five tracts for parking, stormwater and private open space. AB 17107 (Resolution 2006-30) Amended and approved 6-0, Louise Bjornson excused.

195. Amend an agreement with Whatcom County and pay an additional $81,440 to house city inmates in the county jail? This corrects an error in a previous vote. At the 7/10/06 meeting, vote number 160, the council voted to pay Whatcom County $1.6 million to house city inmates. The money will be used to help construct an interim jail. AB17079 (Ordinance 2006-08-75) Approved 6-0, Louise Bjornson excused.

196. Appropriate $35,172 to add a full-time inspector position in the fire department? This is the first increase in the division’s staff in 25 years and is needed to deal with the growing backlog created by the growth of new multifamily housing and commercial building construction. AB17080 (Ordinance 2006-08-76) Approved 6-0, Louise Bjornson excused.

197. Appropriate $38,245 for a one-year extension to the manager position at the permit center? The two-year position was created August 2004 to deal with administrative work in the building permit center. This one-year extension will allow the director of Planning and Community Development to create the overall structure and staffing plan for the Development Services Division. AB17081 (Ordinance 2006-08-77) Approved 6-0, Louise Bjornson excused.

198. Appropriate $9,283 to increase a position in the transportation alternatives program to full-time? The position will be increased from part-time to full-time. The Comprehensive Plan calls for a shift away from single-occupant vehicles. The transportation alternatives program works to improve Bellingham’s bicycle, pedestrian and transit options. The position also handles complaints about neighborhood traffic, the “safe routes to schools” and other essential programs. The additional cost for 2006 will be $9,283. AB17090 (Ordinance 2006-08-79) Approved 6-0, Louise Bjornson excused.

199. Appropriate $63,615 to establish a one-year full-time program manager for neighborhood communication improvements? The neighborhood relations project is being tested by the city to increase communication with neighborhood groups and get people more involved in the decisions and activities that affect them. This position will create a contact person to directly provide information to and receive responses from the neighborhood associations. This position starts 8/1/06. AB17083 (Ordinance 2006-08-78) Approved 6-0, Louise Bjornson excused.

200. Appropriate $40,202 to hire two project engineers for two years? One position is needed to assist the engineering group in completing backlogged capital projects. The other position will keep the city’s utilities in compliance with local, state, and federal code and avoid construction price escalation from drawn-out projects. AB17092 (Ordinance 2006-08-80) Approved 6-0, Louise Bjornson excused.