[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[0:23] That's why I have you first.
[0:27] Mark, you were so kind to me earlier getting me set up. Thank you. I felt very
[0:50] Good evening, everyone.
[0:51] We're gonna go ahead and get started.
[0:53] I'd like to call to order this
[0:55] Walkham County Council meeting.
[0:56] Today is Tuesday, January 13th, 2026.
[0:59] It is now 6.02 p.m.
[1:01] and we are meeting in a hybrid format.
[1:03] If I could have the clerk, please call the roll.
[1:06] Elizabeth Boyle.
[1:07] Here.
[1:08] Barry Buchanan.
[1:08] Ben Ellenboss.
[1:10] Kaylee.
[1:14] Jessica Reenstra.
[1:15] Here.
[1:16] John Scanlon.
[1:17] Mark Stremler.
[1:18] Here.
[1:19] Let the record show all council members are present. Let us rise to the flag, Luke.
[1:49] Okay, next on our agenda, we have the county executive's report, Mr. Sidhu.
[2:06] Good evening, council. And what can county residents? First of all, I would like to welcome two
[2:13] new council members. Congratulations. And also congratulations to Kaylee and Barry for starting your
[2:21] next term as council members. My heart goes to hundreds of families and people who have
[2:29] been impacted by the recent floods. It's been devastating for many businesses which have
[2:35] been forced to shut down and they are struggling to reopen. I want to acknowledge how painful
[2:43] and difficult this experience has been for our community. I want to highlight and praise
[2:49] the efforts of the county and the agency staff, sheriff's office, department of emergency management,
[2:57] health department, finance department, all the volunteers, people, British petroleum,
[3:05] conco-phillips, who came together at the response and recovery. I think that shows the resiliency of
[3:16] our community that when disaster comes, we all get together to help our fellow citizens.
[3:25] At the same time, I want to acknowledge the work done by mayors of Nooksak, Averson and
[3:34] Sumas, and that within four years, they had two floods and their communities have been
[3:42] devastated and their own offices, like Everton City Hall, then flooded.
[3:49] Sumas was able to put some bags on them, a very creative way that they saved their city hall.
[3:56] But there were so many homes which were impacted.
[4:03] So I'm very thankful to the mayors for doing this.
[4:07] But at the same time, I just want to share with everybody that after this is on very many
[4:14] people's mind that there was a fraud in 2021, what have you done as a company? Yes, there's
[4:21] a lot of work that has been done. There was a presentation today earlier about that. We had
[4:25] a presentation done to our federal delegation. We had visits from Senator Cantville, Senator
[4:34] Barry Murray, Rick Larson, Governor, they all came, and we share with them that how much work we have done since then, and we have pretty good consensus on the solutions which are short-term solutions and long-term solutions.
[4:52] And the thing we have been asking the two things that we need help with.
[4:57] One is
[5:00] Permitting, which is a very long, arduous process, and second thing is money. And one comes in front of the other, doesn't matter, both are needed. And this is what we have emphasized with the governor, and we have been touched with their office of regulatory innovation, which Governor Forgusson has started some new department. And actually, the director first, we had a meeting, Zoom meeting,
[5:29] and then the director, their senior manager, was here in Everson, sitting down with the mayors
[5:35] and over public health, flood department people, creating a strategy, what how state can help,
[5:42] how, from the carbon ecology, from US Army Corps, other things that short-term solutions,
[5:49] which we can implement less than two years, how we can prepare for ourselves.
[5:56] The larger solutions are very expensive, just to give you an idea.
[6:00] They are $200, $300 million investments are needed and it may take more than two years.
[6:08] But we are committed and I have asked our public works to pursue those things and my office
[6:19] is to pursue with the federal and the state partners
[6:23] the how we can implement those.
[6:26] So that is something I wanted to share with everybody.
[6:30] And I know there are a lot of questions among people.
[6:34] And we have two members of parliament from Canada
[6:37] coming tomorrow to sum ass
[6:41] because our floods do impact them as well.
[6:45] And they are concerned about that how we have a,
[6:48] We have a transboundary flood initiative started two years ago so we are at much better communication than what was in 2021.
[7:01] We know the people names and positions on the other side and they know us.
[7:05] We know what our regulations are, who to call.
[7:08] very first day, the floods came. I was able to call Mayor of Abysford and had half an hour
[7:16] conversation with him so that they're pre-warned and they can prepare themselves and they know who
[7:23] to contact for anything. So we are hosting two members of parliament. We would like to listen to them.
[7:29] This is something which has to be handled at the federal level because it's between two nations.
[7:34] But we want to share what solutions we are proposing and what is their idea as to share with us.
[7:41] Well, thank you very much.
[7:43] Thank you, executives to do.
[7:46] Okay, next on our agenda is our minutes consent.
[7:49] Can I entertain a motion to approve?
[7:51] Would you approve?
[7:53] Okay, do I have a second?
[7:54] Second.
[7:55] I've got a motion by Scanlon and a second by Buchanan.
[7:58] Was there any discussion on this item?
[8:01] Can you see, then, can we do recall Elizabeth Boyle?
[8:04] Thank you.
[8:04] Can I approve them if I wasn't here as part of those meetings?
[8:10] Okay.
[8:19] Chris Quinn, Martin County Prosecutor's Office sitting in for Council's attorney and I missed
[8:23] too.
[8:23] Wayne, the answer to that question is yes, Council Member.
[8:25] Okay.
[8:26] Thank you.
[8:26] Yes.
[8:28] May I be Shannon?
[8:29] Yes.
[8:30] Ben Ellenboss?
[8:32] Yes.
[8:33] Kaley Galloway?
[8:34] Yes.
[8:34] Jessica Reinstra?
[8:35] Yes.
[8:36] John Scanlon?
[8:37] Yes.
[8:37] Mark Strunler?
[8:38] Yes.
[8:39] Yes.
[8:39] Hey, let the record show that carries 7-0.
[8:46] Next on our agenda, we have some public hearings, just two of them.
[8:50] Individuals will have an opportunity to speak to these particular items, specifically,
[8:55] if you wish to speak to something else, we'll have an opportunity during open session after
[8:59] that.
[9:00] We'll start with folks here in the room, and then folks who've registered online, we'll
[9:05] have three minutes with that.
[9:07] We'll read the first instance of the record is AB 2025-810, an ordinance adopting a
[9:12] amendments to Walkham County Code, Title 20, Zoning and Title 22, Land Use and Development.
[9:19] I do want to just give PDS the opportunity before we open public hearing.
[9:23] Was there anything you wished to say on this before we kick off our public hearing?
[9:29] Thank you very much.
[9:31] Good evening, Council.
[9:32] Lucas Clark with PDS in front of you tonight is the 2025 Walkham County Code Amendments.
[9:37] This is where staff review and advise Walkham County zoning code and other sections of
[9:41] county code to address issues identified in the administration of the cones.
[9:45] As discussed at council and committee, the substitute ordinance contains the changes directed by council.
[9:50] We thank you for your consideration.
[9:52] Thank you, August.
[9:53] Okay, we'll open our public key.
[9:56] We'll go ahead.
[9:57] Yes.
[9:57] We know whatever.
[9:59] in front of you.
[10:02] I thought we held this one for more work specifically around Wells on cluster houses. I thought our specific action was to not move forward that until we address that. My recollection was that we had removed that section and we had removed maybe one on surface mining and we decided to proceed with the other amendments that weren't controversial. But maybe Lucas said that.
[10:29] Still says it in here is am I looking at not the correct version are you looking at the substitute ordinance?
[10:42] Okay, there it is
[10:44] Carry on
[10:45] Thank you. That was a good question. Okay
[10:49] Staff I don't have a sheet for
[10:52] The public hearing was there another one back there
[10:57] Okay, give us just a second here
[11:00] But if you know your names on that list if you were on the first one
[11:04] I can have you get started, but I don't know if there was anybody on the list
[11:16] Yes. Okay. Seeing no one registered in person, you do please approach. We'll have you come here totally
[11:28] understand. So yeah, come to the center podium him. Just adjust the microphone so it's we can hear you. And you'll have three minutes. Thank you.
[11:34] My name is Brian Gas. I live here in Bellingham. I wanted to speak to the council today on a couple of things. The first is going to be.
[11:42] I know you bring in the zoning, I assume that the zoning changes is coming through the comprehensive plan.
[11:48] Is that correct? That's what we're talking about today for the zoning is the changes that need to be made for moving forward.
[11:56] My comment is that one of the concerns that happens in Washington, I've been here since 1979,
[12:03] and what I've kind of come to believe and understood that the clock isn't running, so do I get to keep talking?
[12:10] Thank you, thank you.
[12:12] Thank you.
[12:13] Thank you.
[12:15] Honestly.
[12:16] So, I know land use isn't, and land use isn't as sexy as saying, you know, affordable housing.
[12:22] And, and one of the problems that government doesn't really acknowledge is their role in the cost of our housing and the affordability.
[12:32] And that role is that it starts from the GMA that was really developed in the 90s to
[12:37] keep the Californians from moving here, but I got in before it happened.
[12:42] So and what's going on now is I think it's gone amuck.
[12:45] And what I've kind of come to realize is Washington's scene is ridiculously expensive, not because
[12:51] there isn't any land.
[12:53] In fact, the GMA sets aside less than 4% of Washington state's land for urban growth.
[12:59] So, what is it? Well, it's control for the properties and essentially being able to control this brawl, but what I wanted to talk about is, you can't discount coming here on this comp plan and saying that there isn't land or you don't want to grow your UGA's, all this could do is sacrificing the futures of any next generations.
[13:25] And I want everybody here who's in charge of this to say to themselves, I don't want
[13:32] future generations to have a lower standard of living or a lower financial outcome because
[13:38] of decisions you're making as part of the planning group, especially for belling in.
[13:45] Now with that being said, I want everybody to realize that when it comes to the zonings
[13:50] and the changes, I really would appreciate if there would be a little more consideration
[13:55] consideration to the cost of what everything is being laid on, everybody.
[14:00] And in Washington State, there's all kinds of studies, probably 200 of them, that says
[14:04] that our land use restrictions counts for probably 40 to 60 percent of the cost of land.
[14:11] It's like a shadow tax.
[14:14] And with that, every single thing that gets built on top of that, like poison ground, you
[14:18] know, poison dirt, every single thing that gets built on there is more expensive.
[14:22] If you have average lot sizes of $250,000, $300,000, there ain't nothing getting built that's affordable.
[14:29] Until we start expanding the land and being able to do a well-fought-out expansion,
[14:37] you cannot have Billingham's growth plan, ironically squeezing the city size 1200 acres,
[14:45] and then saying that walk in county doesn't need to expand to blame where they have a lot of
[14:49] properties to be able to be built for inexpensive, and then say that you don't need to expand
[14:53] because you've got enough properties.
[14:56] So I wanted to start taking you to really take a hard look.
[15:00] At the restrictions that are getting put on, which causes everything to be more expensive, you talk about permitting, that's a nightmare, that makes everything add on, and we end up where nobody's been able to live here. Thank you for your comments, your time is up. Thank you, was anybody else in chambers who wish to speak on this item? Okay. Seeing none, can we go ahead and go to our online registrants?
[15:29] There are none. Okay, we'll go ahead and close the public hearing on this.
[15:33] What is the will of council?
[15:41] I will entertain a motion to approve AB 2025 810 ordinance adopting amendments to walk and kind of go title 20 zoning and title 22 land use into element.
[15:55] I'll second it.
[15:58] Okay.
[15:59] They moved.
[16:00] Okay.
[16:00] We've got a boil has moved them.
[16:04] I'll cancel.
[16:05] I'll second.
[16:05] Okay.
[16:06] Thank you.
[16:08] Feel like maybe dinner late on us a little heavy.
[16:10] Okay.
[16:13] Discussion on this discussion on this item. Councilmember Scanlon?
[16:18] Yes, I do have an item here. So, thank you for the comment. You know, one of the things
[16:23] that came through this past year that the voters of Lockham County voted on and our charter
[16:31] review commission put on the ballot was that anytime land use zoning items come to us, there
[16:38] There has to be a cost analysis, so that's actually in our packet, not sure if folks have
[16:43] had a chance to see that, but there is a memo that came into us on that and it does address
[16:49] some of the costs.
[16:50] This is something, I'll think the executive and the planning department for this, they
[16:55] started doing this before the votes had even been certified just to get ahead of things.
[17:02] So we do have some of that information in here about the impact of these specific changes on costs.
[17:11] So take a look at that for anyone who's interested.
[17:14] And then there are some items, this Councilor Ellenboss pointed out earlier that we remove for further discussion that potentially do have greater impact on costs and access to housing that will continue to work on.
[17:25] Thank you.
[17:28] Great.
[17:28] Thank you.
[17:28] Further discussion?
[17:33] Seeing none.
[17:34] Can we do a roll call?
[17:35] Mary Buchanan.
[17:36] Yes.
[17:36] Ben Allen-Boss.
[17:38] No.
[17:40] Kaley Galloway.
[17:41] Yes.
[17:41] Jessica Reinstra.
[17:42] Yes.
[17:43] John Scanlon.
[17:44] Yes.
[17:45] Mark Stremler.
[17:46] No.
[17:47] Elizabeth Boyle.
[17:48] Yes.
[17:49] Okay.
[17:49] That motion carries five to two.
[17:54] Okay.
[17:54] The next item for public hearing is AB 2025-814.
[17:58] It's a resolution authorizing the sale of personal property pursuant to walk in county code
[18:02] one point one zero. Procedures for management and disposition of county owned personal and real property.
[18:07] I did have a couple people signed up. Just want to double check you meant to sign up for the public hearing and not open session.
[18:12] I had sent the AU signed up. Did you wish to speak on this or during open session?
[18:17] Okay, perfect. And then Sherman, did you wish to speak on this or during open session?
[18:23] Sherman Polinder?
[18:26] Open session. Okay, I will move you both, move you both older to our open session.
[18:30] Was there anybody else in the room who was to speak on this item?
[18:35] Seeing none, did we have any online registrants?
[18:37] We do not.
[18:39] Seeing none, we'll go ahead and close the public hearing.
[18:41] I would like to entertain a motion to approve AB 2025-814, a resolution authorizing the
[18:46] sale of personal property, pursuant to Wacom County Code 1.10, procedures for management
[18:50] and disposition of county, own personal and real property.
[18:53] Who's approved?
[18:55] No second.
[18:56] Second.
[18:57] I've got a motion by Scanlan, a second by Boral, any further discussion on this item?
[19:00] Seeing
[19:04] none, can we do Rukall, Ben Ellenboss?
[19:07] Yes.
[19:08] Kelly Galloway?
[19:09] Yes.
[19:10] Jessica Reinstra?
[19:11] Yes.
[19:12] John Scanlon?
[19:13] Yes.
[19:14] Mark Strumler?
[19:16] Elizabeth Boyle?
[19:17] Yes.
[19:17] Barry Buchanan?
[19:19] Okay, let the marker show that carries seven to zero.
[19:24] Okay.
[19:24] Now we move into our open session.
[19:28] This is an opportunity for members of the public to address the council on any matter within the council's general jurisdiction.
[19:34] Before we begin, I want to review a few guidelines to ensure this open session is
[19:38] fair and respectful to everyone. We will start with folks here in Chambers who have signed
[19:42] up to speak. Then we will go to our online registrants. All speakers will have three minutes.
[19:47] We ask that you please respect this and conclude your remarks on time.
[19:50] Comments must be directed to the Council's hole not to individual members or staff.
[19:54] Personal attacks will go our threatening language or behavior that disrupts the meeting will not be allowed.
[19:59] we ask that you
[20:00] Please keep comments relevant to matters within the Council's authority or responsibilities. We request that you refrain from using our public facilities for any campaign purposes, such as supporting or opposing candidates or ballot measures. Please also refrain from engaging us in export, take communications around matters before Council, acting in a quasi judicial rule. Please be respectful. You may hear opinions different than your own, and that is okay. We ask that you please refrain from any cheering, booing, or any other disruptive behaviors that go against our rules of decorum. If we sense your remarks or in violation of our Council,
[20:29] general rules for meetings, I will give a warning and ask that you please pivot your remarks.
[20:34] Continuing violations may result in a loss of speaking privileges or in extreme cases removal from the meeting.
[20:38] We do this to protect everyone's right to be heard.
[20:41] Finally, please note, this is a public comment period.
[20:44] While the council will not be engaging in dialogue, we are actively listening.
[20:47] Thank you for respecting these guidelines and with that, I will go ahead and get us started.
[20:51] I will call three names at a time and ask that you please start to make your way to the center podium.
[20:55] Please be sure to adjust the microphone as needed so that both in-person and online participants can hear you.
[21:03] With that, I will go ahead and start with our two who signed up for the public hearing on accident.
[21:08] We'll go with Cynthia, we'll start with you, and then Sherman, we'll go with you next, and then Eileen McCracken.
[21:27] Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and I thank you. It really wasn't an accident. I followed a direction.
[21:33] Anyway, and I'm not here by accident tonight.
[21:36] I'm actually here for my friend, Judy.
[21:40] Judy lives in Sue Mass.
[21:42] And it was amazing when I walked in the door.
[21:44] I didn't know anybody else was coming from Sue Mass.
[21:47] And here we all are.
[21:48] So I do say good evening to you
[21:50] and I say good evening to you over there.
[21:52] I thank you all.
[21:54] I'm gonna start with a thank you
[21:56] for those that have come to our VFW
[21:58] and American Legion services that we have
[22:01] and most notably have chosen to pledge allegiance to our flag and spoken.
[22:05] So I just want to thank everybody for that and although you said there was no public comment,
[22:10] I did pray for you all that you would release that $750,000 set pause so that we can get started
[22:17] on something for hope for the people of that area that have been flooded.
[22:25] You know, I got this magazine and it's actually the calendar and it said it's a lot of horses, but it says if we see cruelty or
[22:33] wrong and have the power to stop it and we do nothing, we share in the guilt and neglect. And as a nurse for 55 years,
[22:40] a registered nurse and a teacher, I have had times in my life that I wish I was on one side of the haul instead of the
[22:46] other, because I had that guilt. So I guess for me people, I'm Sue Mass, I'm hoping when I looked at this, and this is about
[22:52] rescue horses. I love horses. I have a rodeo queen in my family, and they barrel
[22:58] rice in everything. So I love horses, but it also says, this is about horses.
[23:03] To create happiness, we need to remove all misery. I have been over to Sumas and
[23:10] Everton. I've seen valiant people through, you know, the Wacom recovery grow. I've
[23:16] seen people in mud and everything else going into the little cafe. There are
[23:20] Nobody cares, people are giving money.
[23:23] But for duty, it's time to do something.
[23:26] As a nurse, we have soap notes.
[23:28] We see a problem, we assess it,
[23:30] and then we make a plan to do something.
[23:32] So for the county executive,
[23:34] I don't know much about managing a river,
[23:37] but I knew no, we have brilliant minds
[23:39] because I've taught school in America with engineers.
[23:42] So how to mitigate that river, that's up to you.
[23:44] But you could start with getting some of that gravel,
[23:48] I'm not gonna say George,
[23:48] getting some of the gravel things out,
[23:50] widen the river, deepen the river,
[23:52] but do something because my heart's broken.
[23:55] I'm thankful as a nurse, I'm just gonna tell you all,
[23:57] that Nolan was hurt.
[23:59] I had an incident with my husband this afternoon
[24:01] who he would have had to take his skill with him
[24:03] and his congestive heart failure meds.
[24:05] I was trying to take to his meds all day.
[24:08] So before somebody gets hurt,
[24:10] please do a something, I have the information for you.
[24:14] I'm thanking you all for, I believe you sincerely,
[24:17] that you all have consciences that are not seared but this time will get involved and do an action plan and something and support these 480 people that had to be displaced and had to find out some place to go. Thanks a lot.
[24:33] You can have a horse calendar too.
[24:35] Thank you.
[24:36] Yes.
[24:38] Thank you all.
[24:52] Okay, I can I'll honor that so after Mr. Mayor speaks I'll call you back up Sherman. Okay, I lean
[25:01] Thank you. My name is Eileen McCracken, and I'm the current president of the League of Women Voters of Bellingham in Wachem County. The league has been active in Wachem County since 1956, working towards our mission of empowering voters and defending democracy. And we believe that you share these values with us. I am here today to speak in favor of proposed resolution AB 2026-049, resolution of firming the dignity and civil and human rights of all Wachem County residents.
[25:29] regardless of immigration or citizenship status, which is slated to come before you this evening.
[25:36] Wacom County must strive to cultivate a community where all individuals have equal protection
[25:42] and are provided due process under the law and are safe to pursue their personal educational
[25:48] and economic goals without fear of harassment, intimidation, injury or death.
[25:53] Current ICE activity across the nation and here locally has been a source of anxiety, concern
[25:58] and real harm to many of our community members.
[26:02] Our local league encourages you to ensure that all,
[26:05] that the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment and promises of due process are upheld
[26:10] by exhausting all legal resources available to you.
[26:15] We recommend implementation of the Wacom Racial Equity Commission's action guide
[26:19] on immigration, including Wacom County to respond swiftly and take all necessary legal actions
[26:26] if ICE is engaging in actions that are indirect harm to the community and or go against the law.
[26:34] Ensuring democratic processes are followed must be the highest priority.
[26:39] Approved and enact laws that require ICE officers to identify themselves.
[26:44] This is being proposed at the state level, but we cannot afford to wait on this with no guarantee of it's passing there.
[26:50] Repeal any policies and practices that harm immigration populations.
[26:53] and share recommendations from the Keep Washington Working Act
[26:57] work group with the community and with community partners
[27:00] and organizations.
[27:02] Hatred violence and fear mongering have no place
[27:05] in Wacom County.
[27:06] Thank you.
[27:07] Thank you.
[27:10] OK, next we're going to have Wendy.
[27:12] And I'm sorry, Wendy, I'm going to butcher your last name
[27:14] here, Court Monch.
[27:16] Miranda Leon Jones and Jim Shaver.
[27:20] And please pronounce your last name
[27:22] And so I can remember for next time.
[27:26] I'm Wendy Kudemash, and I live in Bellingham, and I'm also here in support of the resolution
[27:34] affirming the dignity and civil and human rights of all Wacom County residents, regardless
[27:40] of immigration or citizenship status.
[27:44] I feel compelled to be present here because the community members most impacted by the issues
[27:51] address in this resolution cannot be here due to fear and their risk of being targeted
[27:57] by immigration enforcement. Data has shown that the majority of individuals being detained
[28:03] by immigration agents do not have criminal records or current criminal charges. Instead
[28:09] they are our neighbors, they are fellow workers, students, business owners, individuals going
[28:15] about their lives on their way to worker school, who are being racially profiled and detained
[28:21] by unidentified massed agents and unmarked cars.
[28:26] ICE is also waiting outside local courts and defiance of Washington State law.
[28:32] An increased number of US citizens around the country, including peaceful observers exercising
[28:38] their legal rights, are being assaulted, detained, and now killed by what amounts to a secret
[28:44] police force unleashed in our towns and cities. Our immigrant community locally is not immune to all
[28:52] of this and is experiencing great fear and anxiety that a spouse, child, or parent won't come
[28:59] home and they won't even know where their loved one has been taken and this has happened. We are
[29:05] asking for leadership from our county government to address this assault on the democratically
[29:11] protected rights of all of us.
[29:14] In addition to approving this resolution, I ask that the county initiate a Keep Washington Working Act workgroup similar to the city of Bellingham's to evaluate and address compliance with state law.
[29:28] Thank you.
[29:44] I've been a citizen of this county since 2016. I live in Bellingham, and I'm here to
[29:52] just read personal comment. I wanted to offer support for AB 2026-049.
[30:00] I support this resolution. As members of our community are being targeted and persecuted, as Eileen and Wendy have recently mentioned, I support their comments. And also I wanted to add that persecution on the basis of someone's assumed immigration status or their skin, what language they speak, what car they drive, what kind of work they do is unconscionable. And I'm proud to be part of a community that cares about these folks.
[30:29] I witness First-Hand Attangible Harm.
[30:32] This is sowing among the people of our community that are hard-working, honorable,
[30:35] and trying to take care of their families as members of our community.
[30:40] The activities that I've witnessed on this property are very disturbing and
[30:45] unconscionable, and what we need now is to protect the immigrant community more than just words.
[30:49] But this is an important first step to demonstrate Wachem County's commitment to equity.
[30:56] I also want to support the resolutions inclusion of the action guide presented by the Walkham Racial Equity Commission.
[31:06] Thank you.
[31:15] My name is Jim Shaver.
[31:16] I live in an unincorporated Walkham County and at Birch Point.
[31:21] I'm here to speak in favor of the resolution tonight.
[31:26] I myself am an immigrant and a naturalized citizen.
[31:29] I am also married to an immigrant and a naturalized citizen.
[31:33] I do not think it is appropriate for people like me to be dragged through the streets.
[31:38] I do not think the founders imagined that police should be going door to door looking
[31:43] to arrest people.
[31:45] I also do not think it is good for a free society to have a policy of comply or die.
[31:52] So that is how I feel about that.
[31:54] In addition, I also want to speak about permitting tonight.
[31:57] I do live in the county, so when I apply for permits, I do apply with Wacom County.
[32:02] I've been through this process twice in the five years that I've lived here once with
[32:06] a contractor.
[32:07] I had some roof drains ripped out of my hill by a landslide.
[32:12] That permit took eight months to approve.
[32:15] Nine people were involved, and I parties were involved including the state, a plant biologist,
[32:20] and my lawyer because the county wanted me to put a conservation easement on my one acre
[32:25] property and I found that unacceptable.
[32:27] So I think that was overkill.
[32:29] I recently decided to replace my hot water heater. I again googled and saw that I needed to get a permit from Hawking County. I applied for the permit.
[32:39] I was told by a county staff that I needed an owner contractor for motorized by someone and then submitted.
[32:48] Again, I feel like that is overkill.
[32:51] I should not have to go to town in order to replace my hot water heater. I think that's the type of thing that should be as close to a river stamp in the permitting process as possible.
[33:02] This type of form should be a check box that you fill out when you apply for the permit.
[33:07] Not only is the waste of my time, it's the waste of county staff's time when they could be doing something else in the permitting department.
[33:13] I'd increase the cost of housing because people decide to go with a contract or instead
[33:20] of doing the work themselves when they can, if they can survive the permitting process.
[33:25] And we also, I believe in permits.
[33:28] I believe they're a public good.
[33:29] I think my neighbor deserves to know that I had all the work at my house permitted.
[33:33] And we cannot make the process so high friction that people learn the lesson and say, next
[33:40] time I'm not going to apply for a permit.
[33:42] So thank you for your time.
[33:43] Thank you, Jim. Okay, next we've got Jesse Klassen, John Westerfield, and Mayor Bruce Bosch.
[33:56] Good evening, members of the council. My name is Jesse Klassen, I've lived in SEMA's
[34:01] my entire life. It's a great small town where I've lived and raised my family and built
[34:08] long-lasting relationships, but over the past five years our town has faced challenges that's
[34:14] tearing up the heart of our community. The flooding. My own home is flooded three times and just five
[34:20] years. Each time we weren't dealing with a little bit of water, we had four inches to four feet
[34:28] in our home. Imagine walking into your living room and seeing your furniture floating.
[34:34] Your wall
[34:34] soaked, everything you've worked for destroyed. We've had a rip out floors, replaced drywall,
[34:45] It's not just water damage, it's losing a piece of your, pieces of your life.
[34:51] I'm not alone.
[34:53] Families, businesses, neighbors.
[34:55] Cross-tune as they're living with this reality.
[34:58] Every flood means
[35:00] Lost homes, lost income, lost peace of mind. The emotional toll is heavy, and the financial burden is crushing. People are questioning whether they can stay here, businesses struggling to recover. And every time the rain comes, we wonder, will this happen again? We need solutions, we need strong infrastructure, better flood management. I'm asking you to prioritize this issue.
[35:29] not next year, not long-term, but now because every delay means another
[35:37] family displaced, another business closed, and another piece of our community
[35:44] washed away. As soon as we're fighting for, let's work together to protect it.
[35:52] Thank you.
[36:13] Good evening, councilmembers. I'm slow but I'm going to keep coming as
[36:16] as long as I can crawl down here,
[36:18] and you'll have to put up with me.
[36:21] The first thing I'm gonna talk about,
[36:22] I've talked about before,
[36:24] but I'm trying to pretend that this is an all new council
[36:26] and you all need to hear it for the first time.
[36:29] This is supposed to be a non-partisan body,
[36:31] but obviously there's not, never has been.
[36:34] Last year, I counted votes, the year before I counted votes,
[36:38] and on basic housekeeping things,
[36:40] it was always seven to zero, no problem.
[36:43] Occasionally it was six to one
[36:44] because of Councilman Elimbaz and we thought there would be more accountability for where
[36:48] the money goes, and I hadn't to agree with him, that everything else was 4 to 3, 4 to 3,
[36:53] 4 to 3. And tonight it was 5 to 2. Is it completely impossible that somebody from the other party might
[37:01] have had a good idea once in a while? Is it completely impossible that you could set aside your party
[37:05] affiliations and vote for what's right and what's good for these people out here? I wish you could do
[37:10] that. Secondly, I want to speak in support of my friends and neighbors in the Northern
[37:15] part of the county and I'm going to suggest that them do not be the world, do not be surprised,
[37:21] excuse me, do not be satisfied with anything you've heard here tonight. You people need to come
[37:27] here every single meeting, you need to pack this house every single time you can, bring as many
[37:33] people as you can, bring as much evidence as you can, bring as much pressure as you can to make
[37:38] things happen. You should not have had to live through this four times in five years.
[37:42] Thank you.
[37:51] Hello, everybody. Can you hear me?
[37:56] Executive.
[37:59] So you guys got my letter. I'm assuming most of you.
[38:04] And I just want to say I am not here to point fingers. I'm not here to labeling. There are
[38:11] many reasons why we are here today where we are. Sue Mass I'm talking about. Okay. The point
[38:17] One of my letters to you was to show you how wrong the situation is.
[38:23] Sumas is receiving the brunt of a non-collaborated, non-agreed upon, years of changes to the design
[38:33] and the maintenance of the river.
[38:39] I delivered you facts, and these facts need to be addressed.
[38:44] I mean, I'm here to appeal to you as elected to do whatever you can in your power to resolve
[38:53] the situation, to realize that the wrong of this and then that it needs to be corrected.
[39:01] I'm aware, just like myself, that you're limited on what you can do, there are agencies to deal
[39:09] with regulatory hurdles, Sarah Sarah. I'm also aware that the last few weeks like the executive
[39:18] spoke about, there's been a lot of momentum in the right direction, that a momentum has begun
[39:25] to move forward to take care of this problem, but we're still in the talk stage. I've been there
[39:33] for four years now and for talk
[39:37] stage. We don't know what the
[39:39] outcome's going to be but we need
[39:42] you to keep pushing. I'm asking
[39:46] for you to keep the zeal to keep
[39:50] things moving forward.
[39:54] Don't set
[39:55] aside and say well for another day
[39:56] we're going to take care of this.
[39:58] It needs to be taken care of now.
[40:00] We got people here that are suffering, that there's no hope for them in their minds. There is, I believe in hope, that's what the blue represents. And that as Mr. Sadoo has said in many meetings in the past about other subjects, inaction is an action upon itself.
[40:26] Most of us have heard about the term you fight fire with fire. We need to fight flood with flood.
[40:35] a flood of voices, a flood of movement, a flood of action.
[40:46] Not just from Sue Mass, not just from Erison, not just from Nooksac or the tribes, or I mean
[40:53] the community as a whole.
[40:54] Can I keep going?
[40:55] I just got a little bit more to go.
[40:58] Okay.
[40:59] Like when I said pretty quick.
[41:01] They're only because you're Mr. Mayor going how to get any ideas.
[41:04] Okay, so as I say, not just from Sue Mass,
[41:09] Anderson, Nooksack, or the tribes,
[41:11] the people of the, it used to come from the community as a whole.
[41:15] The people of this community that we call Wattcom County,
[41:21] that we all call home,
[41:26] they used to become a flood, not out of desperation,
[41:30] or anger, but to cause the right things to happen now and in the future.
[41:37] Now, when a raindrop falls from this guy, there's one drop of moisture, and by itself
[41:46] it's harmless and ineffective, but many raindrops, when combined, becomes a force to be reckoned
[41:58] with.
[42:01] A flood for instance.
[42:04] These people and I are a few of the rain drops. And I'm asking you
[42:15] to join us and become the flood to solve this problem. All right, thank you.
[42:23] Thank you, Mayor. Okay, I promise Sherman you're next. After Sherman, I've got
[42:29] Sarah Bosch, Samantha Doring, and Gina Bosch.
[42:34] My name is Sherman Polander, and I live on the Polander Road.
[42:38] I've lived there 81 years, and I've lived through floods for 80 years.
[42:45] So I've seen a lot of water.
[42:48] And I would concur with the mayor of Sumas with most of his statements.
[42:53] there are solutions and many of those solutions are in your hands. So I'd like to lay out a couple
[43:04] possibilities that I think have promise and they would help everyone. Before I lay out these
[43:13] solutions, I heard a rumor today that there's an effort to raise the dyke on the Emerson road.
[43:20] And they ever said, if that is true, I just want to share the impact that that would
[43:26] have on the Lyndon farming area.
[43:30] As it is now, we've had the last two major floods, we've had water in one of our houses
[43:36] where our grandson is living, and our neighbors had three feet of water in his barn.
[43:40] So if we've sent more water our way, it's going to just create additional problems.
[43:50] So back to solutions, I think there are two.
[43:55] One would be to allow the harvesting of the material in the river.
[44:06] It's in the bottom of the river has raised three or four feet in the last 25 years.
[44:16] That's significant.
[44:18] If we would take that down and harvest it, in each year there's a natural resource
[44:25] that comes down from the hills, so it's renewed.
[44:29] food, and there are many states on the west side that do allow Dredgy in harvesting.
[44:36] Think California, Oregon, Alaska, and British Columbia, and if anything, it's enhanced
[44:45] the fish run, and I think if you do some research, we can verify that.
[44:52] So, yeah, I think that should start soon.
[44:59] I would...
[45:00] We have one crew started everson, another crew at the mouth, and just keep harvesting, and it will help, because I've lived through the days when we did harvest, and we didn't have these extreme floods.
[45:16] The other solution I have would be, would like to lay on the table, is to have a flood control dam in the hills and the night. I don't have the exact spot. I was hoping Mayor Cordell would be here tonight.
[45:31] there is a good spot for flood control dam and that has added benefit of controlling the
[45:40] monowater at the peak times. Thank you for your comments. Your time is up. My time is up.
[45:46] Okay well I'm sorry but I have a little bit more to say. I was told that Seattle City
[45:54] like, I mean, the Corps of Engineers took over the management of the Ross Dam for this
[46:02] previous flood for 24 hours. That likely saved some dairy farms and some damage to the
[46:08] city of Mount Vernon. That kind of operation was common sense. And that's when I'd like
[46:16] to see us use this common sense. We don't have to get too complicated. We just have to do
[46:21] what? Thank you. Thank you.
[46:29] Sarah, Samantha, Gina?
[46:35] Members of the council, thank you for your time.
[46:39] My name is Sarah Pausch, I'm 33 years old. I was born and raised in CMS, many family members and
[46:44] friends, so reside in the areas that have been impacted by the last four floods over the last five
[46:51] years, no two, for although I'm the kind of resident of Bellingham, I take issue with the lack of
[46:57] movement on behalf of these communities to begin working towards a shared solution that
[47:01] protects the human beings who have been devastated by this flooding.
[47:04] These people of Wacom County have been cast aside in my opinion, which I find to be
[47:09] morally reprehensible.
[47:11] We may not know, we may not know the ins and outs of the government and all your red tape
[47:15] and molasses paste change making and all your lingo, but we do know right from wrong and
[47:21] we are smart enough to know that your council has the strength and connections to carry their
[47:25] people through this hardship. There are many possible solutions and resolutions to this
[47:30] problem, some of which have already been presented to you. There are many people who are dedicated
[47:35] and willing and ready and able to put their skills into action and there has been tons of money
[47:40] spent in the last few years on research to better understand the complexities of this issue
[47:45] and the possible solutions and all of that is going to waste and not being used to help.
[47:50] This is a matter of collaboration, hard work and execution before the next flood.
[47:54] The county has a moral and fiscal duty and responsibility to their people to protect
[47:59] them from danger.
[48:00] These are working class people, raising families who simply cannot afford to recover from
[48:05] six feet of river water in their homes.
[48:08] Now is the time to put forth that effort and action on behalf of your people.
[48:12] I urge you to consider the information presented to you and forge a path forward now before this
[48:17] crisis strikes again.
[48:19] These people here tonight, these strong people, is a show of strength and unity.
[48:23] Please hear your constituents and work more diligently far too much has been wasted the time for changes now in 2026. Thank you.
[48:33] Thank you.
[48:40] Good evening, everyone. My name is Samantha Doring. I'm a resident of Linden, Washington. However, I have worked in the city of Sumas for over 10 years at the pharmacy and on the Wednesday that the floodwaters came.
[48:51] I truly didn't expect us to have the flood that we did because I believed all of you and everyone else who told me that the hundred-year flood was a hundred-year flood that it wasn't going to happen again
[49:04] and not only was it not going to happen again, but steps were going to be taken to prevent it.
[49:09] And I was shocked to watch the security cameras at work as water slowly began to trickle in the building and I realized that once again my job was going to be put at risk
[49:20] because I wasn't sure how the small business that I work at was going to continue to stay open.
[49:25] If we had to remove all of the product out of the building, I wasn't certain how much money would be lost.
[49:32] And not just the front end products, the toys, the Christmas decorations, but
[49:37] the vaccines that I knew were just steps away from where the water was rushing in.
[49:42] The blood pressure medication, the insulin, thousands of dollars worth of life saving medication
[49:49] was at risk and I watched the water flood into that building and I prayed that it would stay low
[49:55] and I was shocked and incredibly disappointed.
[50:00] Because just small mitigations that were not taken place, solutions that were presented and time was wasted on those solutions. If those have been implemented, there would not have been water in my workplace. There wouldn't have been water in hundreds of people's homes, in fact. And this would not have been the devastating event that it was. So I am not going to trust you when you tell me that you're taking steps.
[50:27] I'm going to watch you and I'm going to be here to pay attention to whether or not those plans that have presented before you are actually having action taking against them.
[50:38] Whether or not you are actually putting pressure on our behalf as the community on the state and federal governments.
[50:46] You are our elected officials, it does not matter what side of the aisle you are on, you are in your position to protect your constituents.
[50:55] It is your responsibility, and if you do not want that responsibility, I recommend that
[51:01] you step down.
[51:02] We are watching you, and we are not going to look away this time because we can't afford
[51:07] to do this again.
[51:09] And so, while we are disappointed, the city and the community of Simass and Everton and
[51:14] other surrounding areas, we are very, very strong, and we are very, very connected.
[51:19] It's an incredible community, and I would encourage every one of you to come to that community,
[51:23] to come to the meetings and see just how amazing the people are.
[51:28] It's why, although I live in London, I love the city of Sumas.
[51:34] I love the people there.
[51:35] I feel like a citizen of Sumas so often, and I was in fact planning to move to Sumas
[51:40] up until this most recent flood, but unfortunately there are no rental spaces available
[51:45] because they've all been flooded.
[51:47] So I would encourage you to know that we're watching you
[51:50] and we are not going to trust you to take steps this time, we are going to continue to speak to you and bother you and show up.
[51:58] Thank you.
[52:09] Ladies and gentlemen of the Wacom County Council, good evening and thank you for listening.
[52:15] I would simply ask you all to set aside
[52:19] politics, opinions, personal views, etc. and look at these people.
[52:25] We are not numbers, dollars, buildings, charts, statistics, or studies.
[52:35] We are people, citizens of Watkin County.
[52:41] The people that you are here to represent, to stand for, to do what's best for these
[52:49] people that have chosen you to do so.
[52:51] So please see and hear us.
[52:56] Be human, compassionate, caring for your fellow citizens, your neighbors.
[53:03] We ask that you would represent our need for safety and security in our homes.
[53:12] For our cities and surrounding areas, we must do what's best for all of our citizens
[53:19] to maintain the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. One nation, under God,
[53:31] with liberty and justice for all. Thank you.
[53:39] Okay, next I've got Christina Cook, Stacy Daly,
[53:43] and Sean Martinez.
[53:53] Hello, my name is Christina Cook, and I'm here to speak about the flooding from the
[53:59] personal story. Our family moved to Sumas in 2019, shortly after the passing of my sister.
[54:06] My sister had three children, and when she passed, they joined our family,
[54:10] turning us from a family of six to a family of nine. Sumas was the only place that we could find a
[54:16] home big enough first all that we could afford. Just six months after moving to Sumas, we experienced
[54:23] our first flood, the 2020 flood. We woke up that morning with a garage full of water and water
[54:29] surrounding our home. We were able to recover from that event and believed that we would not
[54:35] experience more flooding for a very long time.
[54:39] Then came the flood of 2021 or both of them.
[54:43] This time the river came right into our home. We have two houses on our property that housed
[54:48] our family of nine and both were flooded. We needed to rip out and dry out both houses. It was
[54:54] completely devastating. The amount of loss and work that we enjoyed.
[55:00] My husband worked for the next couple of years restoring our home. In 2023, he fell off a truck trailer while working in separate of life-altering brain injury. After brain surgery, his recovery process left him unable to do any more work on our home for the next year and a half. He was slowly able to start fixing our home again, and then the 2020 flood habit, 2025. This time, we are back to square one. These flood events come and go fairly quickly.
[55:30] quickly for the general public, but we are dealing with them for years. We are often
[55:35] asked the question, are you still dealing with that? And these floods take many, many years
[55:41] for us to recover from. We weren't fully recovered from the 2021 floods and then the next one
[55:47] happened in 2025. We're also often asked, why don't you just move? And at this point, we're stuck.
[55:55] we can't sell a home that floods every few years and the other side of it is we
[56:00] love our community we want to be a part of CMS we love the people we've
[56:04] become a part of that community but we can't continue to stay in a place that
[56:09] floods every few years we can't we can't financially take it we can't
[56:14] emotionally take it and we can't take on the work that that that takes so we are
[56:20] willing to do whatever we must to make things better we have proved by our efforts
[56:24] and Sue Mass that we jump in and we get it done and we restore what needs to be restored.
[56:30] But we need help. We need help from you guys to help figure out a way to stop it from happening
[56:36] over and over again. So I just want to ask you all for help.
[56:50] Executive Chair, council members.
[56:52] Thank you for the opportunity to speak. My name is Stacy Daly. I have about 30, 40 minutes away
[56:58] in Sumas, where it feels like we are the forgotten district of Watcom County.
[57:04] Recovery efforts have slowed and yet again our town is quieted and deep heaviness has
[57:09] rested upon our people.
[57:12] I had a reporter reach out to me looking for my story, my experience, with my last three
[57:18] flood events.
[57:19] I found myself with deep guilt and a reluctance to share my own hurt.
[57:25] Every direction I looked, there was someone in a worst predicament.
[57:31] In that interview, I spent an hour briefly reliving the last five years and three traumatic flood events.
[57:38] It was after I hung up the phone. I realized I never fully healed from the first flood in 2020.
[57:45] COVID pursued shortly after that.
[57:48] And I began to see why my life trajectory shifted so drastically.
[57:54] then round two, the flood of 2021.
[57:58] I was robbed of a lot, but health being the greatest.
[58:03] It knocked me into a debilitating illness
[58:05] that I have only recently seen healing from.
[58:09] Round three, flood of 2025.
[58:13] This round I've been catching myself saying
[58:15] it only took I only lost.
[58:21] Minimizing, normalizing.
[58:23] I'm struggling with survivors guilt because I see my neighbors throwing the entire
[58:29] contents of their home onto the lawn like it's trash and they're left totally defeated.
[58:38] We could be classified as a war zone because this preventable and habitual flooding is taking
[58:47] our possessions, our home, our transportation, our livelihoods, health both mentally and physically,
[58:55] and any chance at prosperity. Hit, after hit, after hit.
[59:03] It's stealing our children's future.
[59:07] The generation that will grow and spill over into the rest of what come county.
[59:12] We don't even know the lasting effects. We are still doing with grief and PTSD.
[59:20] I picked it kids up from school only to drop them off in a hotel lobby.
[59:26] I know children personally that are drifting into deep depression.
[59:31] And sadly suicide ideation is now a topic with our youth.
[59:37] Just move. I'm sick of the gaslighting.
[59:41] Most of us have nowhere to go and those that do risk losing the fabric
[59:46] but what is holding us together which is each other. I am asking each one of you
[59:52] individually to put your politics aside and focus on the protection of humanity.
[1:00:00] And your backdoor neighbor. We need immediate protection and we need long-term protection. We don't have time anymore. What is not done right now only allows for the creation of what will come of this continual trauma. Thank you.
[1:00:26] Thank you.
[1:00:27] Let me have some time to speak. My name is Sean Martinez, live in Simass, closed on my house,
[1:00:35] after I was pre-approved for a mortgage loan in June 30th, 24. So although this is my first time
[1:00:44] going through this flood, I know several people in Simass that have been through it once or twice
[1:00:50] before me. This is happening away too much. I moved into Simass with the impression that
[1:01:00] these were already being taken into account and steps ready being made the last four years
[1:01:06] to prevent this from happening again. I grew my home and Maple Falls wanted to give my kids
[1:01:14] It's a better life, and it simasses a really great community, a great place to live.
[1:01:22] We got to do something with maintaining this river and collecting the gravel, and we
[1:01:30] got to do something with it.
[1:01:31] We can't keep letting it build up.
[1:01:37] My kids were terrified that it was going to flood again in the last day or so ago.
[1:01:43] So, you know, we're all watch again after only a month of going through this.
[1:01:51] This state is getting ridiculously high to live in.
[1:01:56] We can't keep going through this over and over and over.
[1:02:00] People are going to start moving out of the state, yeah, it's getting ridiculous.
[1:02:06] You know, the crews that came through were great, they were, you know, I've never seen
[1:02:12] people come together like that ever in my life.
[1:02:18] Just a lot of people that came
[1:02:20] through our house helping us do flood cuts and get everything that was wet cleaning
[1:02:25] up the floors. I'm also a general college actor. This has hit me really hard
[1:02:32] financially. You know, I'm still waiting around for my insurance to even do
[1:02:38] anything. I'm forking out money out of pocket just to try to put my floors back together.
[1:02:44] My kids rooms were upstairs luckily. They're in the house. I'm trying to stay out in a camper
[1:02:50] outside my driveway using propane for heat with me and my wife trying to keep warm.
[1:02:58] You know it's enough. We can't keep waiting around. Something has to happen here. Thank you.
[1:03:05] Thank you.
[1:03:09] Next on our list is Ryan Whittig, Marissa Whittig, and Julie Jansen. Go for it.
[1:03:21] All right. My name is Ryan Whittig. I'm also in Sue Mass. Thanks for your time. I'm just here
[1:03:28] to kind of tell you my story. All right. I'm about our house October 21. Our house has never been flooded
[1:03:37] before. And so we bought it with confidence after 20 years. I own my business here since 99,
[1:03:43] I'm a general contractor as well. 20 years of my wife and I worked in order to even be able to
[1:03:48] afford anything in this county because it's so extensive. And we ended up in CMS. And fixing up the
[1:03:55] house a little bit, October 21, we moved in November 21, we moved back out into a camper, lost it all,
[1:04:02] lost my business that time, all my tools were gone, our houses gone, our vehicles were gone,
[1:04:06] everything that we had worked our entire lives where it was gone. And by the grace of God,
[1:04:14] we were able to start to recover. Took me two and a half years to rebuild my home,
[1:04:19] living in a camper. We've been in the house a year and a half now. Now we're in a camper again
[1:04:24] in the backyard. My wife and I, and two kids, this is not sustainable. We cannot continue to do this.
[1:04:31] The only reason we stayed and we didn't default on our mortgage the first time is because for the first
[1:04:35] time in my life, I had ever seen community. I had never seen anything like that before
[1:04:39] where people came alongside us. They never knew us. They came and they loved on us and
[1:04:44] they helped us rebuild. And that's the only reason we stayed. But even with that help, we
[1:04:50] cannot continue to do this. And so we do plead to you. We plead to your hearts, your minds
[1:04:56] to just help do whatever you can.
[1:05:00] I know that, you know, I'm just not an educated fool. Right? I got a ninth grade education. I don't know a lot. I don't have a lot of answers for you. But I know that my family and I lived here my entire lives. We've worked our butts off to just be here. And we want to continue to be in this town. We want to continue to live the life that we live. We're so grateful. But it's hard. And it's hard on my heart. It's hard on my mind. It's hard on our bodies. And we're not the only ones.
[1:05:29] I watched the neighbors go through it all and like Stacey said, we're almost normalizing and I feel like I'm doing all right
[1:05:35] I only got a foot of water in my house this time
[1:05:37] 21 or 3 and a half feet, right? So I feel like great. I done all right. What's that mean?
[1:05:44] Still means I got to throw all my stuff away
[1:05:46] So I've got to pull my floors out. I've got to pull my wall out
[1:05:49] All that we got nothing left. It's all in the garbage. So
[1:05:53] So just thank you for being here, thank you for letting us talk and just giving a moment
[1:05:59] to us, whatever you do with that, the stories that we give you, it's up to you, but we
[1:06:07] are looking at you and just hoping that you hear the sentiment behind situation and you
[1:06:14] help us.
[1:06:15] Just thank you.
[1:06:16] Thank you.
[1:06:27] Hi, my name is Marissa Wittig, Ryan is my husband.
[1:06:31] And he basically just told you the whole story.
[1:06:33] Most of everything that I wrote down,
[1:06:35] but I really feel like you guys just need to continue
[1:06:38] to hear this on repeat.
[1:06:40] I have been a citizen of Watcom County
[1:06:42] pretty much my entire life ever since I was a baby.
[1:06:46] Ryan and I have worked really hard to create a family
[1:06:49] and just try to live the American dream of home ownership.
[1:06:55] We lived in a rental house for 10 years
[1:06:56] and our landlord raised the price
[1:06:59] because Waccom County is so hard to afford and we just never really thought it would happen.
[1:07:04] So we fought mortgage companies until we were finally able to get alone and really
[1:07:08] CMS was what we could afford. Granted, I didn't know too much about the community beforehand but
[1:07:14] we moved in and we were immediately flooded and that was completely devastating to have our whole
[1:07:19] life and everything that we had built just really ripped apart. But gosh, CMS showed up in
[1:07:25] And just such a force and the love that we felt and the support that we got was just unlike
[1:07:31] anything I've ever seen in this county before.
[1:07:34] I know that we could move somewhere else, but I don't think we're ever going to feel
[1:07:37] the connection that we feel living where we live.
[1:07:40] So we want to stay and we want to continue to rebuild.
[1:07:44] But I tell you, doing this once before, it just has taken so much from our time as a family.
[1:07:51] my kids are constantly on the back burner. My husband is working tirelessly and it is just depleting
[1:07:57] him physically and it is just destroying our sense of security and livelihood that we I feel
[1:08:04] like we have the right to have and again I don't have the answers. I know you guys do have the answers
[1:08:11] and I'm begging you to enact on those things now today immediately so that we can rebuild and feel
[1:08:18] confident and stay where we want to be in sumas. Thank you for your time.
[1:08:23] Thank you.
[1:08:27] Okay. As Julie makes her way down, we'll next hear from Carl Kraus, David
[1:08:33] Edelman, and Robert Bitt.
[1:08:39] Thank you, council members. I just would
[1:08:42] like to say that I went to high school with Marissa. I've known her my whole life, and I really
[1:08:46] hope that each one of you takes a hard look at these individuals. You memorize their faces
[1:08:51] and their stories because what has been happening to them is reprehensible and we need better action.
[1:09:01] I have a similar story, but not about floods.
[1:09:08] Just to introduce myself, my name is Julie Jansen, I'm a local attorney, I'm a third generation walk-in-county resident.
[1:09:15] I live in the King Mountain neighborhood and I recently was a victim of a violent crime.
[1:09:20] On September 18, my flower stand was robbed.
[1:09:24] Two men reside in the homeless encampment about a quarter mile from my house.
[1:09:28] I confronted them witnessing the theft.
[1:09:32] One of them told me they can do whatever they want.
[1:09:35] And he placed a large machete in my face.
[1:09:37] That individual was arrested by Bellingham PD.
[1:09:40] He's a 19-time offender, a convicted felon, and has a history of violent crime.
[1:09:46] At the time of his arrest, he was carrying multiple weapons and an unregistered fire arm.
[1:09:52] Despite this, Wacom County pled the case down to felony harassment, allowed him to serve less than 30 days in the jail.
[1:10:00] Local, issued me a protective order and released him. What happened next is actually why I'm here. During the defendant's first appearance, where I was present to request a protective order, I was harassed and intimidated by the defendant's wife while I was testifying. That experience exposed a far serious problem here in Wacom County. As an officer of the court, they feel compelled to inform you that Wacom County is failing to provide a functional, safe,
[1:10:29] and constitutionally prescribed forum for crime victims, witnesses, and members of the public.
[1:10:36] These first appearances occur in the jail and are televised into a sparse basement room in this very building.
[1:10:44] In reality, these proceedings are effectively closed. The video monitors do not work.
[1:10:51] The only functioning screen shows only the criminal defendants.
[1:10:55] The microphone cuts in and out, I could not see the court commissioner, he could not see me.
[1:11:02] I did not know what, he did not know I was present, and I had to interrupt the proceeding
[1:11:06] in order to be heard from my protective order.
[1:11:10] While I testified, the defendant's wife stood beside me, muttering, crying, causing the disturbance,
[1:11:15] and an obvious attempt to intimidate me.
[1:11:18] There was no bailiff, no court security, and no staff, or personnel,
[1:11:22] from the courthouse of any kind in this room.
[1:11:26] I was alone.
[1:11:27] And no, my assigned victim advocate did not show up for me.
[1:11:32] When I later reported what occurred,
[1:11:34] I was told these are known issues with the viewing room.
[1:11:37] The prosecuting attorney's office
[1:11:39] acknowledged both the safety and the technological deficiencies.
[1:11:44] But they have no remedy to fix them.
[1:11:48] What I am asking of you all
[1:11:50] is to go down to the viewing room, experience it for yourself.
[1:11:55] See what I am saying.
[1:11:57] Thank you for your comments, your time is up.
[1:11:59] Thank you.
[1:12:00] I urge you to look at this.
[1:12:02] This is a huge constitutional and state constitutional
[1:12:08] egregious error that is occurring.
[1:12:11] And just because it's not in the budget will not save you all from fines.
[1:12:16] So, I urge you to get this under control and fixed.
[1:12:21] This has a chilling effect on all witnesses and crime victims.
[1:12:25] Welcome counting deserves better.
[1:12:27] And I implore you to do something about it.
[1:12:30] Thank you.
[1:12:32] Thank you.
[1:12:34] Okay, I know we've got a number of emotional topics
[1:12:37] and I'm really requesting folks respect for three minutes.
[1:12:40] When our clerk says your time is up, please promptly conclude your sentence.
[1:12:43] And so we can get to the next individual.
[1:12:45] trying to be compassionate and patient,
[1:12:47] but I just want to be respectful of everyone tonight.
[1:12:50] Please proceed.
[1:12:51] Thank you.
[1:12:51] Thank you.
[1:12:53] Carl Kiles from Nooksack.
[1:12:56] A backyard is one of the,
[1:12:58] it's back up to one of the slew is in Nooksack.
[1:13:01] So it's my personal barometer of the flood water.
[1:13:04] I can tell, you know, on Facebook what's coming.
[1:13:09] We have every other, all the other sophisticated things too.
[1:13:12] water goes around my house and if it's deep enough it goes under my house I
[1:13:17] got. I'm sure we'll have ductwork need to be replaced but I'm okay myself.
[1:13:24] My
[1:13:25] heart's in sumas. I grew up there served as a pastor of the sumas admin
[1:13:31] Christian Church for a number of years. I'm still volunteer there. Our church
[1:13:36] building is the logical place for us to use as a hub for relief. Oh by the way
[1:13:42] one bit of business, this is City Council City Council, but the mayor of Sue Mass is here.
[1:13:49] I'm going to ask if I can be an honorary member of Sue Mass.
[1:13:54] That would make my day.
[1:13:57] He's nodding his head yet. Okay, good.
[1:14:01] Our building is the natural place to serve us the hub
[1:14:04] for the relief effort. We're honored to do that. I think there's a million churches out there
[1:14:08] that would do the same. So I don't have no idea what my job is, but I show up and I'll
[1:14:14] listen to people. And I feel the weight. You know, I feel bad because Ryan back here
[1:14:21] before he could get into town. I will, he told me that the key was in the back and the
[1:14:27] refrigerator under the pizza box. And so I got into his house. So I said, oh, it doesn't
[1:14:32] look so bad, right? It's just met on the floor. And I feel bad because I think it's two feet
[1:14:38] up now the wall board taken out and it's like you know try and be optimistic and
[1:14:44] I'm not a carpenter didn't look so bad to me.
[1:14:51] Is that one minute left or is
[1:14:53] that two minutes one minute left? Okay I will skip to my last story. Emotions
[1:15:00] So running and rampant in Sue Mass, there's tension, there's sadness, there's anger, something
[1:15:10] substance that needs to be done. We hear that there's talk, and that's good. But we need
[1:15:16] to see something, something of substance, substance of, substance of, done. Showed them
[1:15:23] they aren't just one off town, that people listen to every three or four years, but I'm an
[1:15:30] influential residents. So I'd like to share with you a note and I'll read it fast that I received
[1:15:35] yesterday. Hey Carl, I'd just like to share a story of my own. This is from women in Jody.
[1:15:41] I've tried to stay up, be positive through this flood process and even remain stoic emotionally.
[1:15:46] I've avoided hugs from friends and families who did not want to cry. I knew we could survive
[1:15:51] this cleanup even as as pleasant as it was. I'm done. Okay. I'll honor it. Thank you. Thank you.
[1:15:56] Hi,
[1:16:03] my name is Robert, I'm from Nooksac, and there's a couple of things that went on tonight that I want to comment on.
[1:16:10] First of all, I want to start with what comes strong is responsible for the amazing.
[1:16:16] The people running around with their pickup trucks with their little trailers taking stuff to the free dump.
[1:16:21] I do appreciate the free dump. That is great.
[1:16:24] There's still more to go to the dump, but it's no longer free or it's not open.
[1:16:29] it was closed on the 31st. I'd love for that to be reopened. It needs to be. There's a need there.
[1:16:37] Let's put it that way. Okay. Second subject. I'll balance back to the flood.
[1:16:43] A permit to replace a hot water tank. Like, who does that? That's broken.
[1:16:50] I mean, that's broken. Okay, needing that to replace. You know, what's next?
[1:16:54] So refrigerator, I mean, come on. So that whole licensing thing that that tells me it's broke. Okay. All right. Back to the flood. I bought my house in nook sack in 2022 after the flood.
[1:17:06] The previous owner through his real estate agent informed me that he wasn't flooded.
[1:17:11] All right. So we bought the house.
[1:17:15] Well, we flooded in 2025. We tore out the drywall. We saw that there was a nice two foot cut of drywall all around the house.
[1:17:24] The drywall and the two-foot cut was put in with drywall screws.
[1:17:29] The drywall above that was ring nails, the other construction.
[1:17:34] The insulation in the two-foot cut was pink above that with yellow, all right?
[1:17:41] They've been flooded in exactly the same way.
[1:17:45] All right, so now I haven't heard this idea from anywhere else, anywhere.
[1:17:50] It came to me listening today.
[1:17:52] I have a solution to this whole thing. Are you interested? There's a solution. There's a solution.
[1:17:59] I won't take a whole lot of effort on your part. Just some paper pushing actually.
[1:18:05] Make the cost of flooding insurance that everybody pays to FEMA, which is probably very few people
[1:18:12] in this room, paid it, all right? Make that a deduction of our property taxes. Now that has far
[1:18:18] reaching effects. It helps everybody in this room who got flooded next time, they're going
[1:18:23] to have a crowd of people come in and look after it for them. All right? That's thing one.
[1:18:29] And thing two, FEMA is going to go ballistic. They're going to get so many claims, they're going
[1:18:34] to say, we got to fix this. And then they'll fix it. There's a solution. And now, for urgency,
[1:18:42] have to this, I'm going to, I think, actually going to get this off in time. For urgency, the problem
[1:18:47] we know is the rivers filling up with sand and rocks and stuff and it's filling up faster and
[1:18:52] faster and it's getting worse. Are you ready to do this twice in one year? That's coming.
[1:19:02] Okay, after David, we will have Stephanie Anderson, Daniel Stevenson and Austin Struebel.
[1:19:19] I'm David Edelman, resident of Bellingham and I'm going to thank the council for the opportunity
[1:19:24] to speak tonight. I just, or I start, I want to acknowledge that we've heard some really intense
[1:19:31] and genuinely serious testimony tonight and so I'm going to be brief. I'm here today to speak
[1:19:39] in favor of the resolution affirming the dignity and rights of all residents of Washington County.
[1:19:46] Just yesterday in this chamber I had the pleasure of witnessing four of you take the oath of office
[1:19:52] this, including the oath to support the Constitution.
[1:19:56] When you pass this resolution, you will be
[1:20:00] We're filling a fundamental purpose of constitutional government to protect and defend the rights and liberties of the people. And as public servants, you'll be fulfilling your duty to the best of your ability, to protect us from the lawless depredations of a tyrannical regime. And when I say us, I mean all of us, immigrants, the children of immigrants and first nations,
[1:20:29] We are one people, we are one humanity, and today when you pass this resolution, you'll
[1:20:38] be taking one small step, an important step, and restoring our vision of a country
[1:20:45] out of which many come one people.
[1:20:49] Thank you.
[1:20:51] Thank you.
[1:21:00] Hello, Councilmembers.
[1:21:01] My name is Stephanie Anderson and I live in Nooksack. I want to first thank you to those of you who
[1:21:07] actually got out after the flood and got in to the Makoisus and helped us and actually got on
[1:21:15] the ground and saw what it was like firsthand. Thank you. I have operated, I'm shaking like crazy
[1:21:22] if you're sorry. I have operated little spouts preschool and daycare out of my house for 14 years.
[1:21:28] I am speaking with you tonight because this flood and the one in 2021 both got in my house.
[1:21:35] 2020 was in my garage. 2021, the second one was in my garage, but this is affected my house and
[1:21:41] my business twice. I've had to move my house and my business out of my house. It is shut down,
[1:21:49] I was shut down for two weeks and 21. I was shut down for a week and a half with Slasco.
[1:21:53] So, while I started the process packing my house up, getting everything out, flood mitigation,
[1:22:01] demolition, rebuild started.
[1:22:04] In that time, my parent and my families are left without child care, scrambling to find
[1:22:09] child care.
[1:22:10] I was able to find a place to start care right at the start of Christmas break, but because
[1:22:15] I am not in my house, I am not receiving my state pay kids.
[1:22:19] I am not receiving pay for those children.
[1:22:21] I am still watching those children.
[1:22:23] I am not going to tell my families no, just because I am not in my home and receiving pay for them.
[1:22:31] Lots of things.
[1:22:35] I have a shovel reddened project for a child care center in Noxac.
[1:22:40] The project was presented to the Healthy Children's Fund during the last application process.
[1:22:45] I was told that the county was interested in the project, but that they would spend the first six to eight months of this year.
[1:22:51] creating a process to present to you, because there was uncertainty about how to handle the ownership of the land on which the child care center would sit.
[1:23:01] The center would create at least 70 child care slots, at least 10 before and after school slots, and it would reopen infant care in the county for the first time in years.
[1:23:12] I have to send my infants currently into the city of Bellingham, and even at that, finding
[1:23:18] infant care right now is difficult at best.
[1:23:22] I have been working with and have the support of the City of Noxac, the encouragement
[1:23:26] of the Noxac Valley school district, and I'm here just asking for your help.
[1:23:32] So in events like this, the children have a place to go that's consistent, but their routine
[1:23:37] is not thrown off, that they are not disrupted while their parents are working on it.
[1:23:44] Because I'm out of my house, the one of the benefits is I've been able to open up my child care to whoever needs help.
[1:23:50] And welcome those families in, families who are working on their house,
[1:23:53] families who are getting ready for Christmas, that is one benefit for the child care center would help with this as well.
[1:23:59] Thank you for your time.
[1:24:01] Thank you.
[1:24:13] Hello, my name is Dan Stevenson.
[1:24:15] I'm here to talk to the choir.
[1:24:16] It's really for the human rights thing.
[1:24:18] It's a no brainer.
[1:24:21] And I'm sure you're going to support it.
[1:24:23] I'm 29 years of veteran in the military.
[1:24:25] I flew air a medical evacuation.
[1:24:26] I've carried 1100 patients.
[1:24:28] Everybody's blood back there. Look the same.
[1:24:31] I've been a family practice.
[1:24:32] This is just a physician for 42 years.
[1:24:35] I've been out in the catchments.
[1:24:38] I've been out into the camps where people couldn't
[1:24:41] get into Simeon Seymour. They're afraid to come into town now. They're afraid to go into
[1:24:44] where there are people that can stop them and pick them up. So they're missing their
[1:24:48] care. And that's because there has been agencies that have created a military force within
[1:24:57] in our country. That's ice. It's got no-
[1:25:00] Thank you for your supervision. It's got an unlimited budget. And this is just the first step, but like I said, I'm talking to the choir. I support it, and I'm sure you did too. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Dan.
[1:25:17] Good evening. It's Austin Strouville. I'm the president of the Wachem County Deputy Sheriff's Guild. Coming for you tonight, because you have on your agenda a contract between us and the county. One that was I think is a reasonable offer that hopefully will retain the debt piece that we have. I don't know if it moves the needle
[1:25:34] on attracting experienced officers to our agencies.
[1:25:37] In October when I spoke, we had no lateral applicants
[1:25:40] and we have done since then.
[1:25:42] Nobody's banging down a door to come work here
[1:25:44] because we're under staff, we're underfunded.
[1:25:46] That's an issue for another time.
[1:25:49] I will say that we had 91% voter turnout for our contracts,
[1:25:52] pretty much unheard of of, of any vote I've ever heard of,
[1:25:54] was 77 deputies approving the contract
[1:25:56] only three voting, not in favor of it.
[1:25:59] So just please support the deputies
[1:26:01] by approving the contract.
[1:26:03] With my rest of my time, I just like to address Julie's comments.
[1:26:07] Walk in County absolutely fails crying victims.
[1:26:10] There is no doubt about it.
[1:26:11] Having been a crying victim multiple times in this county, I'm well aware of it.
[1:26:14] In fact, last time I got shot out, I said last time because it's been multiple times in this county.
[1:26:18] The press office wanted to offer them time served which was less than a year for multiple felony crimes.
[1:26:25] So, Julie, I'm sorry.
[1:26:27] We feel your pain.
[1:26:28] And it's a failure failure failure of leadership from the top down that allows us to happen now standing up. You're wishing that I were blue tonight. I didn't know that was the rest code.
[1:26:43] So, do everybody from Lyndon Everston, Nooksack, Sumas, each showing up as the only way
[1:26:50] you're going to get action for your friends, your family, speak every time, take all your
[1:26:54] three minutes and make them stay late.
[1:26:57] That will get action.
[1:26:59] I don't live in a community but I've responded to both floods.
[1:27:03] I can say it seemed the lot more prepared for life sitting at this time.
[1:27:08] Our rules state that speakers will address the chair.
[1:27:13] Sorry, I'll ask you.
[1:27:13] London Company was a lot more prepared for life safety this time.
[1:27:16] Thank you.
[1:27:17] So we cannot underscore the devastation of the loss of property.
[1:27:22] Devastated life isn't much better than a life that's been lost.
[1:27:26] Mental health, you know, is a real thing and these people are suffering.
[1:27:32] So government does not work as fast as weather.
[1:27:35] The speaking of weather is going to outpace you guys, there's going to be another flood.
[1:27:39] We need action, not more meetings, not more committees.
[1:27:42] We need action now to help these people and so they don't have to go through this again
[1:27:47] and lose everything again.
[1:27:49] Thank you.
[1:27:50] Thank you, Austin.
[1:27:54] Appreciate your sentiment.
[1:27:56] Okay.
[1:27:57] Cleveland Harris, Amelia Vader and Brian Gas.
[1:28:12] Excellent.
[1:28:12] Hello, Council members, county executive, welcome to the first meeting so I hope you all
[1:28:19] the best.
[1:28:19] Thank you for taking on leadership and your role in our community.
[1:28:24] I'm here to speak in support of the resolution of permanent rights and dignity of safety of
[1:28:30] all walking residents.
[1:28:31] My mother is a resident permanent green card holder, met my father while he was serving
[1:28:36] in the military in West Germany, and I think that I'm thinking about the responsibilities
[1:28:43] and duties of people serving our community to keep us safe and make sure that everyone
[1:28:51] here can call this place home and not have to fear being, I mean, how do you say this?
[1:29:00] The national scene right now, when we're seeing everything that's going on, we can't
[1:29:07] And I think it's very important that you all take this stance and show our community that you're here for us preemptively, also about NUCSAC.
[1:29:15] And so I hear a lot of the stories there and the pain going there.
[1:29:19] And with a lot of reaction, it feels like reactionary policies to address some of those things there.
[1:29:24] So I applaud you all for taking a huge step as a council there to help protect our community here.
[1:29:30] So yeah, like my mom applies for her green card renewal every once in a while, and she
[1:29:38] lives in Fairbanks, she has to take a plane to Anchorage to get it done, and our federal
[1:29:44] government might be cutting funding into certain departments, and that makes them applying
[1:29:49] for those cards a little bit different, and sometimes they're a little delayed, and she's
[1:29:54] worried about things like traveling, maybe posting something on Facebook, and it's kind
[1:30:00] A while to think that in a place where my father went and fought for, and spread the American dream. I think for a lot of folks was just that freedom to be themselves in our community, to be able to move here. I think a lot of people have moved here from maybe a couple of generations, and maybe their families were looking for something like that there. So I think, you know,
[1:30:28] You know, it's all of our responsibility.
[1:30:31] They really enjoy that there's so many people here to talk about so many different things.
[1:30:36] I think our democracy is y'all up there, but it's also us showing that up and being involved in the work.
[1:30:42] And so I encourage everyone to continue to do that as well.
[1:30:46] We do this together. And yeah, I thank you guys for your work.
[1:30:54] Good
[1:31:01] evening, council. I feel first I feel grateful to hear everyone's stories. Thank you so much. I feel like what I'm going to say is going to be very mundane.
[1:31:15] My name is Amelia Vader and I'm speaking in support of my application to the Public Health Advisory Board. See that very Monday.
[1:31:23] But I just have to say one more thing that I'm proud to be a part of this community.
[1:31:28] Everything that everyone said, it's just amazing.
[1:31:31] I currently serve as a special projects manager for
[1:31:34] Bellingham Public Schools.
[1:31:36] In this role, I've led mental health initiatives, COVID response, led remediation, vaccine
[1:31:42] and sports physical clinics, and coordinated implementation of the district's first school
[1:31:49] health center. Previously, I worked in HIV services and local faith community nursing programs.
[1:31:58] I grew up in Bellingham and moved out back nine years ago. My husband and I have a nine year old
[1:32:04] son so I know firsthand the importance of schools as places for public health services. Schools
[1:32:10] are trusted places and key stakeholders in public health programming and having a school-based
[1:32:16] perspective in the Public Health Advisory Board will help move ideas forward and calibrate
[1:32:23] those ideas with the realities of school districts and staff.
[1:32:27] I know programming, we know programming in schools is the best way to meet families and
[1:32:32] children where they are and I submitted my application with support from my supervisor
[1:32:37] and superintendent.
[1:32:39] Thank you for your consideration and thanks for your time for being in public office.
[1:32:44] Thank you.
[1:32:54] It's hard to follow all these people and their lives being torn up and turned upside down.
[1:33:01] I do want to continue on, though, I'm going to speak directly to Mr. Executive for
[1:33:08] Walkin' County.
[1:33:11] I started with saying that the land here is very expensive because of the restrictions.
[1:33:16] And even if it tries to go to a planning department, you want to or dreams die, go to a planning
[1:33:20] department.
[1:33:21] And I want everybody to say it's not okay, first and foremost, and the second most expensive
[1:33:26] thing that happens once you find yourself a piece of land is to try and get it developed,
[1:33:30] and that's the planning department.
[1:33:31] And I want to let everybody know, there's only one entity in this world that dictates what
[1:33:36] it's bought or what gets sold, how much, who gets to build it, how many, and at the end,
[1:33:42] what it costs.
[1:33:43] And that's these planning departments.
[1:33:45] And they kind of run around like they're little kings and queens.
[1:33:48] It means most of the people are very nice and I don't have an issue with them.
[1:33:53] But today I'm going to bring up a point that the county council and the executive needs to address.
[1:33:59] And that is self-dealing inside the planning department.
[1:34:02] So it's hard enough to get yourself permitted and your permit put in through and you get it approved.
[1:34:08] Or you're being told like, can I want to buy my, I want to build a house here.
[1:34:12] And they say, well, no, because of this magic thing that is subjective called wetlands.
[1:34:16] because like they say for a hammer, everything looks like a nail, the wetlands can be subjective.
[1:34:23] It also is kind of middling in how they're addressing it now. Everything seems to be a wetland,
[1:34:28] everything needs to be considered a three or four level wetland. And what happens is the people
[1:34:34] that are involved in determining what's a wetland, it's kind of an incestuous relationship because you
[1:34:40] hire a web land company and their job depends on the county taking it and if they don't then those
[1:34:47] people kind of don't get their meeting mitigation plan and they don't get their issues fixed.
[1:34:52] What I'm saying is there's a person in the planning department right now in Washington County who has
[1:34:56] their own company who has I first hand
[1:35:00] What's them sell a piece of land to an 80-year-old man told them it was wet and for 80,000 bucks and a year and a half later he flipped it for 229,000 bucks without doing anything. And that needs to be addressed. I need to see, we should see some, I know that elected officials have responsibility to not self-deal, but I don't know about the employees. And this is happening again, there's a second situation with the same person,
[1:35:28] by a lot, some lot for 10 grand, told a lady that was worthless, now he's trying to convince
[1:35:33] another client of a person that I know to mitigate this magical wetland that came out of
[1:35:39] nowhere for 400,000 bucks an acre. And it's a serious problem because it's a hard, hard enough
[1:35:45] to get your building done. You want to get these people helped? You bust your ass out of that
[1:35:49] planning department and you get some permits issued because that's the way it's going to get done.
[1:35:53] Thank you.
[1:35:56] Thank you. Okay. Next on our list, we have Jason
[1:36:00] And then Postma, Amy, Kenna, and Joshua Williams.
[1:36:15] Okay.
[1:36:17] It's Jason Postma and I'm from Sumis.
[1:36:21] First I want to thank Executive Sidhu for his opening remarks about the short and long term projects.
[1:36:28] But more than that, I want to echo the mayor statements that we no longer have the luxury of patients.
[1:36:36] The river undeniably holds less water now than I did a decade ago.
[1:36:39] and without action it will hold even less with every passing year.
[1:36:43] Spring and summer and a year without a flood cannot allow the urgency of this
[1:36:47] moment to fade away once again. I own a home in Sumas. I own a business in
[1:36:54] Sumas. My kids are the fifth generation of my family to live in Sumas.
[1:37:00] Without
[1:37:01] action they will almost certainly be the last.
[1:37:04] Continued inaction has a cost. I've counted 17 high water events at the
[1:37:10] the North Sea to Vogue age exceeding 147 feet
[1:37:13] since the scale was revised.
[1:37:16] 13 were between 2003 and 2019.
[1:37:21] Not one resulted in floodwater reaching Sumas.
[1:37:25] It's happened four times since 2020
[1:37:28] and Sumas flooded all four of those times.
[1:37:32] One was only the 16th highest crest in this timeframe.
[1:37:37] put another way if river capacity had always been what it is right now we could
[1:37:43] have flooded up to 17 times in the last two decades. Inaction means committing
[1:37:48] my community to the expectation of an annual flood. Inaction means
[1:37:54] perpetuating in my community all of the issues that each of you ran on
[1:37:58] addressing. Homelessness inaction means half of my town spending the winter in
[1:38:03] fees or cars or friends' couches or hotel room they can only afford thanks to the generosity
[1:38:09] of others. Mental health inaction means an entire generation of kids that cries when it rains
[1:38:16] because they're convinced they're going to lose their house again. Lack of jobs inaction means
[1:38:22] every business making a heartbreaking decision between laying off most of their staff or closing
[1:38:27] their doors for good and laying off all of them. Housing affordability and wealth inequality
[1:38:33] Inaction means abandoning one of the lowest income and most affordable communities in the county.
[1:38:39] Inaction means proposing nothing, approving nothing and trying nothing.
[1:38:44] Inaction means using red tape as an excuse for more inaction.
[1:38:49] Inaction means telling me and everyone behind me that we don't matter.
[1:38:56] Sorry, I shake.
[1:38:57] I'm sure whether the council alone doesn't have the power to fix the river.
[1:39:01] But action means demanding accountability from those that do.
[1:39:04] action means not waiting for the recency to fade so we can go back to ignoring us. Action means advocating for the communities you are elected to serve. All of them, not just the ones you think matter.
[1:39:15] We don't want to hear anymore that you're thinking of us. We don't want to hear that your hearts go out to us. We want your action. Show us that we matter.
[1:39:22] Hi.
[1:39:32] My name's Amy Kenna and I am here on behalf of Recovery Cafe. I don't want to detract from
[1:39:39] the other subjects which are very important tonight but this is actually a comment I intended
[1:39:45] to give before the holidays and I didn't realize that I missed you all. So, Happy 2026 Recovery
[1:39:53] cup phase had a wonderful year and just a wonderful time since we have opened we've seen 900.
[1:40:00] 40 unique individuals come through our doors, despite being only open eight hours a week due to our capacity issues. We did open Thursdays in November. Part of the intention was to be able, so we're now at three days a week. We wanted to provide that safe space during the holidays. We were open Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve. We had a silver New Year's Eve party in collaboration with Mental Health Corps. The holidays were so much fun.
[1:40:29] We were visited by so many amazing partners.
[1:40:32] If you go to the cafe on any given day,
[1:40:34] you will see that it is now a thriving community
[1:40:37] of service providers connecting with vulnerable individuals
[1:40:42] while we're doing our peer-based recovery support alongside.
[1:40:46] We're getting upwards of 100 people at the cafe,
[1:40:49] especially on these cool days.
[1:40:51] So those are some of the positives,
[1:40:53] and then we also want to do our own advocacy
[1:40:57] As we did last year, as we do recovery cafe, we are providing recovery support doing
[1:41:04] all these things.
[1:41:05] We're also bearing witness daily to gaps and services in our community and now how
[1:41:11] that plays out in some pretty challenging ways for vulnerable people.
[1:41:16] Our severe weather shelter was open during Christmas.
[1:41:19] We were able to navigate some folks up there.
[1:41:22] That was amazing, including a lift for a man with a language barrier who couldn't understand directions up there.
[1:41:30] We still see a need for seasonal shelter, so we're hoping that somebody can bid on that this year.
[1:41:35] And then obviously come in and after the holidays, and the weather was up to 35, so the severe is not open.
[1:41:42] But a lot of our people, people that we have recovery rapport with, we want to have those conversations with, but we can't have that conversation with them when they're cold, wet, shaking.
[1:41:51] And we're trying to help them get their coat off, and we're trying to shake hand warmers
[1:41:55] and put them on their hands and people looking like they're in danger of hypothermia.
[1:41:59] And we're also giving out a lot of sleeping bags.
[1:42:02] We're also seeing a lot of families come in that we're giving blankets and hats to with
[1:42:06] no family units available, regionally the mission is sending people as far down as Seattle.
[1:42:11] So we want to continue to advocate for a day drop-in center in Bellingham.
[1:42:16] So we can do what we're doing and work closely with the day drop in center as well as encourage that seasonal shelter.
[1:42:24] Thank you so much. Recovery happens in Bellingham and despite being cold wet and outside with wounds people we do recover because I've been one of them. Thank you.
[1:42:38] Thank you.
[1:42:40] Okay, I've got Joshua as he makes his way down.
[1:42:45] Next, we'll have Ian Schaefer-Lorenz,
[1:42:49] Ron Bonzema, and Terence Difflee.
[1:42:53] Good evening.
[1:42:55] I'm Joshua Williams.
[1:42:56] I'm here tonight to talk to you about my appointment,
[1:43:00] potential appointment for the Climate Impact Advisory Committee.
[1:43:04] I currently am serving on the Climate Impact Advisory Committee nine months of a three-year
[1:43:11] term, so I was appointed last year when one of the former members stepped down, and in nine months
[1:43:17] I've gotten to realize why it is a three-year term. So we've spent time with the county's
[1:43:24] comprehensive plan, reviewing that for the components that are relative to the climate,
[1:43:29] And now we pivoted to a review of the climate action plan, and we're in the middle of the review and developing a new climate action plan.
[1:43:40] The last one was done in 2021, which took a strong view at taking action to prevent climate change.
[1:43:47] Now, the state of the world, the state of our county, the state of the climate has moved on and it's much more of a pivot to taking a long-looking view at what the county can do to prepare for a lot of the events, like what we're seeing behind us, I know it's their short-term action as well as, sorry, not behind us.
[1:44:13] That's everybody that's behind me that has spoken tonight.
[1:44:16] I'm struck by it as I'm here talking about the climate.
[1:44:21] So I've done this work.
[1:44:24] I want to continue to do this work.
[1:44:27] It's a unique opportunity for me to mix my skills in working with climate,
[1:44:35] renewable energy, working in industry to have solutions towards these problems
[1:44:42] as well as my passion, as well as a chance to apply that to the community.
[1:44:50] So with that, I'd say thank you for my chance to speak with you all this evening.
[1:44:55] Thank you, Joshua.
[1:45:00] Good
[1:45:04] evening, council. I want to just begin by acknowledging the really powerful testimony
[1:45:10] that's been shared this evening. As a working class person myself, I recognize how difficult
[1:45:15] it is for working class people to come before a government body and testify, and it's
[1:45:20] a sacred thing to witness, and so I just want to express my gratitude to the many folks who
[1:45:25] have done that tonight.
[1:45:27] My name is Ian Schaefer-Loranz. I'm an organizer
[1:45:30] with community to community. Community to community supports the strong language in the resolution
[1:45:36] before council today which affirms the human rights of all people regardless of their immigration
[1:45:42] status and we urge Watkin County to implement these values in every aspect of county government.
[1:45:48] Immigrants are under attack and are the front line of defending and preserving constitutional rights
[1:45:54] that are provided all persons in the United States.
[1:45:58] The Trump administration has deployed federal agents domestically who have repeatedly demonstrated
[1:46:04] their contempt for the Constitution.
[1:46:06] They regularly engage in illegal searches and arrests.
[1:46:10] They have kidnapped, assaulted and murdered people, citizens and non-citizens alike.
[1:46:18] In this crisis, local government might feel too small to have some power or influence and
[1:46:24] I'm here to tell you that that is not true.
[1:46:27] You have meaningful power to write just local budgets, and to ensure that local and state
[1:46:33] laws are enforced so that no person, no ICE agent is above the law.
[1:46:39] The resolution mentions the Waccom Racial Equity Commission's action guide, that guide clearly
[1:46:44] calls for the implementation of the immigrant advisory board's recommendations.
[1:46:48] In the wake of Bellingham's cancellation of that board in 2024, Waccom County could
[1:46:53] step up to implement their goals and establish a government-funded immigrant resource center.
[1:47:01] Watcom County can also enforce local and state laws. You have the power to enforce
[1:47:07] burglary, assault, kidnapping, and murder laws. And to prosecute Homeland Security agents when they
[1:47:15] fail to secure warrants and when they engage in violent tactics. Importantly, Watcom County can
[1:47:22] and choose to enforce the courts open to all act.
[1:47:24] That legislation prohibits immigration enforcement
[1:47:27] within one mile of state court houses.
[1:47:29] In the last six months, C2C and our allies
[1:47:32] have documented at least seven ICE abductions
[1:47:37] of community members in our city center.
[1:47:40] ICE has abducted Mani, Hector, Domingo, Adolfo, Fabian,
[1:47:46] Arnaldo, and Eduardo.
[1:47:49] From just outside this courthouse or the municipal courthouse,
[1:47:53] Local government can investigate ISIS illegal tactics and pursue accountability for those who have violated the law.
[1:48:00] We thank the council for bringing this resolution tonight and we urge the council to take appropriate next steps.
[1:48:05] Thank you.
[1:48:06] Thank you.
[1:48:15] Good evening, council executive. My name is Ron Bronsma and I'm the chair of the Lyndon
[1:48:22] Everson sub-flood zone. Come to you tonight with some great concerns. We're looking to
[1:48:31] backslope stretch of the upper Hampton Levy. Everson is doing some projects this coming summer.
[1:48:39] They're going to reduce some street. So this can be quite a bit of material. But our problem
[1:48:44] is, of course, money. We're bringing in about $60,000 a year, but our maintenance on the levees
[1:48:52] cost $60,000 a year. So, well, basically, we're broke. The time and levee failure in 21,
[1:49:04] that cost, well, the preliminary when the court did not bill the county for that. It took 4,000
[1:49:12] truckloads, the material to fill the hole. And that's an eight foot deck. And that broke
[1:49:18] just as the river started to drop. And most of the flooding occurred when the river was half
[1:49:24] floor last. And of course we were, I lived down there at the time, we were cut off for two weeks.
[1:49:32] The upper Hampton Levy, it ranges anywhere from a couple feet way up on the upper reach,
[1:49:40] but the lower reach of it where we're talking, which is above for the old
[1:49:45] Lyndon-Ready Mixed cement plan is on the Hampton. That's up to 18 feet high.
[1:49:51] A lot of it is in 12 to 15. And we don't have the money. I don't know where it's
[1:49:57] going to come. I'm sure we're going to have to come to you and figure something out.
[1:50:00] Now, raise the assessment, all subzones are charged to stay in the assessment, and our needs are far greater than the other subzones. The other thing is, all the cities, and cities for our subzone, is Lyndon and Everson. We go from the Guiden-Ridian, the watershed of the Nooksack up to Everson. And the cities, if Lyndon is put into place,
[1:50:29] developments in the floodplain.
[1:50:32] I talked to one council member.
[1:50:33] I said, Lyndon council member, I said,
[1:50:35] well, why did you build in a floodplain?
[1:50:37] Well, the contractor told us it didn't flood.
[1:50:40] Well, last month, I know one gentleman
[1:50:43] to bought a upscale condo down on Riverview.
[1:50:47] And he had two inches from going in his garage
[1:50:49] and a foot it would have been in the house.
[1:50:52] Some of the people up on the northward were cut off.
[1:50:58] Everton right now is busy building in the floodplain where it flooded last month.
[1:51:04] They're putting in houses and I was out there today.
[1:51:06] They're not more than a foot and a half to two feet off the ground, disaster waiting
[1:51:10] to happen.
[1:51:11] The urban growth areas should not be in the floodplain.
[1:51:15] And ultimately, the city's made that decision, but it is approved by the county council.
[1:51:21] So ultimately, you are responsible in the future.
[1:51:25] You will be seeing the same misery from Erison and Lyndon that you're now seeing from CMS.
[1:51:31] Thank you.
[1:51:31] Thank you.
[1:51:38] Hello.
[1:51:39] My name is Terrence Difflee.
[1:51:41] And I'm here to apply for the Lummi Island Ferry Advisory Committee.
[1:51:46] I prefer to have the one-year appointment if that's possible, this replacement appointment there.
[1:51:53] But I've lived in Wyckham County for close to 50 years and on Lummi Island for close to 30 years.
[1:52:00] And I'm embarrassed to say this is maybe the second or third time I've been in this council
[1:52:04] chambers in all those years.
[1:52:06] So I have a lot to learn about local politics and also I wasn't aware that the county has
[1:52:12] all these different advisory committees going on here.
[1:52:16] And I want to applaud the effort and commend the effort that you folks are taking to have
[1:52:21] that as part of your business that going out and meeting with these committees and the extra
[1:52:25] work it takes and the value that it has for the communities to have that ability to interact
[1:52:31] with the council members. So as far as my dipping my toe into local politics on Winnie
[1:52:37] Iron, I'd like to be a part of the community. I feel like I'd bring some balanced and clear
[1:52:42] communication skills. I'm a good listener and I'd like to really appreciate the different
[1:52:46] perspectives that people have because it's quite a few different perspectives out there and
[1:52:52] And I also seek to really try to better understand the complexity it takes to run the Lemme Island
[1:52:57] ferry system.
[1:52:59] It's way more complex than I could, I know it is, I began to see a little bit of how complex
[1:53:05] it is, but I think it'd be great for the Lemme Island ferry to continue in a manageable
[1:53:12] way for the sake of Lemme Islanders, but also for the sake of Washington County, because
[1:53:16] I think it's an asset and important to our county too.
[1:53:19] So thank you for considering my application.
[1:53:21] Thank you.
[1:53:23] What was your name again, sir?
[1:53:25] Terence Diffle.
[1:53:27] I got you.
[1:53:28] Okay.
[1:53:29] Okay.
[1:53:30] Our next, I'll read the next four since that's the last of my list here.
[1:53:34] Kelsey Forbes, Andres Rosales, Jocelyn Pena, and Charlie Brown.
[1:53:47] Hi.
[1:53:48] My name is Kelsey Forbes.
[1:53:50] I live in Bellingham.
[1:53:52] I've lived in Ferndale, but back in Bellingham.
[1:53:54] Um, I wanted to thank everybody here today who has taken the time to share their stories.
[1:54:01] Um, made me a little emotional, definitely heartbreaking to hear.
[1:54:07] Um, I wanted to address some concerns that some council members may have that I have heard from elected officials.
[1:54:15] I've had the privilege of meeting from Blaine City officials to Bellingham.
[1:54:21] And everywhere in between,
[1:54:27] I ever heard some doubts about why we need to reaffirm human rights and dignity or all in what county.
[1:54:42] I'm here today, my neighbor is not.
[1:54:47] We were best leaving for work in October into unmarked SUVs, came and blocked the road outside of our
[1:54:59] or perfect.
[1:55:00] Complex, sorry, it's very upsetting.
[1:55:06] They caught me also because there was no room for me to leave, and I didn't want to. I want to know what was going on. When you see unmarked vans, sorry, SUVs coming out in people in paramilitary year with no name badges, not telling you who they are, and dragging a man out of his car by his neck.
[1:55:30] You want to know what's going on?
[1:55:35] I don't know his name,
[1:55:39] but they found him and they took him and they did not let me know what it was for.
[1:55:47] I don't know who they were and this is not the only story in Watkins County. It is happening just because it's not happening to you or your family.
[1:56:00] It's happening to your neighbors and your constituents.
[1:56:10] I am just asking that this Council reaffirms human dignity and that we are able to demand
[1:56:17] identification or justification from these masked people arriving in unmarked SUVs and
[1:56:24] blocking the road in and out of your apartment.
[1:56:28] I want to be able to ask who they are, and I think I have the right to do that as any
[1:56:36] other citizen here, especially when they're trying to open my own vehicle while telling
[1:56:43] me to move it, trying to force my door open and taking my phone out of my hand.
[1:56:47] It was horrible, and I know my time is up.
[1:56:52] If you don't trust the word of your constituents telling you what is happening, I ask you what
[1:56:56] agency, we can report this to you that you would trust. Thank you. Thank you, Kelsey.
[1:57:30] So, I would just like to thank everybody here, and I want to share my experience with
[1:57:33] My accent would happen.
[1:58:12] So I know that a lot of the topics being talked about here are referring to the flooding that are recently happening, but my case has to do with ice with what they did to me, and I've been trying to find a lawyer.
[1:58:22] I've looked at six lawyers, but it's very hard for me to find a lawyer because it's ice that did it to me.
[1:58:29] And what I really understand is that I got a car to go to work, because I had
[1:58:38] composed the mine, and then it turns out that this car had no security, so they had
[1:58:44] stopped it, but it took me a lot of luck that this man hit me, I don't know if
[1:58:51] you heard it because it was very well known on October 15, that
[1:59:06] So I was on accident in on the 15th of October, October, it was very known it was all over
[1:59:13] the news.
[1:59:14] I had borrowed a car from a from a person.
[1:59:17] My car wasn't working at that time and this car, unfortunately, did not have any insurance.
[1:59:29] And that was it, and I just wanted to say thank you.
[1:59:33] Thank you.
[1:59:49] Hi, my name is Jocelyn Peña.
[1:59:52] Thank you for giving me the time to talk.
[1:59:55] I'm here in support of the immigrants and support.
[2:00:00] Meeting like the civil rights of the people. I was a victim of ICE. I was followed in
[2:00:07] her act. They're like weeks. They were trying to get my partner who has been here since
[2:00:13] he was six. A couple weeks passed by and I get a call from the receptionist at my work.
[2:00:22] I'm a medical assistant. And it was one of the police wanting to ask me questions. So I go
[2:00:28] outside to talk to them trying not to make a scene. I was already embarrassed and I see some people
[2:00:36] wearing like normal regular clothes and they're just like saying that they're from homeland security
[2:00:42] and they like load me up into their car. Take me to one of their facilities. I think it was in
[2:00:50] Ferndale. They patted me down and my scrubs and like started questioning me about my partner.
[2:00:58] I got locked in this room, I was detained, and this
[2:01:10] has been a very traumatic experience.
[2:01:14] They detained me without a warrant or anything, and took my phone, my family, my work didn't
[2:01:21] know where I was for like five hours, finally they released me, took one of my cars, and
[2:01:27] And now I'm stuck paying all the bills by myself, and it's very hard.
[2:01:35] So I'm here raising my voice and speaking for the people.
[2:01:40] Thank you.
[2:01:42] Thank you.
[2:01:54] I'm Charlie Brown, a lit of South Abeldingham off the truck in it.
[2:01:59] Some of you know me, or you've seen me before, and a couple of new members like to introduce
[2:02:05] myself.
[2:02:07] I am a retired fellow engineer.
[2:02:10] I've been deeply involved lately in global warming and climate change.
[2:02:16] I enjoy sharing knowledge and education.
[2:02:19] I get to teach a couple of courses at Western's Academy of Life Long Learning when it's coming
[2:02:26] up in a couple of weeks on the sources of greenhouse gases and solutions.
[2:02:32] I recently did one on the science and the myths of the mechanism of global warming.
[2:02:40] And the spring I'll have one on the effects of climate change.
[2:02:46] And flooding has come up tonight as a topic, as well as the 100-year flood, as well as
[2:02:55] probability, as well as mitigation.
[2:03:02] I did I mention I am interested in the position then on the climate impact action committee that's available.
[2:03:11] So if I could work with Josh or the rest of the committee, I think that would be helpful if I can contribute in that way. So thank you.
[2:03:20] Thank you, Charlie.
[2:03:27] Okay.
[2:03:29] So I am going to honor if there's anybody else in the room that hasn't already spoken.
[2:03:34] To please start to make your way to the front.
[2:03:38] Again, if we can just take one at a time,
[2:03:44] go for it.
[2:03:46] Hello, Council.
[2:03:48] Thank you.
[2:03:49] Executive.
[2:03:50] My name is Stephen Thomas.
[2:03:52] And I'm a resident of Lummy Island for 50 years.
[2:03:55] Property owner for about that long.
[2:03:56] And a general contractor in the island and a daily commuter to town for decades.
[2:04:03] A lot of experience with the ferry and attend a lot of or almost all of the meetings to be
[2:04:11] able to understand what the issues are and support the county and the island and finding solutions.
[2:04:23] and so I am, my name is in for the
[2:04:28] Welcome County Ferry Advisory Committee and just introducing myself.
[2:04:34] Well, thank you so much for being here.
[2:04:44] Hi, I'm Lucy Kesterson and I live in Bellingham.
[2:04:47] I am here to support the resolution.
[2:04:49] I'm sharing a story from my church.
[2:04:51] I am not speaking on behalf of the church just me.
[2:04:55] Justice and equity with love at the center are core values of my faith.
[2:04:59] We have
[2:05:00] Several action ministries and service to these values at my church. Among others, our church's ministries provide vital support to refugees fleeing persecution who no longer feel safe here and bringing food to immigrant neighbors who justifiably feel unsafe to leave their homes. Many of our church members have witnessed the dangers of what it means to be born outside of this country and also brown. Many are teachers who see the terror of their students as parents are disappeared. We wanted to do something more for our spirit.
[2:05:29] and vulnerable Waccom County neighbors, so we ask the Waccom racial equity team to help
[2:05:34] commission to help us learn. They responded quickly and organized a form of a diverse group of
[2:05:39] people working directly with those targeted by ICE. People who know the atrocities happening
[2:05:44] in our backyard. This form was attended by more than 70 people at our church on immigration action
[2:05:50] here in Waccom. The action guide answers our questions. It is a vital resource to give us a clear
[2:05:56] understanding of what we can do. I am concerned about the proposed amendment
[2:06:00] erasing the important work people of color have done for all of our safety in
[2:06:04] Wachem County. Please include the Commission's action guide
[2:06:08] in the resolution and affirm our recognition of racial bias
[2:06:11] dangers and Wachem County's commitment to changing that
[2:06:15] and protecting those most vulnerable in our community.
[2:06:18] The first stage of genocide is compartmentalization into us versus them.
[2:06:23] I reject the us versus them dichotomy and I ask you to do that too.
[2:06:28] As an earlier speaker said, we need to protect the humanity of our backdoor neighbor.
[2:06:33] We are all in this effort to love our neighbor together through vital, faithful action just
[2:06:39] as we need to stand up for our neighbors hurt by the environmental disaster.
[2:06:43] As a matter of conscience, we need to stand up for our neighbors persecuted by government
[2:06:48] sanctioned and directed political violence.
[2:06:50] I urge you to approve the resolution with the inclusion of the commitment to the
[2:06:54] walk commercial equity commission and the action agenda on immigration.
[2:06:58] Thank you.
[2:06:59] Thank you.
[2:07:04] Hello.
[2:07:05] My name is Rachel Witter-Magarrity, and I am here in my capacity as interim chair of the Public
[2:07:11] Health Advisory Board to offer some guidance in your selection of the 2026 appointees to
[2:07:16] our board.
[2:07:17] However, before I do, I would like to acknowledge the bravery and energy of everyone who
[2:07:23] who came here to speak tonight.
[2:07:27] In your meeting materials, you will have a memo from PHAB to County Council summarizing
[2:07:32] a new approach to ensuring that the breadth and depth of experience on our board is equal
[2:07:38] to our 2026 ambitions.
[2:07:40] We have chosen a vital conditions framework pioneered by the Ripple Foundation as an evolution
[2:07:46] from the widely used social determinants of health framework.
[2:07:50] This would replace our older hub and spoke model that ultimately resulted in more reporting
[2:07:55] between task forces and rehab, then action, and potentially restricted representation,
[2:08:01] especially from our more rural residents. To make it easy for you during this appointment process,
[2:08:07] we outlined a chart with each applicant's strength in our new vital conditions framework
[2:08:12] as available from their application, so maybe not comprehensive inside your packet,
[2:08:18] as well as any applicant's role within urgent services, their experiences as a tribal or
[2:08:23] other minority group member, and if they represent an at-risk population.
[2:08:28] Of note, none of our applicants for appointment this year are representatives of either of
[2:08:34] the First Nations tribe who land, whose land we share.
[2:08:38] While we have been actively recruiting tribal members to join the board, we have not had
[2:08:43] success yet, and Pied members raised the idea of leaving a spot open to ensure the opportunity
[2:08:49] to rectify this imbalance at a later point.
[2:08:51] I want to thank the Council for your careful consideration of each of our applicants, including myself, having just finished a partial term and up for more, as well as your partnership as we weather some tough questions as a community this year, including how we respond to the federal cuts in public health services and priorities, how we support your response to public health emergencies,
[2:09:14] policies, how, when, and with what money, we perform a robust community health assessment
[2:09:19] and refresh our community health improvement plan, and how we potentially restructure
[2:09:24] the Wachon County Board of Health to include expert and diverse accountability in decisions
[2:09:29] directly impacting the health of our communities.
[2:09:33] As a nurse, a patient, a mother to young children, a daughter to cherish elders, a neighbor,
[2:09:39] a commuter, a backyard gardener, and a relentless optimist, I want to say.
[2:09:45] Thank you for your time and service to Watcom County.
[2:09:48] With a newly adopted work plan and hopefully a full new board,
[2:09:53] Peab is excited to say, let's get to work.
[2:09:57] Thank you, Rachel.
[2:10:06] Good evening. My name is Mary. I'm Carol Moco. I am the Executive Director of the Walk-On-Ritual Equity Commission.
[2:10:14] I didn't plan on speaking today, but after hearing everyone, I felt I needed to share a few things. The work of the action guide, culminated engagement from multiple community members who do boots on the groundwork with immigrant community members. And also elected officials,
[2:10:36] law enforcement officials, lawyer, folks who do anything from basic need direct
[2:10:47] servicing to an elected official essentially. We were really intentional with
[2:10:55] engaging people before, during the actual forum on immigration and
[2:11:01] afterwards and getting their feedback on our action guide. So this was a
[2:11:06] lot of work that went behind it and a lot of voices that's part of the action guide.
[2:11:13] The action guide is also a living document because we understand that we need to be nimble
[2:11:19] in our strategies to respond to the harm that's being caused.
[2:11:24] So more on the harm, earlier I heard a lot of things and I'm not at all dissolution with
[2:11:30] trying to convince people who are not for this resolution that they need to be for it but I do
[2:11:37] want to make a few things clear because I think things get lost really quickly. The harm that's
[2:11:45] being caused is not a matter of opinion. The fact that people of color being targeted is not a
[2:11:52] matter of opinion. These are facts.
[2:11:57] The current leaders at the federal level have made it legal for
[2:12:00] people to be targeted based on their skin tone when it comes to immigration, why people
[2:12:05] are not been stopped and asked about their papers, but here in Wacom County, people from
[2:12:10] Lemon Nation are because of their skin color, and your brown person is. We know that currently
[2:12:17] in LA, ice is going around, not going indoors. Those things are actually illegal.
[2:12:27] I also wanted
[2:12:28] to know that I heard a comment earlier about that alluded to criminality. I just want to know
[2:12:36] that it is a fact that U.S. foreign citizens commit more crime than immigrants. That's a fact.
[2:12:45] I, again, I'm not the solution that I won't, that I'll get some of you who don't agree with this
[2:12:52] resolution to agree with me, but I hope that you hear, you've heard tonight from the community,
[2:12:57] specifically the community of color, you've had people who came here with interpreters
[2:13:02] to share what happened to them, who could not even finish their full story because
[2:13:06] I thought, most of all, it was, you need to do something.
[2:13:12] Thank you, Miriam.
[2:13:20] I wasn't expecting to speak.
[2:13:22] My name is Michael Barris, I've lived here for about 42 years and I'm supporting, I hope
[2:13:27] you will support the human rights resolution for a reason that I don't understand.
[2:13:32] So imagine you are in the parking lot behind hardware sales and you witness three or four cars.
[2:13:41] SUVs speeding in, the doors open up and out, runs three or four men.
[2:13:46] They're always men in with masks and they're armed and they basically assault somebody in that parking lot.
[2:13:54] Now as a citizen, what you would do is you would call 911 and they would say
[2:14:00] We will probably say, we will get some patrol car there as ASAP.
[2:14:08] If you add in one other thing, which is that they're not only armed and they're masked,
[2:14:15] but they're vests say, ice, you'll probably be told, we can't intervene.
[2:14:23] And you know that, you've heard that a million times, the local and state can't trump federal
[2:14:29] things. But that is a thing that is going on in our community. And I think the resolution
[2:14:35] is a beginning step moving towards that. Thank you for your time.
[2:14:41] Thank you, Vancouver, my time. Thank you for your time.
[2:14:51] Good evening. My wife spoke kind of at the beginning. We live in Sumas.
[2:14:58] We were flooded for
[2:15:00] Four times in the last five years. And I want to just address the emotional toll of a flood.
[2:15:08] It was tremendous. I had a brain injury three years ago, I've kind of been in healing
[2:15:14] process and two all that, these floods have hit. And I woke up after the flood and I told
[2:15:22] my wife, I said, I feel like I lost a year of gains from my health. And I had a severe
[2:15:28] your brain injury. I had an epidural hematoma life, life altering brain surgery at a St.
[2:15:35] Joe's here. Thank God. Thank God they operated. I mean, I'm still here. But I lost a year
[2:15:41] of my health. And that's the emotional toll of a severe tragedy. And I just want to bring
[2:15:50] that up. We are willing to rebuild. We want to rebuild. We love Sue Mass. We love
[2:15:55] of Walkham County, and last week we had a city meeting
[2:15:59] with Mayor's Bruce Bosch and John Perry from Everton.
[2:16:04] And we were all hopeless here in CMS.
[2:16:08] We're totally shocked that this keeps happening.
[2:16:11] But as I was sitting in our meeting last week
[2:16:15] at the Advent Church, I just was sparked with hope.
[2:16:20] Believe it or not, I had hope.
[2:16:22] because Mayor's John and Bruce were telling us all of the great things that you
[2:16:28] guys are batting around. And we haven't really never really heard that in
[2:16:33] Sumas. We have heard that there's a hundred-year flood and it's a 500-year
[2:16:38] flood. It'll never happen again. And then all of a sudden, boom, it happens. So we're
[2:16:43] in shock. And so we are clinging. People in Sumas, Nooksek,
[2:16:49] everson are clinging to some hope. We really are. And you guys have this awesome position
[2:16:57] to speak on our behalf. And I know there's a lot of anger and angst. I know that's there.
[2:17:04] I get it. I'm just propping you guys up and encouraging you to just help us. And we know you're
[2:17:13] going to do it. We have faith in you. What's in the past is in the past. Who the hell cares
[2:17:19] about what happened in the past? Let's push forward for the future. And we want to stay
[2:17:25] in sumas. People who live in sumas want to stay in sumas. The best part of sumas, I kid
[2:17:31] you not, is the people. Because when you drive down Cherry Street, you're like, who, what
[2:17:37] is this, right? Come on. Like, what is this? There's nothing here, but the people in
[2:17:43] Sumas say, go, we love this town. And so we are imploring you to help us. Thank you.
[2:17:50] Thank you. Can we have your name for the record if you don't mind?
[2:17:53] Jonathan Cook. Thank you.
[2:18:01] You've passed through, though. I've heard a lot about it around a couple of times,
[2:18:08] about people who are here and are hardworking and all that.
[2:18:14] You look at the jail raster and you pick out the people that are sitting behind bars that are honorable.
[2:18:19] You throw them to me. They're there because they broke a federal law, state law, county law.
[2:18:25] If you are here illegally, you broke the law to get here illegally.
[2:18:30] You're not an honorable person.
[2:18:33] Of all these honorable persons who aren't here and we won't happen to support them.
[2:18:37] These folks would have funds to take care of their needs, so think about it.
[2:19:00] Hi, good evening. My name is Monica Kohler, and I am from some very honorable people from my mother and father who both immigrated to this country with courage and bravery to start a better life for themselves, who retired as a janitor and worked tirelessly.
[2:19:21] to make our communities better. My mom was a public school educator, and I'm very proud
[2:19:27] to be here today and be in community with you all.
[2:19:33] So I'm here in support of the Watt Commercial Equity Commission's resolution, reaffirming
[2:19:39] our human rights and dignity, specifically in the piece that talks about the Watt Commercial
[2:19:47] Official Equity Commission's guide that calls on city governments, county government, and the justice system to exhaust all legal recourse to protect the county's population.
[2:20:00] From negative impacts of ICE actions. I wouldn't be here today making profound contributions in the community. I am proud to have graduated with the Masters in Counseling and the mother of two children who are very proud to be bilingual citizens in this country. And just really thank you all for listening to everybody's
[2:20:30] Concerns today about human rights, this is a human right issue and I thank you for considering the well-being of all people in our community.
[2:20:42] Thank you.
[2:20:51] What do you think, Connie?
[2:20:52] Council, it's good to see familiar faces and I'd like to welcome the new faces as well.
[2:20:58] Councilor's Reinstra and Boil really want to welcome you warmly to this position.
[2:21:04] Thank you for serving and again, also to the other members who have won their positions back.
[2:21:09] And thank you for coming back for more.
[2:21:13] I wore my Todd Donovan shirt today.
[2:21:15] Who wore it back?
[2:21:16] I'm just asking.
[2:21:17] Okay, come on, I'm going to slim down.
[2:21:23] Many more beds.
[2:21:24] We need more beds.
[2:21:25] I always come and I address the Board of Health and we need more beds.
[2:21:30] Mid-February, we're looking at probably a cold snap.
[2:21:33] That's a long range of predictions.
[2:21:34] It looks like it's coming more and more true in the pattern.
[2:21:37] So we need more beds.
[2:21:38] We need to support daytime shelters.
[2:21:40] We need more beds.
[2:21:42] A lot more beds.
[2:21:44] Emergency beds?
[2:21:45] Yes.
[2:21:45] Year-round beds.
[2:21:47] Season-long beds.
[2:21:49] All of it.
[2:21:50] I'm thankful for what efforts you've made.
[2:21:52] I think Amy came in for coming up here and recovery cafe is doing great work.
[2:22:00] I strongly suggest you visit upon them when they're doing that work, it's a real kick
[2:22:05] in the butt.
[2:22:08] I also would like to support the resolution, reaffirming constitutional rights, and this
[2:22:16] is nothing new, right?
[2:22:17] So you're just reaffirming the Constitution, something you've all taken in those two, and we
[2:22:21] don't get to shirk on ever.
[2:22:23] You know, I never make notes, really.
[2:22:26] But there's a lot of little details on this one, you know?
[2:22:29] And part of that resolution, what I'd really,
[2:22:33] I'd like to echo the comments here.
[2:22:36] When you have a masked person not producing documentation,
[2:22:40] not producing their name, there's no reason at all
[2:22:44] you should expect needs to listen to your demands,
[2:22:48] your orders, because you're wearing a vest
[2:22:50] that says police across it, we've got gentlemen running around in this town, we're in that with
[2:22:56] the machete on their side and nobody stopping that. I don't think he's really a policeman.
[2:23:00] You know, we've got this and so we've got people out here who are over the last year. We've seen
[2:23:05] a lot of people really pump up supporting officers, dressed like officers, acting like officers
[2:23:11] or not, but either way there's no reasonable expectation for anyone to believe somebody wearing
[2:23:18] a mask that I'm a cop and they're waving a gun in your face.
[2:23:22] So we need to really give us reason to believe that is who they say they are.
[2:23:28] We need to, we need to ID them, we need to see them.
[2:23:30] I couldn't get police officers to wear masks when we had all these people on the lawn out
[2:23:35] here at City Hall in 2020 and into 2021.
[2:23:41] So you know, ironically, now those same people want to wear masks.
[2:23:47] So, yeah, homelessness versus ice, right?
[2:23:51] We haven't talked about that.
[2:23:52] You're not hearing that.
[2:23:53] We hardly ever hear from the homeless.
[2:23:57] What their what their needs are and what their experience is.
[2:24:01] In fact, we don't quantify a lot of the homeless experience, including health.
[2:24:05] It's a time of that.
[2:24:08] I'm going to have.
[2:24:09] I would appreciate your vote on me on that one,
[2:24:13] because I can further do this work better than three minutes at a time with you all.
[2:24:18] I look forward to being able to do that. Thank you, Marcus.
[2:24:23] Okay, anybody else? Last call?
[2:24:27] I knew it. Come on down, Mr. Lyle.
[2:24:36] Good evening, Councilor Lyle, sorry, and welcome to the new members.
[2:24:42] You know, action and inaction are both actions. I think the comments started with that.
[2:24:49] What can county is exceptionally good at kicking the can?
[2:24:54] We talk, we study, we talk, we study some more, we hear some consultants.
[2:25:00] We have consensus anxiety, learned helplessness. It's silly. Listen, this isn't complicated. My background, I was a civil contractor for three decades, two decades, but that I worked with Watkins County River and Flood. I worked in the river. I worked along the river. I've repaired after floods. I've done preventative work in between time.
[2:25:26] As a civilian, I've harvested gravel off the gravel bars. Okay?
[2:25:31] I was the only civilian in the meeting.
[2:25:36] I was invited by River and Flood to attend
[2:25:39] when they shut down the last permit
[2:25:41] to harvest gravel from the river.
[2:25:44] Did you know that the MOOC SAC
[2:25:47] is the second most prolific provider
[2:25:50] of sediment to Puget Sound.
[2:25:52] 20% of all of the sediment load
[2:25:54] and Puget Sound comes from the MOOC SAC.
[2:25:56] So any management plan,
[2:25:59] That's over a million cubic yards per foot, which by the way, is 618 acre feet of water
[2:26:06] per million cubic yards, okay?
[2:26:08] So any legitimate plan for the Nutsack because of the prolific production that comes from
[2:26:14] our young glacier system has to include sediment management.
[2:26:19] We've neglected that for the past 30 years.
[2:26:22] It's interesting, I listen to Mr. Bronson here saying that, hey, we need to backslope our levy
[2:26:26] that's right behind of the old linen ready-backed site.
[2:26:30] Linden ready-mix was located on Hampton Road because the gravel, the concrete that Bill
[2:26:37] Linden was provided from the gravel bars.
[2:26:42] That's why linen ready-mix was there, that's why Bodys concrete was up on the guide next
[2:26:47] to the river.
[2:26:48] That's why cowdons were at Cedarville next to the river.
[2:26:53] Interestingly, if you look at the Sprung Chinook runs, the benchmark year that they measure
[2:26:59] their progress against is 1995.
[2:27:02] In 1995, we were still harvesting gravel from the Knicksack.
[2:27:06] The Knicksack every year brings down a million cubic yards.
[2:27:09] That's about a third of the total production of gravel that's used from our surface mines
[2:27:14] every year.
[2:27:15] We are squandering a valuable resource.
[2:27:18] That backslip on the Hampton, why wouldn't we build that with River Gravel?
[2:27:23] I mean, there are so many things I'd be happy to visit with you guys more about this.
[2:27:28] That needs to be a meaningful strategy.
[2:27:31] The CAST-80 article said 11.4 million yards.
[2:27:35] That's like 7,230 acre feet of water.
[2:27:40] Stop them think about it. Thanks.
[2:27:42] Yes, my
[2:27:54] name is frankly and I'm a recognition member before I make my comments.
[2:28:04] I want to acknowledge everyone who's here tonight and their advocacy for their experience
[2:28:10] and their issues that they're facing.
[2:28:13] It is important that the resolution be affirmed because we live under the Constitution.
[2:28:23] I'm here because of my neighbors.
[2:28:26] I'm here because of my children.
[2:28:29] I'm here because of myself.
[2:28:31] I'm asking you to do this symbolically
[2:28:36] to hold the line and protect all of us.
[2:28:41] Thank you, Frank.
[2:28:45] Okay.
[2:28:46] I'm not seeing any other movement in person,
[2:28:49] so let's go ahead and move to our online registrants.
[2:28:52] We have 12 people online who would like to speak.
[2:28:56] The first three will be Jonathan King, Jill Meadows, and Deborah Shauver.
[2:29:04] Go ahead.
[2:29:05] You have three minutes.
[2:29:08] All right.
[2:29:09] Hi.
[2:29:09] Thank you.
[2:29:10] My name is Johnny King.
[2:29:11] Can you hear me?
[2:29:13] Yes.
[2:29:13] Perfect.
[2:29:14] Thank you.
[2:29:15] So I just wanted to acknowledge everything that everybody was talking about today as the
[2:29:21] flood victim from the first flood in Ferndale.
[2:29:24] I've been there so I completely understand and I do also support the Human Rights Resolution.
[2:29:31] I am here to advocate for the position with the Climate Impact Advisory Committee.
[2:29:37] I just want to state that I have direct experience with municipal government, specifically with
[2:29:43] the City of Lyndon and I work as their computer support technician and so I understand how policy
[2:29:49] decisions affect budget, staff capacity, general compliance, day-to-day operations, I did get to
[2:29:57] to be a part of the 2045.
[2:30:00] Apprehensive plan for Lyndon even submitted a couple ideas myself. I also have experience in asset management and public disclosure requirements. And so these sort of experience would tailor to evaluating climate proposals on feasibility and sustainability. I did want to mention that I have hands on climate related experience. I do nonprofit work with computers for people in need. And so we focus on responsible recycling.
[2:30:29] refurbishment redistribution. So this does help prevent e-waste. We extend usable life on technology
[2:30:37] and we're able to educate the public on proper recycling methods for hardware. I have a grounded
[2:30:43] understanding of environmental costs when it comes to manufacturing and disposal. And so with some
[2:30:49] of my experience, I've even collaborated with about 10 different departments with the City of
[2:30:55] and so that would include public works went out of my way after my own hours to seek additional
[2:31:01] knowledge from folks that worked there. I got to examine their public work sewer maps learning
[2:31:06] about their meter replacement projects. Also worked with water and wastewater treatment facilities
[2:31:12] and so I was there directly with the removal of fluoride and observed the general public opinion
[2:31:19] on how this affected them, as well as people like low-income folks, and so I just wanted to
[2:31:27] be able to highlight some of that work. I've done work with the Kiwanis Club. I still do that now.
[2:31:33] I work with the Lyndon Community Center, the United Methodist Church, and pretty soon the
[2:31:38] Ferndale Downtown Association. Just hearing from what folks are talking about today, I do think it's
[2:31:45] important that we have somebody, especially somebody that's part of North
[2:31:49] Walkham County, just because I'm from Linden and so having that sort of
[2:31:54] representation I think would be very important. So thank you.
[2:31:59] Thank you.
[2:32:06] Jill please go ahead.
[2:32:10] Hello I'm Jill Meadows and I moved to Bellingham almost a year
[2:32:14] and a half ago so I'm relatively new to the community. I live in the King Mountain
[2:32:18] neighborhood. I'm attending this meeting virtually because the neighbor
[2:32:22] informing the nearby encampment would be on the agenda.
[2:32:26] And I was hoping to learn more about the city's plans to address this growing
[2:32:30] public health and safety issue. It doesn't appear that it's actually
[2:32:34] on the agenda, but I will take this opportunity to share with you a little bit about
[2:32:38] our experience. Over the past year we've witnessed more and more people
[2:32:42] trespassing in the private property surrounding us. People heading into the woods
[2:32:46] with wagons, suitcases, bats, machetes, chainsaws.
[2:32:51] We realize this is a complicated issue,
[2:32:53] but my neighbors have been subjected to trespassing theft
[2:32:56] and was in property damage, smoke inhalation,
[2:32:59] noise violations, local litter and dumping.
[2:33:03] The developers in the city have told us
[2:33:05] to contact the police when we observed trespassing.
[2:33:08] While the police are generally friendly and responsive,
[2:33:11] they've not been particularly effective or reassuring.
[2:33:14] They ask us for descriptions,
[2:33:15] but aren't interested in, when we say we have photos and videos, they drive by, but really search the private property and questions, sometimes stating that it's not safe.
[2:33:28] And then when we observe large amounts of smoke coming from the woods, make it difficult to breathe and dilation of burn bands, they direct us to the fire department.
[2:33:40] the fire department sends trucks that says they can't locate the source and don't investigate
[2:33:46] further saying that it's up to the police because there are no roads or it's unsafe
[2:33:53] and it's discouraging to hear one of my neighbors tonight was physically threatened but the
[2:33:58] assailant is likely still living in the area. I understand the citizen litigation with the property
[2:34:05] oner where the main encampment is located.
[2:34:09] But meanwhile, the issue is growing and it's becoming
[2:34:17] more and more of a public safety and health issue and it's going to cost even more to take care of.
[2:34:29] The city is also the the officials recently have also recommended we talk to our council members.
[2:34:35] So here I am. Thank you for listening. Thank you.
[2:34:46] Deborah, please go ahead.
[2:34:49] I thank
[2:34:50] you. My name's Deb Schauver and I'm here as an applicant for the Public Health Advisory
[2:34:58] Re-board.
[2:35:00] And I just wanted to say that I'm a licensed clinical social worker, so I am a health care provider. And I live up in Peaceful Valley neighborhood, up in Kendall Maple Falls. And I think it would be really great for our community if we had more representation on the board. And it might help some of the movement and getting
[2:35:29] a lot of things that we need done up there, and I would also like to contribute just
[2:35:36] to be a part of the voice to help support the public health of Watcombe County in general.
[2:35:44] I've lived in Watcombe County off and on since 1990.
[2:35:49] I was gone for a chunk of time, but came back and have raised kids here, and so I love
[2:35:55] it very much.
[2:35:56] and yeah, thank you for your serving on this council and giving me a chance to speak.
[2:36:08] Thank you. The next three speakers are Natalie Chavez, Randall Hayes, and Rebecca Rettmer.
[2:36:19] Natalie, please go ahead.
[2:36:23] Can you hear me? Yes.
[2:36:26] Hello, my name is Natalie Chavez. Thank you for listening to public comments this evening.
[2:36:30] It was heartbreaking to hear all of the comments regarding the flooding and I hope that you take them to heart and take appropriate action as soon as possible to help these community members.
[2:36:41] On a different note, I attended the rehab meeting last Thursday and as you are probably already aware, Shannon both dead resigned resigned at that meeting.
[2:36:50] So there are now 13 vacancies on PHAB, which makes it easy for you tonight since there are exactly 13 applicants, which include five incumbents who apply for the vacant position.
[2:37:02] Unfortunately, there was not one applicant from District 4 or from the Lumiere-Nuksek tribe.
[2:37:08] And my guess is that all of the applicants are Democrats, with many who are in the same friend, acquaintance, networking, bellingham bubble.
[2:37:15] A few of the P-Hab applicants even listed current P-Hab members as references.
[2:37:21] It appears like P-Hab will remain very bellingham top heavy and echo chamber which is worth
[2:37:27] noting since there are thousands of community members like me who have no representation
[2:37:32] on P-Hab and I happen to be a lifelong Democrat.
[2:37:36] At last week's P-Hab meeting I requested that all P-Hab meetings be recorded and that meeting
[2:37:41] Replace be accessible to all walk-in community members.
[2:37:45] This request to record meetings has been made repeatedly by me and others at different meetings over the last few years.
[2:37:54] Taking meeting minutes does not capture everything that transpires at these meetings and having P have meeting replace accessible will also increase transparency and accountability.
[2:38:07] On a different note, I want to read part of the letter that medical director Dr.
[2:38:11] Burton wrote to the council last month regarding the potential restructure of the
[2:38:16] health board, which she does not support. Curse was my favorite letter and people
[2:38:21] like Dr. Burton are the ones who will most likely never have a seat on rehab and
[2:38:26] there are thousands of walk-in community members who are like her. The last
[2:38:30] paragraph of her letter states as follows, quote, as a physician who practiced
[2:38:35] through the heat of the COVID pandemic, I can attest to the pressure placed on medical providers
[2:38:41] to adhere to talking points handed down by the various experts, professional boards and government
[2:38:48] health organizations. Those that questioned or expressed concerns were silenced or threatened
[2:38:54] with loss of their licenses. We learned many lessons from COVID. We learned that the experts
[2:39:00] works, the science wasn't, and vaccines didn't. Trust in medical professionals,
[2:39:06] pharmaceutical companies, and government health agencies have been significantly diminished.
[2:39:11] People in our communities want to contribute to discussions and decisions.
[2:39:15] Please do not mute their voices, unquote. And lastly, for those of you who may be COVID vaccine
[2:39:21] Andrew or who you can find support and resources at the website react19.org. That's r-e-a-c-t-1-9.org.
[2:39:30] Thank you for your time. Thank you. Randall Hayes is no longer in the Zoom. Rebecca,
[2:39:37] please go ahead.
[2:39:41] Yes, I'm Rebecca Retmer from Lummy Island and I am simply doing a quick request
[2:39:49] to you tonight to support the code amendment that is on your schedule later.
[2:39:55] It's AB 2026-016.
[2:39:58] this is
[2:40:00] It's an amendment to the real residential island, title 20 zoning that will allow food preparation for offsite consumption, when accessory to an approved community center. And so tonight, I just want to urge you to move that forward to a public hearing and a vote at your next meeting. And I'll yield the rest of my time to someone else. Thank you. The next speaker is Leslie Himmerling. Leslie, please go ahead.
[2:40:30] Can you hear me? Yes. There we go. Thank you.
[2:40:33] My name is Leslie Himmerling. I moved to King Mountain four years ago. I bought
[2:40:39] brand-new home. I've been kind of disappointed to view things on social media
[2:40:46] of what's going what's occurring in the woods. I have the huge concerns I spoke
[2:40:53] with officer Murphy and she indicated to me that I need to attend the meetings.
[2:41:00] That is my second home up there. I am in San Diego currently on Zoom. I hope to come in person next month when we fly up there.
[2:41:09] But I'm a little terrified to fly up at the end of the month to see what I'm going to go home to.
[2:41:14] I'm super concerned about the videos I've seen. My neighbor had his propane tank stolen right off his back deck.
[2:41:22] We have slapped locks on our gates since we're not always there.
[2:41:25] I don't trust anybody, and he was quite concerned.
[2:41:30] He sent me his Arlo video, and it was some lady, and she took the propane tank off his
[2:41:36] barbecue on the back deck.
[2:41:38] So I'm super concerned to see what's going on in my home.
[2:41:41] I have a ring camera inside and two outside.
[2:41:45] So I constantly go and look.
[2:41:47] People are posting on social with homeless people on their porches, kind of looking around.
[2:41:53] Today there was thefts at the construction site because Ralph Black is still building more homes in this area.
[2:42:00] How do I find out what you all are doing for this area?
[2:42:06] Is there a way to find out or, you know, I'm just concerned.
[2:42:10] I've sent an email to Mayor Lund and I haven't heard back.
[2:42:15] And I'm just kind of concerned to have homeless people right down the hill from my house.
[2:42:19] I don't have that here in San Diego.
[2:42:20] It's all downtown by Petco, so it's not in my backyard like it is up and belling him
[2:42:26] How do I find out what what's going to happen is
[2:42:33] this not the I mean, I don't know what this meeting I I don't know exactly what I
[2:42:39] Thought it would be on the agenda
[2:42:42] You know, I'm looking for help what you know
[2:42:46] I'm going to be a mouthpiece when I get up there if I if I see all this stuff that I'm seeing
[2:42:51] I'm very concerned. I'm very triggered by fires. I guess there was a fire a couple of weeks ago. I don't know what's going on here. There was a big boom last week.
[2:43:01] It's a huge concern in King Mountain and I don't know if this you answer here. I guess not. But that's my concerns in King Mountain.
[2:43:10] Thank you, Leslie. You can send us an email at our council at. Then we can look into that
[2:43:19] or follow up with the city if it's within city limits.
[2:43:24] Council at code dot whatcom.wa.us.
[2:43:29] The next three speakers are Robert Keller, Norma Suarez, Govea, and Nisha Rendello,
[2:43:39] one
[2:43:40] second rubber.
[2:43:45] Oh, it looks like rubber is no longer on. It
[2:43:52] looks like all three of them are
[2:43:54] not no longer on. Sorry.
[2:43:58] Kenta, I was unsure if you wanted to speak or not. Kenta, Gumbart,
[2:44:03] your mic is open. Please go ahead and if you would like to testify, please go ahead.
[2:44:14] Kenta,
[2:44:14] if you would like to speak, you need to unmute.
[2:44:26] So the last speaker I have is registered as the
[2:44:30] galley if you could go ahead and unmute yourself and identify yourself. Please go ahead.
[2:44:40] Hi, I'm
[2:44:51] sorry you got okay
[2:44:56] the galley go ahead. Sorry about that.
[2:45:01] All right. My name is Rihanna Godshaw. I'm the co-owner of the galley on Lemmy Island. I'll make this brief. I just want to say that my heart goes out to all the flood victims in the county and also I have full support of our immigrant community. It's been a really intense comment section here. I'm here to advocate on behalf of the Lemmy Island zoning
[2:45:29] change, I operate a little cafe that just opened last year that utilizes the
[2:45:35] commissary kitchen at the gathering place and which kind of brought about this
[2:45:41] code amendment for Lummy Island. We are in a bit of a food desert. We have an
[2:45:45] underserved community out here that trends pretty elderly.
[2:45:50] My little business has been able to become a community hub, something that offers
[2:45:57] food source to people of all economic
[2:46:01] spectrums including the tourists but
[2:46:03] the locals and the gathering places
[2:46:06] really essential to our little island
[2:46:08] community for the one coffee
[2:46:10] cart that we have for Robert Keller
[2:46:13] who was supposed to speak but probably
[2:46:15] had to leave. He does a pop-up
[2:46:18] kitchen thing and my little cafe
[2:46:23] operates four days a week offering
[2:46:25] once, to the workers, to the people of the island, to the ferry crew. We're quite isolated
[2:46:30] out here. It's difficult to provide any kind of services like that, so it is an essential
[2:46:37] part of our community, the intention for it. When it was built, it's only been in existence
[2:46:43] since 2023, was to help provide more essential services to the community. So this zoning hiccup
[2:46:52] has been kind of a problem. I think a lot more people would utilize the kitchen and it would bring
[2:46:58] a lot more to our community. That's very small and removed from most of the rest of welcome county.
[2:47:07] So I just hope that you push that forward to the agenda for voting on it at the next meeting.
[2:47:15] Thank you. Thank you. And I'm chair. Those are all the speakers online. Okay.
[2:47:23] Thank you, everyone.
[2:47:24] One for your time and for being here today, I am going to entertain that we take just a
[2:47:32] brief recess until 9 p.m. that'll give us 12 minutes to use the restroom.
[2:47:39] Is that sound like a good plan? I'm getting head nods.
[2:47:41] So we'll go ahead and close our open session, move into a recess and we'll come back here
[2:47:46] at 9 p.m.
[2:48:00] I was doing the maverick, I was like, every time I tried to go up to the mall, I was like,
[3:00:43] I agree. I have to talk about this day. I agree with this.
[3:01:36] Here, tonight call, call council members, back
[3:01:46] to the
[3:02:24] Okay.
[3:02:32] Thank you for entertaining that quick biobrate. We will come back into session here at 903 p.m.
[3:02:41] I'm talking very slow, so Councilmember Scanlon can join us back because the next item on our agenda is our consent agenda from Council's Finance and Administrative Services Committee Councilmember Scanlon.
[3:02:55] Hi everyone. I know this is a little bit awkward after almost three hours of public comment that we're going to go to improve a bunch of contracts.
[3:03:03] But it's it's what we do and we'll get back to the other items in a little bit.
[3:03:09] And I think did we get rid of that echo there?
[3:03:12] Is there an echo test too?
[3:03:14] It was very.
[3:03:15] It was big.
[3:03:16] I'm trying to help some new.
[3:03:17] I heard it in the back.
[3:03:22] All right.
[3:03:23] So I am a new chair of the finance administrative services committee.
[3:03:28] And so earlier today.
[3:03:30] Today, we approved, we get to the right part of my agenda here,
[3:03:39] nine contracts, which
[3:03:42] passed 7-0 in committee with the recommendation of the full council. Those are AB's 2020-6-0-0-1,
[3:03:50] AB 2026-009, AB 2026-012, AB 2026-020, AB 2026-018, AB 2026-024, AB 2026-013, AB 2026-019,
[3:04:06] and AB 2026-022. So that came to Council with a 7-0 recommendation to Council and ISO moved
[3:04:14] to the full Council.
[3:04:15] Okay, with a motion from Councilmember Scanlan out of committee, I'm any further discussion
[3:04:19] on this?
[3:04:23] Seeing none, can we do a roll call?
[3:04:28] Then Ellen Boss?
[3:04:30] Yes.
[3:04:33] Kaley Galloway?
[3:04:35] Yes.
[3:04:36] Jessica Reinstra?
[3:04:37] Yes.
[3:04:38] John Scanlan?
[3:04:39] Yes.
[3:04:39] Mark Stremler?
[3:04:40] Yes.
[3:04:40] Elizabeth Boyle?
[3:04:41] Yes.
[3:04:42] Gary Buchanan?
[3:04:42] Yes.
[3:04:43] Okay.
[3:04:44] Now motion carries 7-0.
[3:04:47] Next item on finance?
[3:04:49] Yes.
[3:04:49] Yes, we had one other item from the Finance and Administrative Services Committee that is AB 2025-854,
[3:04:57] requesting authorization for the county executive.
[3:05:00] I would enter into a contract amended between Wachem County and the city of Bellingham to eliminate funding for three lateral paramedic positions, decreasing the contract to the amount by $224,823 for a total amended contract amounts of $783,619. I note that there is a substitute item here, which was recommended by the committee 7-0, and I so move to the full committee. Okay. With a motion from council member Sam,
[3:05:29] on that committee. Was there any further discussion on this item?
[3:05:34] Seeing none. Can we do a
[3:05:35] call vote?
[3:05:38] Kaley Galloway. Yes. Just a Korean straw. Yes. John Scamlin. Yes. Mark Stremler. Yes.
[3:05:47] Elizabeth Boyle. Yes. Barry Buchanan. Yes. Ben Ellenboss. Hey, let the record show that
[3:05:59] We had an item from Council's criminal justice and public safety committee, Councillor
[3:06:03] Marbue Cannon. We had an item out of criminal justice and public safety around the
[3:06:09] J. Pop. Oh, yes, we did. We had an item, excuse me, I would
[3:06:15] have stepped on my glasses. So, AB 2026-4-015 and it was request for a motion to establish
[3:06:24] what the full-term length for the Justice Project Oversight and Planning Committee members term.
[3:06:31] We had a motion to have a term length of four years, which coincides with the same term length for
[3:06:40] the incarceration prevention task force as well.
[3:06:44] And just so the public knows, this committee is a subcommittee of the incarceration prevention task force.
[3:06:50] So, that motion passed 7-0 and I so move.
[3:06:56] Okay, with a motion from Councilmember Buchanan out of committee to establish four-year staggered terms for the Justice Project Oversight Planning Committee consistent with the rules of the incarceration prevention reduction task force.
[3:07:10] Any further discussion on this?
[3:07:16] Seeing none, can we do roll call?
[3:07:18] Jessica Reinstra?
[3:07:19] Yes.
[3:07:20] John Scanlon?
[3:07:21] Yes.
[3:07:21] Mark Stremler?
[3:07:22] Yes.
[3:07:23] Elizabeth Boyle?
[3:07:24] Yes.
[3:07:24] Barry Buchanan?
[3:07:25] Yes.
[3:07:26] Vanilla Boss?
[3:07:27] Yes.
[3:07:27] Kayla Galloway?
[3:07:28] Yes.
[3:07:29] Not the record show that carries 7-0.
[3:07:33] Okay.
[3:07:34] We are moving along to our council appointments to advisory groups just to be patient with us.
[3:07:39] I think what I'll do for rules of procedure here is if we do have any members, any applicants
[3:07:44] who didn't already speak during open session, but wishes to speak to their application.
[3:07:50] We'll go ahead and acknowledge those folks.
[3:07:56] So moving forward here, we'll start with AB 2026-026 appointment of vacancies on the
[3:08:02] ACME, Van Zant flood control subzone advisory committee.
[3:08:06] Our sole applicant is William Dominique Mosary.
[3:08:10] This is Council acting as the flood control zone district board of supervisors.
[3:08:16] I know Mr. Misari was online and was available to answer questions.
[3:08:23] I don't know if you'd like to speak or introduce yourself to Council.
[3:08:28] I know you also want to plan in commission, so you're not a new face, but you're welcome to speak if you wish.
[3:08:38] Go ahead.
[3:08:40] Okay, you should be able to unmute now.
[3:08:43] Can you hear me?
[3:08:44] Yes.
[3:08:46] Hey, yeah, I don't have anything specific to say.
[3:08:49] I'd appreciate the opportunity to continue to serve.
[3:08:52] We're kind of rebuilding the committee.
[3:08:54] We have consistent members now, and we're trying to recruit more.
[3:08:59] And I'm happy to continue to serve on the committee.
[3:09:04] So I'm here if you have any other questions.
[3:09:06] Thank you.
[3:09:07] Well, thank you so much for your service.
[3:09:09] And for being here sticking with us this late.
[3:09:11] Did council members have any questions or can I entertain a motion to a point, Mr.
[3:09:16] Miserie, to the Acme Van Zant flood control zone's flood control subzone advisory committee?
[3:09:23] I moved to a point.
[3:09:25] Second.
[3:09:26] Okay.
[3:09:27] Awesome.
[3:09:28] So I've got a motion from council member Scanlan and a second from council member Reenstra.
[3:09:34] Any further discussion?
[3:09:37] Okay.
[3:09:37] Seeing none, can we go ahead and do a roll call?
[3:09:40] John Scanlon. Yes. Mark Strummler. Yes. Elizabeth Boyle. Yes. Mary Buchanan. Yes.
[3:09:47] Vanilla Boss. Yes. Kayla Galloway. Yes. Jessica Reinstra. Yes. Okay, let the record show that
[3:09:54] carries 7 to 0. Next is AB 2026-027. It's an appointment to
[3:10:00] Makeancies on the flood control zone, district advisory committee, various positions, applications, we've got Michael Bozo, Bruce Bosch, Jeff D. Young, Lauren. John Perry, and Ron, Ron Sema, council acting as flood control zone district board of supervisors. I love that like several of those names are familiar now, because we heard from them this evening. Okay.
[3:10:24] Okay.
[3:10:25] The three Dutchmen up here said you did it pretty good.
[3:10:28] I did okay.
[3:10:29] You did okay.
[3:10:30] Oh, I got like a B-.
[3:10:31] There's some.
[3:10:32] There's some.
[3:10:32] Yeah, a little bit.
[3:10:33] Okay.
[3:10:34] Room for improvement.
[3:10:37] Women.
[3:10:38] Okay.
[3:10:40] Do any applicants from the list?
[3:10:43] I just wish to speak to their application.
[3:10:47] Come on down.
[3:10:48] Oh, it's a direct name.
[3:10:50] Oh, good.
[3:10:51] Not a Dutch name, though.
[3:10:53] It's so well. I'm Mike Bazo. Bazo. Thank you. And I'd like to be on the
[3:10:59] flood control district advisory committee. My background is I've worked marine
[3:11:06] construction for 15 years degree in civil engineering. I've dredged all over the
[3:11:12] west coast and Hawaii. I spent 18 years working for the Port of Bellingham
[3:11:17] and my last eight years as a Director of Fleet and Facilities for the WTA.
[3:11:24] And that positions at both the port and WTA.
[3:11:27] I've obtained permits and worked with the local governments to get things done.
[3:11:33] So hopefully I can help get something done.
[3:11:36] Thank you.
[3:11:37] Thank you.
[3:11:38] Okay.
[3:11:39] Mr. Bozo.
[3:11:40] Get that right this time.
[3:11:42] Bozo.
[3:11:42] Got it.
[3:11:43] In memory.
[3:11:44] Okay, so it looks like we can entertain a motion to a point all six of our applicants come from round bosses the motion you wish to make. Yeah, that was a move to a point all of our applicants.
[3:11:56] Okay.
[3:11:57] Ooh, that was a close.
[3:11:59] The positions that they're aligned with in the documentation.
[3:12:02] Okay.
[3:12:03] I heard an echo.
[3:12:04] Sorry, I'm going to give it to Reenstra.
[3:12:06] That's okay.
[3:12:07] Okay.
[3:12:07] All right, and just for the, did you want to say we'll go for it?
[3:12:11] Council members, can I want to say a discussion?
[3:12:13] Is that all right?
[3:12:14] Sure.
[3:12:14] Go for it.
[3:12:15] So I think there are two additional vacancies, right?
[3:12:17] Because for the-
[3:12:18] I'll read it.
[3:12:20] So everybody was here tonight.
[3:12:23] I think this is a great group for people to join.
[3:12:26] I know a lot of folks left and may still be listening in, but we have a lot of people that
[3:12:33] want to be involved in how we deal with the river.
[3:12:37] This is a great committee to be involved in to do that work.
[3:12:43] Okay.
[3:12:44] So recruitment is going to land on Mr. Bazo here.
[3:12:49] Okay, count from Marilyn Boss.
[3:12:50] Yeah.
[3:12:52] You know, I've had some conversations that were very heated over flood flooding recently.
[3:12:59] You can imagine.
[3:13:00] And one of the person just said, I don't even go to those meetings because it's clear the county doesn't want to listen.
[3:13:08] and my feedback to them was like, hey, that's the whole reason why I appointed you to that position was not for you to go and rubber stamp things but for you to go and participate in the plan.
[3:13:23] So, I guess I want to put forth to Michael, Lauren, Bruce, John, Ron, and Jeff.
[3:13:32] My expectation is that you're not there to rubber stamp anything.
[3:13:36] You're there to participate in the creation of a plan.
[3:13:40] And if the plan isn't good, question the plan.
[3:13:43] If the plan is good, that's what we're looking for.
[3:13:47] So, that is the whole point of all of the boards and commissions that we do
[3:13:54] is to have public engagement and public involvement in the development of what we're going to do.
[3:14:03] And so, I really hope that people don't misconstrue being on a border commission as solely.
[3:14:13] I guess a lot, I guess my experience is some of our boards and commissions are absolutely echo chambers.
[3:14:19] I don't think they ever should be. I think we should have dissenting voices in the room, even if it's just one and we'd have a better product.
[3:14:27] So, Marcus, you want to be the dissenting voice on the flood control?
[3:14:35] Yeah, and so anyway, that's personally my expectation is that people are going to participate in a productive way and give their input, not just sit there and not their head.
[3:14:48] Seeing these names on here, I grew up in the floodplain on a Hanigan road and on noon
[3:14:59] road.
[3:15:00] And Jeff D. Young was always my neighbor. And when we were like 19, 20 years old, I would go into flood control zone meetings with Jeff D. Young. And Paula was there. And that's how I met her. And so like. And we all know what Bruce and John and everyone brings to the table. But like, these are people that are deeply entrenched in what we have done in the past.
[3:15:29] in what we've tried to do and failed at, what we have done and succeeded, succeeded on.
[3:15:37] So I hope that we can, as a council, hear what they're telling us.
[3:15:44] And I hope that we don't get feedback that I don't even want to participate because nobody's listening to me.
[3:15:50] I hope that staff and us can hear what the community members were putting on these commissions,
[3:15:58] because especially with the flood control zone, these aren't just people that are like,
[3:16:02] hey, I read a book on flood control. So I want to be involved. These are, this is their life.
[3:16:07] Like, Jeff DeYoung's, you know, entire family of, like, 150 feet from the Abbott road levy. So,
[3:16:17] like, that they're, they have buy-in.
[3:16:24] Thank you, Council Member Allen-Boss.
[3:16:28] Okay. Well, I think this group has a great body of work ahead of them, and we look forward
[3:16:33] to working with them. And then we'll keep for the record that we still have two vacancies.
[3:16:39] So hopefully we get to fill those at our next council meeting. Okay. Any further discussion?
[3:16:47] Seeing none, can we go ahead and do a roll call? Mark Stremler?
[3:16:52] Yes.
[3:16:53] Elizabeth Boyle.
[3:16:55] Yes.
[3:16:55] Barry Buchanan.
[3:16:56] Yes.
[3:16:56] Ben Ellenboss.
[3:16:57] Yes.
[3:16:58] Kayla Galloway.
[3:16:59] Yes.
[3:16:59] Jessica Reinstra.
[3:17:00] Yes.
[3:17:01] John Scanlon.
[3:17:02] Yes.
[3:17:03] Okay.
[3:17:04] Let the record show that.
[3:17:05] Carry 7-0.
[3:17:07] Okay.
[3:17:08] Next item here is AB 2026-028 appointments to vacancies in the board of equalization.
[3:17:14] The applicant is W. Thomas Fallis.
[3:17:17] Yes. What is the will of council?
[3:17:22] Move to a point. Second.
[3:17:25] I've got a motion from councilmember Buchanan.
[3:17:28] And a second from.
[3:17:31] Annlin. Yes.
[3:17:37] Any discussion on this item?
[3:17:45] Let's say something.
[3:17:46] Yeah councilmember Ellen boss.
[3:17:48] I've gone to.
[3:17:50] I've gone to B.O.E. meetings where Mr. Fallis has been engaged and I found him to be.
[3:17:57] incredibly thoughtful and diligent in the way he inducted his business, and I've gotten incredible feedback from people that have gone through that process and appreciated him greatly, and I know that our former staff members also used to give me good feedback about him specifically.
[3:18:21] So, I feel good about voting in favor of Mr. Fallis.
[3:18:34] Further discussion?
[3:18:37] Councilmember Scanlon.
[3:18:38] In addition, I talked to some current staff today who also had similar things to say as well.
[3:18:47] Okay. Sorry, I didn't have a chance to read some emails on this one.
[3:18:52] I may abstain on this one just for the record.
[3:19:03] Any further discussion?
[3:19:08] I'm sorry, in a moment of learning.
[3:19:10] I too, I'm feeling the need to abstain because I feel like we had some last minute communication about that.
[3:19:15] And I just feel like I'm not prepared to vote.
[3:19:22] And I've been given thumbs up from legal that we are okay to proceed with this one.
[3:19:27] I do think if council wishes to have more time to process the information we received.
[3:19:32] And we could, unless there's some urgency from our staff's perspective on getting this
[3:19:39] appointment clear, we could perhaps hold for the next meeting as well.
[3:19:44] Tells them our alibos?
[3:19:45] Yeah, I'm just going to say that from the things that I read, from the email and conversations
[3:19:52] with legal, I feel much better than I did after I've received the very first email, so.
[3:19:58] Thank you very much.
[3:20:00] But if you guys need more time, I'm down with that.
[3:20:10] Yes, Kathy Halko, clerk of the council. I just wanted to note that Tom, of course, is a current DOE member and is scheduled for our hearings, which begin February 3rd. There is a little better.
[3:20:30] That, of course, is tentative based on reappointment about it.
[3:20:38] Okay.
[3:20:43] Is it appropriate for councilmember Scanlan to share anything?
[3:20:46] more from your conversations with staff.
[3:20:54] I'll just say this.
[3:20:55] One of the things that we saw in the applicant in the file that was sent in was that the
[3:21:02] applicant was recently elected by share of the body.
[3:21:08] In conversations, you know, there was an indication that that means that this is a person that
[3:21:13] other people like working with.
[3:21:15] Thank you.
[3:21:24] Not seeing any other hands, all of a sudden missing any?
[3:21:28] Can we go ahead and do a roll call?
[3:21:37] Elizabeth Boyle of
[3:21:41] Stain.
[3:21:42] Barry Buchanan. Ben Allen-Boss. Kayla Galloway of Stain. Jessica Reinstra.
[3:21:51] John Scanlon. Mark Stremler. Okay, that motion carries five to zero with two abstentions.
[3:22:04] Okay, the next items we have at AB 2026-029 appointments to vacancies to climate
[3:22:10] It impacted advisory committee.
[3:22:12] Our applicants are Charlie Brown, Derek Grahamvin,
[3:22:15] Stephen Harrell, Randall Hayes, Jonathan King, Ted Scott,
[3:22:19] and Joshua Williams.
[3:22:23] And let me just pull up my sheet here
[3:22:25] because I do believe we have a substitute,
[3:22:30] I always have the right terminology for this one.
[3:22:33] Yeah, a substitute applicant list
[3:22:36] that reflects a recent vacancy.
[3:22:41] So we do have six vacancies on the Climate Impact Advisory Committee.
[3:22:45] Five of those are full three year terms of those five, four of the current members were
[3:22:48] eligible to reapply and those four incumbents did reapply.
[3:22:52] And then we have got one partial term ending end of January 31st, 2027.
[3:22:57] That's the new term that was recently vacated by a member who no longer met the residency
[3:23:05] requirements.
[3:23:08] So, the way I see this is we have seven applicants and we can appoint up to six and then after we appoint those new members, we'll need to assign one member to the partial term.
[3:23:26] Okay,
[3:23:29] do I have, I know we heard from a few of the applicants here.
[3:23:32] Were there any others in chambers or online who didn't already have a chance to speak who wished to speak different
[3:23:48] committee? Okay, we'll get to you.
[3:23:51] Okay, so not saying anyone, I would entertain a motion to a point all seven and a vote for six.
[3:23:58] I moved to a point, all seven and vote for six.
[3:24:02] Okay.
[3:24:08] I've got a Scanlan motion and a Reinstress second.
[3:24:15] I got a question.
[3:24:16] Yes, sir.
[3:24:17] Is Charlie Brown still here?
[3:24:19] Oh.
[3:24:20] Brown.
[3:24:21] I don't see him.
[3:24:23] Okay.
[3:24:32] We've got a motion and a second on the table.
[3:24:36] I'm seeing any other hands.
[3:24:38] I will say so I've served on the Climate Impact Advisory Committee.
[3:24:41] I guess four years is Council Rep and two years prior to that as a community member.
[3:24:50] I am going to support the four incumbents.
[3:24:53] I think they've all been incredible assets to the team, particularly would express my
[3:25:00] My significant appreciation to Steve Harrell, who wasn't here this evening, but he is sort of one of the last OG CAC members. He was a huge contributor to the 2021 climate action plan. And so having his sort of institutional knowledge as we gear up for the 2026 climate action plan is going to be incredible. And the others Derek Ted and Joshua have all been excellent on committee.
[3:25:29] and just kind of rolling up their sleeves and I feel like some of them are just starting
[3:25:33] to get their grip on the ground or whatever the terminology would be, but the other applicants
[3:25:41] seem really strong, so I think I'm going to struggle to pick, but I would just at least put
[3:25:49] my name behind the ones I've gotten to work with. Any further discussion, Council Member Ellen
[3:25:55] So I know a few of these folks and I'm just going to speak to Charles Brown because he might be the least known, I guess, maybe to you guys.
[3:26:14] I worked on a special project with Charlie at one time and we traveled to Houston for many, many weeks at a time.
[3:26:24] and so I find him to be like next level like genius smart and incredibly
[3:26:33] pleasant to work with and I think that he shares his ideas well even to people
[3:26:41] who probably don't agree with him sometimes and so I can't say enough about
[3:26:46] Charlie Brown I don't always agree with him but we've had some wicked heavy debates
[3:26:52] and I think he would be spectacular for this committee.
[3:26:58] I think we even had some of those right here.
[3:27:01] Yeah, we have.
[3:27:04] Okay,
[3:27:07] I'm going to find my vote sheet here before we go into a vote here.
[3:27:19] Giving you all just an extra minute to think about who you're going to vote for.
[3:27:23] Okay.
[3:27:25] Are we ready for a vote?
[3:27:28] Okay.
[3:27:29] Okay. Go for it, Kathy. We'll do a roll call.
[3:27:33] Barry Buchanan.
[3:27:35] Charlie Brown.
[3:27:40] Derek Green.
[3:27:43] Grimden. Yeah, Grimden. I can't read without my glasses. Sorry, guys.
[3:27:46] Steve Hale Randall.
[3:27:51] Hey.
[3:27:52] Yeah. Hey, and Jonathan King and Joshua Williams.
[3:27:58] Just the Karinstra, Brown, Gremben, Harrell, King, Scott, Williams.
[3:28:11] Elizabeth Boyle.
[3:28:13] Brown, Gremben, Harrell, King, Scott, Williams.
[3:28:24] Vanilla, boss.
[3:28:26] This is miserable.
[3:28:28] I don't know who I'm going to leave off.
[3:28:31] I know.
[3:28:32] Bard, I'd quit.
[3:28:33] Yeah.
[3:28:34] What about that?
[3:28:39] No, that's cool.
[3:28:40] I'm about to.
[3:28:41] Um,
[3:28:44] uh,
[3:28:47] uh, Garrel's Brown, Derek Grimman,
[3:28:54] I'm the first six and so I won't just because
[3:28:58] they're the first six on my list and so I won't have Joshua Williams on my list.
[3:29:03] On which list?
[3:29:04] Oh, the applicant list.
[3:29:06] Uh, Carl's Brown, Derek Grimman, Stephen Harrell, Randall Hayes, Jonathan King, Theodore Scott.
[3:29:12] Okay. Okay.
[3:29:17] Okay. Okay. My vote sheet is an opposite order here. So we'll go brown,
[3:29:25] Brown,
[3:29:27] Remben,
[3:29:30] Harrell,
[3:29:36] Lyons,
[3:29:38] King,
[3:29:39] John Scamon,
[3:29:41] Brown,
[3:29:43] Grambon,
[3:29:45] Harrell,
[3:29:47] King,
[3:29:49] Scott Williams,
[3:29:54] Mark Strumler,
[3:29:56] Grambon,
[3:29:58] Harrell,
[3:29:59] King,
[3:29:59] you
[3:30:02] Okay,
[3:30:28] so our top six vote gutters were Brown, Remben,
[3:30:37] Harold, King, Scott, and Williams.
[3:30:47] Okay?
[3:30:53] Okay. So those are our six appointed and reappointed members. So now the tough job of assigning the parser.
[3:31:04] I guess I would be interested in letting our incumbents serve their terms, which would be the full ones.
[3:31:21] So then we would be contemplating if Council was amenable to that.
[3:31:28] We would then be contemplating a brown or king for the partial term and
[3:31:39] then they'd be have the opportunity to reapply.
[3:31:41] Okay, absolutely.
[3:31:43] Yep.
[3:31:44] And it doesn't a partial term doesn't count towards your two term max.
[3:31:58] Council have a will.
[3:32:03] Just write it down for us.
[3:32:04] I would be moved so I mean it's actually an advantage for them to get the partial term.
[3:32:11] Yeah, so they can serve a bonus term.
[3:32:12] I would move for the incumbents to have the let's see here.
[3:32:18] I would move that council vote on King and Williams is that correct?
[3:32:26] No, Williams is kind of kind of.
[3:32:27] Oh, there it is.
[3:32:27] Okay.
[3:32:28] Sorry.
[3:32:28] Brown and King for the partial term.
[3:32:31] Okay.
[3:32:31] Okay,
[3:32:37] so that's a motion from Council Member Reenstra would be to consider Brown and King
[3:32:44] for the partial term would vote for one, and whoever you vote for would be the one to
[3:32:51] get the partial term.
[3:32:54] Okay, so that's got a motion from Council Member Reenstra to have a second.
[3:32:57] Second.
[3:32:59] Okay, so I've got Council Member Scanlan as a second.
[3:33:02] any questions about this one or discussion?
[3:33:09] Okay. Seeing none, can we do a
[3:33:13] recall? Jessica Reinstra. King Elizabeth Boyle. King. Vanilla Bass.
[3:33:25] Yes. That's
[3:33:27] what I thought it was. Yeah, it's one of the other. King, right.
[3:33:34] Okay. Kaley Galloway.
[3:33:36] I'll King John Scamon.
[3:33:39] King.
[3:33:40] Mark Strömmler.
[3:33:41] King.
[3:33:42] Barry Buchanan.
[3:33:43] King.
[3:33:44] Okay.
[3:33:45] So Jonathan King will serve as our partial term and be wholly encouraged to reapply next year.
[3:33:52] And Brown, Gremben, Harold, Scott and Williams will fill the five three-year terms.
[3:34:02] Okay. Kathy, is that good for the record? Yes. Okay.
[3:34:12] Okay.
[3:34:15] The next item is AB 2026-0308
[3:34:19] appointments to vacancies on the Wacom County Fair Advisory Committee. Various positions.
[3:34:24] We have multiple applicants. Stephen, Thomas, Virgil, Thompson, Janice,
[3:34:30] Patroule, Terence Difflee, Corey Williams and I will invite if anybody is an applicant
[3:34:40] who didn't get a chance to speak during open session to please support and introduce
[3:34:44] yourself.
[3:34:48] Good evening. My name is Jan Catroule and I currently serve on the Wacom County
[3:34:54] very advisory committee. And so I've come up for a read-point-
[3:35:00] And I'm looking for your support. Just as a matter of my background, I was a customs inspector at the port of plane for 20 years before I went to work in Washington, D.C. for the International Training Program. And I actually taught a very interdiction course in La Riga Latvia, where the ferry and enormous ferry took cars from
[3:35:29] from Latvia to Sweden.
[3:35:33] When I retired and came back home to Wachem County,
[3:35:37] I was kind of interested in this civic opportunity
[3:35:41] that I learned about when I was working for customs,
[3:35:45] which is under the Ferry Advisory Committee,
[3:35:48] or the Federal Advisory Committee Act,
[3:35:50] and I served on the Hanford Advisory Board,
[3:35:54] having to do with the cleanup
[3:35:56] over in the tri-cities for 10 years.
[3:35:58] So, eventually I turned out of that, I came back to Wacom County, I was looking for a civic
[3:36:05] opportunity and I found this on the Wacom County website. I thought, oh this looks interesting
[3:36:11] and it turns out that I am in a group of such dedicated people who are trying to get us
[3:36:18] either a hybrid ferry or an electric ferry. We have some money that has been assigned to
[3:36:26] the ferry, but it is far short of what is needed to get us a new ferry. So among all these
[3:36:34] dedicated people in this very interesting community on an island, I can say that I've really
[3:36:41] enjoyed my time on the ferry advisory committee and I urge you to reaffirm me in that job. Thank you.
[3:36:48] Thank you. Okay, so I'm going to entertain us kind of considering this appointment in two.
[3:37:00] I move to a point Janice could trail as the applicant that lives in Wacom County and does not live
[3:37:06] her own property on Lummy Island. Second. Perfect. Thank you.
[3:37:10] The direction we're going. Absolutely. I just speak to that too. Yes, sir.
[3:37:14] In addition to all the great experience that Jan just described,
[3:37:19] one of the things I do sometimes when I come over is I grab a ride with somebody.
[3:37:24] So I'll park, you know, on the mainland side, get a ride over.
[3:37:28] I've gone with Marcus over a few times, there's a few other folks.
[3:37:31] And Jan gave me a ride back once, and we had a great conversation.
[3:37:35] And thank you for the experience that you bring to the advisory committee
[3:37:39] and all the work that you've been doing.
[3:37:41] So I wholeheartedly support Jan's application.
[3:37:44] Okay, we've got a motion from Councilmember Ellen Boston, a second from Scanlon to reappoint
[3:37:50] Janice and this is going to be yes, yes, no vote, I'm in.
[3:37:56] Yes or no?
[3:37:57] I got that.
[3:38:00] Okay.
[3:38:01] I'm not seeing any other hands.
[3:38:02] Can we do a call on that?
[3:38:03] Vanilla Boss.
[3:38:05] Jan.
[3:38:06] Yes.
[3:38:08] Kaley Galloway.
[3:38:10] Jessica Reinstra.
[3:38:11] Yes.
[3:38:12] John Scanlon.
[3:38:13] Yes.
[3:38:13] Mark Stremler.
[3:38:14] Yes.
[3:38:14] Elizabeth Boyle.
[3:38:15] Yes.
[3:38:16] Mary Buchanan.
[3:38:16] Yes.
[3:38:17] Excellent.
[3:38:18] Thank you for your service and for giving us another three years.
[3:38:24] Okay.
[3:38:25] So now we've got four applicants for two vacancies for folks who live or own property on Lummy Island.
[3:38:32] So the entertained motion would be to appoint all with a vote of two.
[3:38:36] And the top two vote getters would get the appointment.
[3:38:43] I move to a point all four with a vote of two.
[3:38:47] Second.
[3:38:48] Okay, so I've got a motion from Councilmember Scanlan.
[3:38:52] And a second. Did I hear that from Reenstra?
[3:38:55] You might have to speak to it real quick, Sarah.
[3:38:58] Yes, please.
[3:38:59] Thank you, Terry.
[3:39:01] And Steve, for coming tonight.
[3:39:02] When's the next fairy back?
[3:39:07] Okay, we got a vote in this quick.
[3:39:09] Okay.
[3:39:11] Steve and Terry attend so many of the advisory committee meetings and I really appreciate Terry for a lot of the emails you've sent and some of your advocacy, including calling for mediation and lawsuits.
[3:39:24] And so I appreciate that approach that you take here. We've got some other great applicants to I really, I've met Corey before at some of the meetings and I like how we have a younger person applying to.
[3:39:35] but I'm going to support Stephen and Terrence today.
[3:39:39] Thank you.
[3:39:40] Any further discussion before we go into a roll call?
[3:39:43] And again, this one will be selecting two for the appointment.
[3:39:51] Hey, CNN, can we do a roll call?
[3:39:53] Barry Buchanan.
[3:39:54] Thomas Difflee.
[3:39:56] Thomas and Difflee.
[3:39:58] Not the same.
[3:39:59] Just a quick.
[3:40:00] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[3:40:03] Elizabeth Boyle. Stephen Thomas and Terrence Difflee.
[3:40:10] Pamela Bus.
[3:40:13] Terrence and Stephen, because they were here.
[3:40:17] Kelly Galloway, okay. Thomas and Difflee. John Scanlon. Thomas and Difflee.
[3:40:24] Mark Stremler.
[3:40:26] Difflee and Williams.
[3:40:30] Okay.
[3:40:31] All right.
[3:40:32] So, Difflee gets seven and Thomas gets six.
[3:40:39] So those are our two top vote getters and will be appointed to the Wacom County Ferry
[3:40:43] Advisory Committee.
[3:40:45] Okay.
[3:40:46] Thank you.
[3:40:47] Yes.
[3:40:48] We do assign one person to a partial term and I believe Mr. Difflee.
[3:40:54] to be asked to be in that one.
[3:40:56] So I move to a point here and simply to the partial term.
[3:41:00] All right, let me get back to my sheet here.
[3:41:06] Okay.
[3:41:12] And that was a motion by Scanlan and in a second by Ellen Boss.
[3:41:16] Yes.
[3:41:18] Okay, to a point, definitely to the partial term,
[3:41:21] upon request.
[3:41:22] Okay, any further discussion of that?
[3:41:26] Seeing none, can we do a roll call?
[3:41:28] Jessica Reinstra?
[3:41:31] Yes.
[3:41:32] Good for you.
[3:41:33] That's right you have
[3:41:42] to pick which one we the motion was to a point
[3:41:47] Difflee to the parcel term. Oh, I'm sorry. Yes. That's why we're all like wait.
[3:41:55] Oh, is this boil? Yes.
[3:42:00] Ben Ellenboss? Difflee. Yes.
[3:42:04] Thank you.
[3:42:05] Yes.
[3:42:07] Kelly Galloway.
[3:42:08] Yes.
[3:42:09] John Scanlon.
[3:42:10] Yes.
[3:42:11] Mark Stremler.
[3:42:12] Yes.
[3:42:12] Barry Buchanan.
[3:42:13] Yes.
[3:42:14] Okay.
[3:42:15] That carries 7-0.
[3:42:18] Okay.
[3:42:21] Next on our list here, we have AB 2026-031 in appointment of vacancy on the Forest Advisory Committee.
[3:42:29] We've got two applicants seeking two different positions.
[3:42:35] So, I believe with this one we can entertain a motion to appoint both.
[3:42:42] I move to appoint both to the spots that they applied for.
[3:42:47] I see it.
[3:42:49] Okay.
[3:42:50] A motion by Scanlan, a second by Boyle.
[3:42:51] So, that will be appointing applicant David Dew to the community member with forestry, forest ecology, and forest management expertise.
[3:43:00] and applicant Mallory Weinheimer, Harvester or Civil Cultrist,
[3:43:08] and was David or Mallory on caller in person who in wish to speak to their application.
[3:43:15] Sorry, I forgot to ask that for this one.
[3:43:17] The new application.
[3:43:19] The new application.
[3:43:22] Yeah, so David is, David is a current member and seeking a new position.
[3:43:33] So he...
[3:43:34] A different category.
[3:43:35] Okay.
[3:43:36] Yes, so that's clarification of that.
[3:43:38] I see Mallory online, Mallory.
[3:43:41] Do you wish to unmute yourself and introduce yourself?
[3:43:47] Sure.
[3:43:48] I'll be quick.
[3:43:48] But yeah, thank you so much for considering my application.
[3:43:52] I'm a forester. I have been doing consulting forestry in Western Washington for about ten
[3:43:57] years. Works for the Forest Service, the State and counties beforehand, and have been
[3:44:02] the county forest around contract in Jefferson County and moved to Watcom County last year
[3:44:09] and looking forward to digging in more and getting to engage more in the community here. So
[3:44:16] thank you.
[3:44:18] Thank you, Mallory.
[3:44:22] Well, I will just say that I'm super excited to have Mallory on the Forest Advisory Committee.
[3:44:27] I know we met last year at the Woods Tour and I'm just been so enamored with the work
[3:44:32] that you've done in Jefferson County and excited to see what you can bring here for Walker County.
[3:44:41] Thank you very much.
[3:44:44] And I know David is such a huge asset on this committee as well. I know the committee is very excited to
[3:44:51] have him back in this new position and both received support from
[3:45:00] The Forest Advisory Committee, I think we all received an email from the Chair, David Janiky. Okay, we'll stop talking now. I'm not seeing any other discussion. Oh, council member, we need to go for it. Just a very brief note that that does leave one open vacancy for one applicant, a small forest land owner with forest land in Wacom County. So tell your friends. But they do.
[3:45:28] Yeah. We would we would love to have this position.
[3:45:33] So, um, okay.
[3:45:37] Seeing other hands, let's go ahead and do a roll call.
[3:45:42] Elizabeth Boyle.
[3:45:44] Yes.
[3:45:45] Very be canon.
[3:45:47] Joy stop. Yes.
[3:45:50] Ben Allen boss.
[3:45:52] Yes.
[3:45:53] Kayla Galloway.
[3:45:54] Yes.
[3:45:56] Just Korean straw.
[3:45:57] Yes.
[3:45:58] John Scanlon.
[3:45:59] Yes.
[3:45:59] Mark Stremler.
[3:46:00] Yes.
[3:46:00] Okay.
[3:46:01] Let the worker show that carry seven zero.
[3:46:03] Okay,
[3:46:06] next on our agenda AB 2026-032 appointments for vacancies on the
[3:46:11] incarceration prevention and reduction task force for various positions.
[3:46:15] We've got three applicants, Heather Flarety, Alexis Haas, and Robert Sullivan.
[3:46:22] Let me just pull out my sheet here in the meantime where any of the applicants
[3:46:26] here in person are online. I wish to speak to their application.
[3:46:29] It
[3:46:36] looks like we've got Alexis is the incumbent and Robert Sullivan both applying for health
[3:46:42] and social services provider for which we do have to vacancies.
[3:46:46] And then applicant interested citizen is Heather Flaherty also incumbent and we have one
[3:46:52] vacancy.
[3:46:53] So this one we could move to a point all and we would still have a vacancy for applicant
[3:46:59] consumer of services or family member of consumer.
[3:47:03] move to a point all.
[3:47:05] I second that.
[3:47:06] Pay from motion with from council member Buchanan.
[3:47:10] And a second from council member Boyle.
[3:47:12] Was there any further discussion on this?
[3:47:17] Seeing none, can we do a roll call?
[3:47:19] Mary Buchanan.
[3:47:20] Yes.
[3:47:20] Ben Allen-Boss.
[3:47:23] Yes.
[3:47:24] Kayla Galloway.
[3:47:25] Yes.
[3:47:26] Just Karine Stra.
[3:47:27] Yes.
[3:47:28] John Scanlon.
[3:47:29] Yes.
[3:47:30] Mark Stremler.
[3:47:31] Yes.
[3:47:32] Elizabeth Boyle.
[3:47:33] Yes.
[3:47:33] Let the worker show that carries 7-0.
[3:47:37] The next is AB 2026-033 Appointments to Vacancies on the Justice Project Oversight and Planning
[3:47:42] Committee for various positions.
[3:47:45] We have three applicants, Tasha Thompson, Pamela Khan, and Corey Rees, or any of those applicants
[3:47:54] here in person are online, wish to speak to their application,
[3:48:00] giving them a second to
[3:48:02] do that.
[3:48:02] Had it looks like Tasha Thompson is incumbent is applying for criminal legal system user for one vacancy, Pamela Khan is an incumbent applying for the support of housing subject matter expert, where we have one vacancy, and then applicant for young adult aged 18 to 24, Corey Reese also the incumbent with one vacancy, so we can move to a point all of these folks this evening, and then we do still apparently have a vacancy for the behavioral health provider.
[3:48:26] I moved to a point applicants as described in the positions listed in the applicant list.
[3:48:32] Second.
[3:48:33] Hey, got a motion from Scanlan in a second from Buchanan.
[3:48:38] Seeing no further discussion, can we go ahead and do a roll call in the Mellibus?
[3:48:43] Absolutely.
[3:48:44] Kelly Galloway?
[3:48:45] Yes.
[3:48:46] Just Karinstra?
[3:48:47] Yes.
[3:48:48] John Scanlan?
[3:48:49] Yes.
[3:48:49] Mark Strunler?
[3:48:50] Yes.
[3:48:50] Elizabeth Boyle?
[3:48:51] Yes.
[3:48:52] Barry Buchanan?
[3:48:52] Yes.
[3:48:54] Okay.
[3:48:55] Let the record shows that is carried 7-0.
[3:48:59] Council member Scanlan, I will go ahead and delegate to you for this next one.
[3:49:04] Thank you.
[3:49:04] So this is AB 2026-034, appointments to vacancies on the Public Health Advisory Board.
[3:49:09] Applicants are Mike Cohen, Christina Spina, Allison Fontaine, Carl Isomac Daniel, Rachel Laguerity,
[3:49:16] Nathalie Nivens, Robin Phillips, Madison Debshover, Marcus D. Sidham, Ashley Thompson, Ben Twig,
[3:49:22] a millivator and sue things out. So we're taking this action as health board because per our code,
[3:49:26] it's health board and per state law, it's health board who makes this application. I am going to move
[3:49:31] that we postpone this. I am to our next meeting on January 27th for full council meeting. If there's
[3:49:37] a second, I can discuss that and explain why. Thank you for the second. So motion from Scanlan to
[3:49:43] postpone or next council meeting, second from councilor Boyle. Here's why. So you see how the applicant
[3:49:49] list here. Everybody's just listed as an applicant. And in all of our other
[3:49:54] committees we've just appointed to people are there for specific spots.
[3:50:00] I think we've kind of been doing things wrong with P have because our code in state law does say specific spots and it's a shall. There's only one other county that still has a public advisory board that's Clark County, they do it that way, where they appoint people to specific spots. So I think what we can do here is, and I've been in touch with staff on this is to work with Jill Nixon. What we'll do is we'll just reach back out to all the applicants and say, hey, can you check some boxes here? Which of these do you meet?
[3:50:28] And then we're insured that we are complying with state law and county code.
[3:50:34] And I think we can get that done in the next few days so that we meet our deadline by next week for the next meeting.
[3:50:43] So I'm committing to get that work done and work with staff to do that.
[3:50:49] Yes, Councilor Boyle.
[3:50:51] To clarify, so you'll have three spots, like I saw your list earlier.
[3:50:56] So it's it's they'll have to be like let's say three people for this this subject matter three or whatever the number is break down
[3:51:03] Yes, and in one of the conversations I had this week brought this up. I was speaking with
[3:51:08] Director Thomas Cuddy from Health and Community Services, and so for example, he pointed out we weren't quite sure
[3:51:14] There is a part of state law and that's mirrored in our county code that you have to have someone who has experience
[3:51:22] in
[3:51:22] in tribal communities or with tribal government.
[3:51:28] And we weren't clear just based on the applications
[3:51:29] if we had someone who met that.
[3:51:31] So there was a question and Pee had discussed this as well.
[3:51:34] Do we need to keep that spot open
[3:51:35] and potentially not fill it?
[3:51:37] And just the way we're doing things today,
[3:51:40] we wouldn't have that information.
[3:51:41] So I want to get counsel that information
[3:51:43] so we can make a well informed decision.
[3:51:47] Any other discussion on that motion?
[3:51:49] Totally makes sense.
[3:51:52] How many different like categories are there there are I had pulled up county code here at seven. So county code. This is
[3:52:05] Wachem County Code 24.01051, B4A, and then there's a list of seven.
[3:52:16] So the county code states, the board's composition shall include
[3:52:21] A members with expertise in and experience with health care, access, and quality.
[3:52:27] I'm pretty sure we'll have that one. Physical environment, including built and natural environments.
[3:52:31] I'm pretty sure we'll have that one too.
[3:52:33] Social and economic sectors, including housing, basic needs, education, and employment.
[3:52:37] The next one is business and philanthropy, next is communities that experience health
[3:52:41] inequities, the sixth item is government, and the seventh item is tribal communities and
[3:52:46] tribal government.
[3:52:47] It's the seventh item that we're not sure about if we have someone for that category, so
[3:52:52] we just want to be sure in case we need to leave us not open.
[3:52:58] So on the applications, it didn't specify those for these applicants.
[3:53:03] And what we do is we ask people to check a box,
[3:53:07] do you have experience in any of these, not which one?
[3:53:12] Now you can scour through the resumes and do that,
[3:53:16] but I think we can make it easier for all of us
[3:53:19] by just saying to asking our applicants,
[3:53:23] self-appoint, self-select into these spots
[3:53:25] and then we know we have filled those spots.
[3:53:28] So I think it's a matter of,
[3:53:31] one proposal is just to send an email out to the 12 applicants and ask them do you fill
[3:53:37] any of these? And I know a lot of these folks too and I can pick up the phone tomorrow
[3:53:42] morning and call a lot of them too. So we can gather information.
[3:53:49] Okay, any other discussion
[3:53:50] on the motion? I see the chair of PHAB would you, I would like to entertain a bit of discussion
[3:54:05] with the chair. I just wanted to offer my support in generally ensuring that we are in compliance with
[3:54:14] counting code. Because there happens to be seven slots in this sort of specificity of characteristics,
[3:54:26] But if you're going to designate a slot like the way that the Forestry Board was mentioned,
[3:54:32] I would not necessarily take it as a given that each of these items gets equal weight on the board,
[3:54:40] and that would need to be part of the consideration as you build specific roles.
[3:54:46] I don't necessarily have an opinion on what they should be right now,
[3:54:50] but I look for a departmenting with you to figure that out.
[3:54:53] Thank you, Chair McGarady.
[3:54:56] Councilor Kelly.
[3:54:58] And I have a question, too. Do we have kind of...
[3:55:00] We have a sense inventory of sitting PHA members who may also fall under those categories. We may have to do that who I did go back and look through their prior applications to see if that information is there, and it's very similar, so we may have to do that. But this is nearly 10 o'clock at night. I'd like to spend some time working with staff on this. Okay. Well, I'm sorry, I just added to your list of things to do. And just as far as making sure we're working this out.
[3:55:30] So PHAB doesn't meet again until February 3rd, which is when we all meet together.
[3:55:35] It's a joint meeting of the Health Board and PHAB.
[3:55:37] So if we get this done, the 27th will be good in time for that February 3rd meeting.
[3:55:45] Okay.
[3:55:46] I'm not seeing any other hands, so let's vote on the motion of postpone to our next council
[3:55:49] meeting.
[3:55:50] May the clerk please call the roll.
[3:55:52] Kayleigh Galloway.
[3:55:53] Yes.
[3:55:54] Jessica Reinstra.
[3:55:55] Yes.
[3:55:55] John Scanlon.
[3:55:56] Yes.
[3:55:57] Mark Strumler.
[3:55:58] Yes.
[3:55:58] Elizabeth Boyle.
[3:55:59] Yes.
[3:56:00] Yes.
[3:56:00] Mary Buchanan.
[3:56:01] Yes.
[3:56:02] Ben Ellenboss.
[3:56:03] Yes.
[3:56:04] Okay.
[3:56:04] Mother Buckford, show that Carey 7-0.
[3:56:10] Now back to our council.
[3:56:11] Now back to our council.
[3:56:12] And that was council acting as the health board, I think.
[3:56:17] Okay.
[3:56:18] 10 PM.
[3:56:19] I thought it was 10 AM.
[3:56:21] We're just starting, right?
[3:56:23] Okay.
[3:56:24] This next one is AB 2026-035 appointments to vacancies on the planning commission.
[3:56:28] the applicant is Elvin Scott Van Deit Dullin, Daelin, I was going to guess that I said it wrong
[3:56:35] the first. This is I'm not pulling up for me and incumbent I believe, right? Representing district
[3:56:43] four. Thank you for some reason my thing's not loading.
[3:56:47] Van Daelin didn't tip you off.
[3:56:51] I was going to guess four or five. I couldn't.
[3:56:55] I moved to a point, Alvin Scott-Vandellan.
[3:56:58] Second.
[3:56:59] Emotion by Scanlan, second by Reenstra, to a point.
[3:57:04] Okay.
[3:57:05] Further discussion?
[3:57:06] Councilmember Schumler?
[3:57:07] Yeah, I ran into Alvin this past Saturday morning at a breakfast.
[3:57:13] And I was impressed at how excited he is to continue this work,
[3:57:18] even after all of the meetings that the Planning Commission has
[3:57:23] done in the last six months, and he was fired up as anybody could be. I'm like,
[3:57:29] dude, way to go. Thank you for your service. So, I fully endorse Ellen.
[3:57:35] Awesome. Thank you.
[3:57:37] Thanks for Merlin Boss. You call him, Alvin? I did.
[3:57:43] Don't most people address him as Scott?
[3:57:47] I don't know. I've always called him Scott.
[3:57:53] keep a new on your toes. Well, it might go. I think he answers to either a generational thing. Maybe the older generation like yourself.
[3:58:03] I take that. God. That's fine. Experience.
[3:58:08] Legs. Yeah. Okay. Seeing no further discussion. Can we do a recall?
[3:58:14] Just Karinstra? Yes. Ron Scanlon? Yes. Nargströmmler? Yes. Elizabeth Boyle? Yes.
[3:58:20] Yes, very Buchanan. Yes. Van Allen-Boss. Yes. Kaley-Galloway. Yes.
[3:58:25] I'll direct show that. Carry 7-0. Last on our appointments is AB 2026-036 appointments
[3:58:32] to vacancies on the Solid Waste Advisory Committee for various positions. We've got two applicants,
[3:58:37] Ted Calls and Pinkie Vargas. I believe both are incumbents. I'm going to restart my
[3:58:42] I'll just wait here so I can get this pulled up.
[3:58:47] Emotion.
[3:58:47] Yeah, please do.
[3:58:48] I move to a point in applicants to the positions as described in the applicant list
[3:58:53] that's Carlson for the Waste Collection Industry Spot in Vargas for the Solid Waste
[3:58:57] Disposal Facilities Spot.
[3:58:59] Second.
[3:59:00] Okay, got motion by Scanlan and a second by Reinstra.
[3:59:03] Thank you.
[3:59:04] Okay, finally pulled up.
[3:59:07] Further discussion on this?
[3:59:08] Looks like we need to talk to Ag in Industry about getting involved.
[3:59:12] I don't know anybody in their industry.
[3:59:19] I'll say, is anybody we can volunteer this evening?
[3:59:23] Okay.
[3:59:24] Early brown.
[3:59:26] They're crumbling.
[3:59:27] There you go.
[3:59:29] Okay.
[3:59:32] No other hands.
[3:59:34] Can we do a roll call?
[3:59:36] John Scanlon.
[3:59:37] Yes.
[3:59:38] Mark Stremler.
[3:59:39] Yes.
[3:59:40] Elizabeth Boyle.
[3:59:41] Yes.
[3:59:41] Mary Buchanan.
[3:59:42] Yes.
[3:59:42] Ben Ellenboss.
[3:59:44] Yes.
[3:59:45] Kaley Galloway.
[3:59:46] Yes.
[3:59:47] Yes.
[3:59:47] Just Korean straw?
[3:59:48] Yes.
[3:59:49] I thought the record show that carries 7 to 0.
[3:59:53] Okay.
[3:59:54] We are now going to our item that was added by revision.
[3:59:57] That's AB 2026-0.
[4:00:00] Four, nine, resolution affirming the dignity and civil and human rights of our walk in county residents regardless of immigration or citizenship status. This was added January 12th, which was yesterday, 2026. We did not take action in committee, so I don't actually have a motion to read on behalf of committee, but I do believe we have some amendments that we want to go through. So maybe for the sake of that process, I could entertain a motion to approve. And then we can go into a
[4:00:29] So an amendment process.
[4:00:34] I moved to approve, I just want to make sure I'm doing the correct, there's a few versions, right?
[4:00:40] Yes, so move the current resolution and then we'll move to amend, so then upon approval we have the amended version.
[4:00:48] I think even in LegislStar, there's a substitute, so I move to approve the substitute resolution.
[4:00:55] The substitute includes all of the amendments.
[4:00:58] you prepared to, what do we want to do those one-on-one?
[4:01:07] I'll remove my motion.
[4:01:10] You don't have to remove it.
[4:01:13] Yeah, Kathy.
[4:01:14] The item into the record.
[4:01:16] Oh, I did.
[4:01:17] AB 2026-049 are resolution affirming the dignity and civil and human rights
[4:01:21] of all Wacom County residents, regardless of immigration or citizenship status.
[4:01:27] And so council member Scanlan, I think what I would entertain is that you
[4:01:31] So we make a motion to approve the resolution and then we would have a move to amend and we could consider each amendment independently.
[4:01:41] I'm saying as we have two items in here, so we need to choose which item we're starting from, correct?
[4:01:46] Right.
[4:01:47] So your proposals will start with.
[4:01:49] Start with our base and then make motions to amend and then approve as amended.
[4:01:53] Alright, I move that we approve the proposed resolution.
[4:01:58] Yes.
[4:01:58] Item one.
[4:01:59] Okay, we've got a motion to approve the resolution from Scanlon 2nd by Boyle.
[4:02:07] Okay, so now this is where our beautiful parliamentary procedure tree comes to be.
[4:02:13] So we've got a main motion, now we can move to a mend.
[4:02:17] So I
[4:02:21] do, I'm sorry, I've got so many sheets, I'm going to delegate those sheets to Mark.
[4:02:26] Okay, be careful because whatever I delegate next is going to be even more fun.
[4:02:32] Okay.
[4:02:36] So what I am going to have us do is pull up the substitute version for the sake of
[4:02:44] reviewing each amendment.
[4:02:56] So our first amendment shows up in the second to last whereas clause on
[4:03:00] page 1.
[4:03:04] So this would strike our foreign and insert were born outside of the United States.
[4:03:15] So the
[4:03:15] community survey approximately 22,000 of Wacom counties more than 230,000 residents were
[4:03:21] born outside of the United States.
[4:03:23] I would entertain a motion to amend.
[4:03:24] I moved to amend as described.
[4:03:27] Okay.
[4:03:28] And I have a motion by Sianlin and a second by Boyle discussion on this.
[4:03:35] Okay.
[4:03:35] Seeing none, can we do a roll call?
[4:03:36] Mark Strumler.
[4:03:40] Yes.
[4:03:41] Elizabeth Boyle.
[4:03:43] Yes.
[4:03:43] Barry Buchanan.
[4:03:44] Yes.
[4:03:44] Ben Elliboss.
[4:03:46] Here.
[4:03:47] Bailey Galloway.
[4:03:48] Yes.
[4:03:48] Yes, just Karinstra.
[4:03:50] Yes, Ron Scanlon.
[4:03:51] Yes.
[4:03:52] Okay, let the record show that amendment passes 7-0.
[4:03:55] The next amendment would be on page two,
[4:04:00] with the whereas the Keep Washington Working Act prevents
[4:04:03] it would insert the word all local law enforcement from,
[4:04:07] so this was a clarification since this law pertains
[4:04:10] to both city and county.
[4:04:15] I move to amend as described by Council Member Galloway.
[4:04:17] Okay. Got a motion by Scanlan to drive a second. Second. Second by Boyle. Okay. So I know
[4:04:27] there were members of the community who would request some additional amendments around
[4:04:30] this particular wording. I will share the legal advice on this one was to not move forward
[4:04:42] with that proposed amendment language as they didn't.
[4:04:50] Chris, I don't know if you want to say
[4:04:51] what you, but it wasn't their interpretation of the Keep Washington Working Act. So we just
[4:04:57] wanted to keep this language clean and simple.
[4:05:02] Chris, can I help fail me out on that one? Okay, for us here is office. I wasn't the attorney in the office advising, so I believe it was Kimberly. Okay.
[4:05:14] Okay. So yeah,
[4:05:18] so I think there were just some legal concerns about. So again, I'm just, I'm not trying to say that to confuse what we're doing now, but I just wanted for those who had presented some proposed feedback on that section, that that would be the, that would be the rationale for why we would, we were not moving.
[4:05:37] forward with it. Did they have concerns with just the bulleted section? There wasn't suggestion
[4:05:44] to add additional bullet points around engaging or assisting in civil immigration enforcement
[4:05:54] and sharing non-public personal information about an individual with immigration authorities.
[4:06:01] And again, I wish Kimberly was the one who did render that legal and I don't
[4:06:06] I wish you were here to say in her own words because I just I don't feel like I can do justice on the I
[4:06:15] think that comes so concerned around the accuracy and the the broadness of that language.
[4:06:25] So
[4:06:27] I think Kimberly felt that retaining the existing for bullet points was
[4:06:37] the more accurate account of the key Washington working act.
[4:06:40] Chris,
[4:06:48] I don't know if we can share Kimberly's document with you if you wanted to give it a quick review and just confirm that my interpretation of legal's interpretation is an accurate one.
[4:06:59] I'm actually trying to track down the emails right now.
[4:07:04] Here.
[4:07:06] Yes, sir.
[4:07:06] I think we have a motion on the table only to vote on the word all.
[4:07:10] Yeah, so let's do that.
[4:07:11] Use that motion and see if there are any additional motions.
[4:07:14] Yeah, sounds great.
[4:07:16] Okay, get back to my, okay, we're with a motion from Scanlan, a second from Boyle.
[4:07:22] Not seeing any other hands on this, can we do a roll call?
[4:07:25] Elizabeth Boyle?
[4:07:26] Yes.
[4:07:27] Mary Buchanan?
[4:07:28] Yes.
[4:07:29] Van Allen-Boss?
[4:07:30] Sure, I believe that to be true.
[4:07:33] Kaley Galloway?
[4:07:34] Yes.
[4:07:34] Jessica Reinstra?
[4:07:36] Yes.
[4:07:36] John Scanlan?
[4:07:38] Mark Stremler?
[4:07:45] Yes.
[4:07:47] Hey, that carries 7-0.
[4:07:49] Our
[4:07:58] next amendment that received, what I believe to be legal's sign-off, was this additional
[4:08:09] whereas clause that I'll read into the record and I'll note, Kirsten, my third bullet point
[4:08:16] I'm going to be correcting a scrivener there to requiring, so I'm going to read that out loud
[4:08:21] if you don't mind changing that to requiring.
[4:08:23] So, whereas Washington State passed the courts open to all COTA Act in 2020, which protects individuals' access to justice by prohibiting warrantless civil-immigration-abestant courts, prohibiting court staff and prosecutors from using state and local justice resources to report people for federal immigration enforcement, unless required by law, necessary for an act of criminal investigation or done pursuant to valid court order or warrant and requiring
[4:08:53] courts to collect data on the surveillance by immigration agents of courthouses in Washington.
[4:09:03] Okay, and then I think my only other scriveners, would that be a comma after each bullet,
[4:09:09] a comma, and, or would it be semi-colons?
[4:09:14] I think it's commas. So a comma after the first bullet,
[4:09:17] a comma, and after the second bullet, can
[4:09:23] I always get my grammatical bullet point rules mixed up?
[4:09:29] Okay. So that would be the entertained motion to add that whereas clause as presented.
[4:09:37] I moved to add the whereas clause as presented.
[4:09:40] Okay, go the second. Second.
[4:09:43] Okay, I've got a motion by Scanlan and a second by Boyle, was there any discussion on this?
[4:09:51] Chair?
[4:09:52] Yes.
[4:09:52] I am just noting we didn't do that same scurvener with the previous.
[4:09:57] the K to the library act we don't
[4:10:00] I don't have the, do you want to add that in? I think we're waiting to get. Okay. There you go. That's Scrivener. So we just did that. Good. Thank you.
[4:10:10] Okay. I'm not seeing any other further discussion on this. Can we do a question? Yes. Council Member Ellen Bus. I don't know much about this. Legal is this true. Is this a true statement, the whereas about the code act or any of the statements false or misleading?
[4:10:27] It's our meeting.
[4:10:29] Brandon Watt and County prosecutors,
[4:10:30] is a council member.
[4:10:32] Ellen Boss, I'm reviewing Kimberly Touline's review.
[4:10:37] And she is signed off on the proposed language, as amended.
[4:10:41] And with that, like, we'll say that she's satisfied that it is based on her legal review that does comply with state local and federal law.
[4:10:54] Is she meeting me?
[4:10:57] Okay, not saying any other hands, can we do Ruckel?
[4:11:02] Beary Buchanan?
[4:11:03] Yes.
[4:11:04] Ben Allen-Boss?
[4:11:06] Hmm.
[4:11:07] Kaley Galloway?
[4:11:08] Yes.
[4:11:08] Jessica Reinstra?
[4:11:10] Yes.
[4:11:10] John Scamlin?
[4:11:11] Yes.
[4:11:11] Mark Stremler?
[4:11:13] Yes.
[4:11:13] Elizabeth Boyle?
[4:11:14] Yes.
[4:11:20] Okay.
[4:11:21] The next amendments in green, these were at the request of executives to do.
[4:11:30] These were to delete.
[4:11:32] the whereas clauses, I don't know if there's a way to get all of them on one screen. Delete
[4:11:40] the whereas, two whereas clauses that reference the Racial Equity Commission's action guide
[4:11:46] and reference to the Racial Equity Commission and the BIT further resolved.
[4:11:54] Did the executives
[4:11:55] of office wish to speak to this proposed request?
[4:12:01] Yeah, thanks, Kaila Schrapper-Sler, deputy executive.
[4:12:04] I think the intent behind the request was to sort of think about the community impact
[4:12:11] and outcomes and statement trying to make here with the resolution rather than attach ourselves
[4:12:16] to the work of a particular committee that was the intent of the executive's request.
[4:12:22] So I do not wish to move forward with this amendment. I don't know if other council members
[4:12:28] feel differently, but if you wish to make a motion to amend in this way, the floor is yours.
[4:12:47] I'm not hearing from anybody.
[4:12:51] I guess I'll just speak so I have been the council's representative
[4:12:55] on the Racial Equity Commission now since its inception and before that I think Council
[4:13:00] of Buchanan and I served on the pre-REC-REC.
[4:13:07] And I've just been incredibly impressed with their work in the last couple years and this
[4:13:16] action guide I think is such an incredible community resource.
[4:13:21] and with really tangible, I think maybe even better than most anything else I've ever seen.
[4:13:28] Very tangible action steps that individuals can take. Local governments can take.
[4:13:33] State legislators can take. Federal elected can take. I mean, it's just really amazing work.
[4:13:38] So I would like to honor that body to work by referencing it in this resolution.
[4:13:42] So that's why I will be supporting the retention of this language.
[4:13:48] Any further discussion? Council Member Reenstra.
[4:13:51] Thank you for that Chair. I agree with that. I was just wondering if there's anywhere previous to the abbreviation of REC word is actually spelled out in this document.
[4:14:03] Yes, in the bottom of page two, the last whereas clause.
[4:14:08] Thank you.
[4:14:09] Does spell it out, but that's a good catch because it's good that we don't use acronyms without defining them.
[4:14:16] Okay. The next, um,
[4:14:20] I'll remember Galway. Yes, sir.
[4:14:22] So I'm just going to take the second green one that's up there on the list.
[4:14:25] And it says, where is the YREC action guide calls on city governments,
[4:14:29] county governments and the justice system to exhaust all legal recourse
[4:14:33] to protect the county's population from negative impacts of ICE actions.
[4:14:40] So what if we rephrase that to say,
[4:14:44] Whereas councilmember Ellenboss calls on all city governments, county governments, and the justice system to exhaust all legal
[4:14:51] recourse to protect the county's population from negative impacts of planning and planning and development services actions.
[4:15:00] Are you guys going to support me in a statement like that? You probably wouldn't because, in your opinion, planning and development services is doing good work. So like, it's just this, this, this whole thing, like I agree, we need to be able to have a conversation and come to conclusions where we can make all of our neighbors feel safe. But there's people out there that feel that feel like
[4:15:29] following the rule of law does make them safe. So like all I see here is this safety at the expense of this safety or you know outrage over this action, but no outrage over or over another action.
[4:15:47] And so like I stated earlier, all I see here is someone yelling their position louder.
[4:15:56] And I think that, you know, one of the things that I said earlier was like are the best way to just brush someone off as to demonize or villainize them by name calling and I think executives to do illustrated my point precisely at the end of our last meeting.
[4:16:20] So, you know, why don't you guys just get this thing where you want it and ram it down our throats, but I'm not going to support it because I don't think it.
[4:16:29] I don't think it does anything to help that public conversation and the understanding of both sides of this issue. I think it just screams louder your position.
[4:16:43] and I don't know that that's well received by everyone.
[4:16:46] And also, way outside of our purview as a council,
[4:16:52] I'm not saying we don't have to care and that we can't tackle issues,
[4:16:56] but this has already been established that it doesn't change anything.
[4:17:01] And I'm voting yes on all of these facts that are laid out and these warehouses
[4:17:05] because they're truthful statements, but package the way it does,
[4:17:09] I think it, I think it tries to vilify certain positions and I think it ratchets up the community conversation.
[4:17:17] I don't think it's productive to solve the state at goal.
[4:17:22] And so it's already 10 o'clock.
[4:17:26] Just hurry and get it where you want it.
[4:17:28] I'm just going to stay on everything else.
[4:17:31] And then I'll vote no on it and we can move on.
[4:17:38] I appreciate the conversation to the discussion, but I do think it's important not to conflate
[4:17:45] the notes earlier by the executive to the resolution that was written by council members.
[4:17:51] I am struggling to understand.
[4:17:54] I'm definitely wanting to listen in here that you, I believe, correct me if I'm wrong.
[4:17:59] You feel like this is very vilifying.
[4:18:00] I'm not as name-calling as putting people down.
[4:18:02] I see this as a document that states our support and protection for a group that has over and over again stated that they feel unsafe here, which we have done and taken action on other groups who are also feeling unsafe and need for security in the community.
[4:18:18] So I'm just a little bit concerned on the conflation there.
[4:18:22] but to my point, there are people that feel unsafe. I feel like she was looking at me and asking me a question. So I was just responding.
[4:18:33] I don't disagree. I don't disagree at all that there's groups that feel unsafe because of the actions of ICE.
[4:18:40] I don't, I also don't disagree that it would scare me too, right?
[4:18:48] But there are some realities of how we end up in this situation,
[4:18:52] none of which are probably our faults, and we would probably do differently.
[4:18:58] However, we, and just like the public comment we heard tonight,
[4:19:03] a lot of pieces of this conversation are omitted.
[4:19:06] A lot of facts of this conversation are omitted,
[4:19:09] and they're not addressed in this resolution.
[4:19:12] They were omitted from the public comment.
[4:19:15] And quite honestly, only serve to ratchet,
[4:19:20] do that ratcheting.
[4:19:22] That like I'm all about having an honest conversation.
[4:19:27] The problem is, is when we start saying,
[4:19:29] calling you a racist because you're honest
[4:19:31] about your position or whatever, that's where we don't have.
[4:19:34] That's where we end up ratcheting this thing up
[4:19:37] to a level that isn't productive and like I said, you can argue all you want that this isn't
[4:19:43] doing that, but people read this and that's how they perceive it. And if you look at the emails
[4:19:49] that we're getting and read what letter, where are we in the letter here?
[4:19:55] and ram it down on the throw. 5-2. This will be good.
[4:19:58] Okay, I'm sorry.
[4:20:00] I think- It's could go on all night. You could just keep- We could keep voting on that. Okay. Council Member Alamos, I think you made your point. Well, thank you. Council Member Scanlon. Can you scroll down to the next item and blue? I'll see. So I'd like- I move that we amend this second last be it further resolved as proposed in the screen changing from a bilingual to multi-lingual on both lines there. I've got a motion by Scanlon. Do I have a second?
[4:20:29] second by Boyle. Any discussion on this amendment?
[4:20:37] Okay. Seeing none can we do Rokal?
[4:20:44] I'm sorry. Rokal? Yeah so we have now amended the
[4:20:51] I have it. It's a result statement to read multilingual and both locations rather than bilingual.
[4:20:59] And who seconded? I'm sorry. Gammon motion, Boyle second. Thank you very much. Ben Ellenboss.
[4:21:05] Yes.
[4:21:05] Stay.
[4:21:07] Kalahgallway.
[4:21:08] Yes.
[4:21:09] Joss Kareenstra.
[4:21:10] Yes.
[4:21:11] John Scamlin.
[4:21:11] Yes.
[4:21:12] Mark Strumler.
[4:21:13] No.
[4:21:13] Elizabeth Boyle.
[4:21:15] Yes.
[4:21:15] Barry Buchanan.
[4:21:16] Yes.
[4:21:17] Can that motion carries 5 to 1 with 1 abstention?
[4:21:23] Councilmember Strumler?
[4:21:25] Yeah.
[4:21:25] I move that we strike the be it further resolved by the
[4:21:35] deportation activities on or adjacent to county property by federal law
[4:21:41] enforcement agencies. As soon as I read this that all kinds of red flags go up
[4:21:48] and it doesn't always matter what intent there is but like I said this afternoon
[4:21:55] county property they're all over the county and all those properties have adjacent
[4:22:03] and properties, so I think this particular paragraph is out of line.
[4:22:14] Okay, do we have a second for the motion?
[4:22:22] Not hearing a second.
[4:22:29] Do we want to move?
[4:22:31] Council Member Boyle?
[4:22:33] Do I have to second before I ask a question around it to first to discuss that piece?
[4:22:37] I'll second it so that we can discuss.
[4:22:38] Okay.
[4:22:41] So we got a motion by Council Member Schumler and a second by Council Member Boyle to strike
[4:22:46] the be it further resolve statement by the Walk and County Council that Walk and County
[4:22:49] condemns the pursuit of arrest and deportation activities on or adjacent to county property
[4:22:53] by federal law enforcement agencies. Go for it, Councilmember Boyle.
[4:22:56] I'm just curious what language you might feel more comfortable with. Like I understand what you're
[4:23:00] saying is that basically it could be everywhere, but this is a very important part of the conversation.
[4:23:05] So is there some way to clarify that you might feel more comfortable with?
[4:23:12] I've been thinking about that and I've tried to come up with other language.
[4:23:21] And at this point, no, I couldn't come up with anything creative that I was comfortable with, so.
[4:23:32] Any
[4:23:41] further discussion?
[4:23:42] Councilmember Sianlin?
[4:23:44] I'm trying to pull up the text of the Courts Open to All Act, but there is an item in that state legislation that does relate to this.
[4:23:55] So one of the items in that state law is no person shall be subject to civil arrest without a judicial arrest warrant or judicial order for arrest while traveling to a court of law in this state for the purpose of participating in any judicial proceeding accessing services or conducting other business with the court or
[4:24:20] Or we're traveling or returning home to employment after participating in any judicial proceeding.
[4:24:25] Accessing services are conducting a business at the court.
[4:24:28] So I think that's where this applies here in state law.
[4:24:32] And so given testimony we've heard tonight, there's been news articles about this, about people being detained near this building, near Billingham Municipal Court.
[4:24:44] So that's where I think that this would apply this item here in the resolution in the link to state law.
[4:24:55] Thank you for their discussion.
[4:24:58] I just-
[4:24:59] Cancel them.
[4:25:00] So how could this not apply to somebody who owns property next to, well, you name the county property. And they live adjacent to a county property is. So now those are all off limits also. I don't know if we can,
[4:25:32] I don't know if we can dictate.
[4:25:33] that on other people's property.
[4:25:39] Councilmember Buchanan.
[4:25:41] Councilmember Scallon, you just took a look at the state law.
[4:25:44] Does the state law in your mind provide the kind of protection that we really are looking
[4:25:50] for and that's the courts and maybe we wouldn't need that statement in the resolution because
[4:25:57] we've already referenced the law and the law does state.
[4:26:02] I'm just, I don't have an opportunity, I'm just wondering if it's, if there's enough there enough to satisfy y'all
[4:26:13] perhaps I think there sound like there's sort of three options, one would be striking it, one would be perhaps amending it to be more specific in citation of the state law, which would specifically refer to business with the courts.
[4:26:33] or the version as written is probably the broadest of it, and could be construed to counsel,
[4:26:45] expressing our concerns frankly around folks who are accessing any county service.
[4:26:51] It wouldn't be just that the courthouse could be in other locations.
[4:26:57] Councilmember Reinsra.
[4:26:58] Yeah, I think that art is incredibly important to me, especially seeing the impact with
[4:27:03] healthcare and I'm sure there's many, many other services, but for me, with those three
[4:27:09] options, it's important to me to keep this.
[4:27:11] Yeah.
[4:27:12] I think the way I'm also thinking about East County, for example, which we do, I think,
[4:27:17] have a sizable immigrant population out in East County, accessing services at the East
[4:27:21] Walkham Regional Resource Center.
[4:27:22] Yes.
[4:27:23] I know sometimes state agencies table there to provide maybe it's helping people sign up for social security disability or Medicaid or Medicare, other services.
[4:27:37] So I and I recall I think that's I know that's managed by the parks, it's county property, I think.
[4:27:42] But that, again, may be that perhaps would be covered under the current language, probably
[4:27:51] not covered under an amended version that just cited the courthouse.
[4:27:59] And sorry.
[4:28:01] Yeah.
[4:28:01] Councilmember Meister.
[4:28:02] I'm going to clarify.
[4:28:02] The language was already like this specific language had been approved by legal as well.
[4:28:07] This had been reviewed.
[4:28:09] Yeah.
[4:28:09] I can really review it and I don't see any legal, Chris, can you confirm that this particular sentence didn't have any legal?
[4:28:25] Yeah, I just can, Chris Quinn, walking County Prosecutor's Office just in consultant with Kirsten here, she indicates that Kim has signed off on that.
[4:28:34] With that said, would Council entertain a suggestion from legal at this point, just related to the language, just a suggestion, but you could always go forth and set out your clear, counsel's clear support of Coda, the state law and what the state law provides for.
[4:28:55] It would necessarily have the same effect that it sounds like councils going for it, at least put the discussions going for it.
[4:29:03] So by expressly supporting what's provided for by state law, by supporting the restrictions, the limitations placed, or the protections afforded by state law.
[4:29:13] Again, it's an affirmative way of addressing the issue that's being discussed here.
[4:29:19] I just throw that out there.
[4:29:20] I
[4:29:25] hear that, but I'm curious that we would miss the opportunity so we would miss any
[4:29:30] other services that people are trying to access if we did just CODA.
[4:29:36] Yeah, and I guess what stimulated my thought there with what Chris was saying is, so
[4:29:42] in the two resolve statements below that where we talk about remaining committed to ongoing
[4:29:48] compliance with state law, keep Washington working act, we could insert something
[4:29:54] like that, it furthers all the walk and county council that walk and county remains committed
[4:29:59] to ongoing-
[4:30:08] So there's a connection there kind of demonstrating our interest. Chris, I'm sorry, was that kind of aligned with what you were saying?
[4:30:18] It condemns actions in contravention to those, I'm sorry, in contravention to those
[4:30:24] expressed provisions of state law, right?
[4:30:28] So you're condemning those actions which violate or
[4:30:30] violative of the state law that were just passing here.
[4:30:36] So I feel that that would be its own amendment.
[4:30:40] So let's dispose of the motion to amend on the on for consideration at this moment, which
[4:30:45] was to strike that resolved statement.
[4:30:50] All just by itself.
[4:30:52] Yeah, so your current motion is to strike
[4:30:53] that entire resolve statement.
[4:30:56] Okay, was there any further discussion
[4:30:58] on the amendment to strike?
[4:31:01] Okay, seeing none, can we do a roll call?
[4:31:05] Kayleigh Galloway?
[4:31:06] No.
[4:31:07] Just Karine Strat?
[4:31:08] No.
[4:31:09] John Scanlon?
[4:31:10] Mark Stremler?
[4:31:11] Yes.
[4:31:12] Elizabeth Boyle?
[4:31:13] No.
[4:31:13] Barry Buchanan?
[4:31:15] Ben Ellenboss?
[4:31:15] Yes.
[4:31:19] Okay. The amendment fails. Two to five. Okay.
[4:31:32] Chris, with your proposed language,
[4:31:36] would we retain the sort of intended,
[4:31:43] a wider applicability to our sort of proclaimed
[4:31:54] on this? Is there a way to reference Coda in this? I don't, I'm sorry, is that even the right?
[4:32:02] The courts open to all act? Is there a way to reference that in this resolved statement but to retain sort of the rest of the language as it's been written?
[4:32:15] Councilmember, Chris Quinn-Walking County Prosecutors Office, I'm sorry, it's getting
[4:32:18] a little bit late and I was having a little bit difficulty following you there.
[4:32:25] I think I'd have to review the proposed language quite frankly.
[4:32:29] Okay.
[4:32:31] So I think given it the state, my preference would to be retain this language, proceed with
[4:32:40] an amendment that would add the and reference to the courts open to all act in the subsequent
[4:32:44] resolve statement at this point because I mean we're not going to get, I don't think we can
[4:32:51] do much more new at this point. So Council Member Scanlon.
[4:32:55] I move to amend the resolution as presented on the screen there. So this is that final
[4:33:03] be it for the result on this page. Okay. So that the texts it's in yellow,
[4:33:07] the deletions in the texts it's in blue. Okay. So I got a motion from Scanlon to
[4:33:12] of a second.
[4:33:13] Okay.
[4:33:15] I'm going to give that to Reenstra, sorry, share in the love.
[4:33:19] Okay, so that new, whereas that new, be it for the resolve statement, would read, be it
[4:33:23] for the resolve by the Walkham County Council that the Walkham County remains committed to
[4:33:26] ongoing compliance with the Keep Washington Working Act and the Courts Open to All Act and
[4:33:30] reminds the County Sheriff, Prosecutor, and their staff to refrain from coordinating or assisting
[4:33:35] Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or other relevant
[4:33:38] federal agencies on immigration or adjacent related law enforcement activities.
[4:33:43] Okay, come over here and go for it. I'd like to speak to this real quick. You know,
[4:33:46] I was having a conversation with my wife last night and she asked me,
[4:33:50] wait, I was talking with her about the keep washing and working act and she's like, why is that?
[4:33:54] Why would we not want local law enforcement doing this work? And I asked her, do you know how many
[4:33:59] county sheriffs deputies are on duty at night?
[4:34:07] Yeah, we saw the number in the back.
[4:34:09] I need those folks to be doing their job and it's our local law enforcement.
[4:34:15] We have a federal government, we have state government, we have county government, we
[4:34:19] have city government, they all have their roles and responsibilities, enforcing federal
[4:34:24] law in this manner according to Washington state law is a federal responsibility.
[4:34:30] If the federal government can't fully fund the operation, that's the fault of Congress
[4:34:35] and the President of the United States,
[4:34:37] not the Wacom County Council.
[4:34:40] I fully support our sheriff's department
[4:34:43] in doing what they do.
[4:34:45] We're gonna have conversations this year
[4:34:46] about how to support them even more.
[4:34:48] We just gave them a new office.
[4:34:50] We're building new facilities to support them
[4:34:53] and the work that they do.
[4:34:55] And so, that's why that law is the way it is
[4:34:59] and that's why...
[4:35:00] I want them to keep doing their job. They have a lot of work to do. They don't need any other work. Okay, for their discussion. Okay, seeing them, can we do roll call on this amendment? Just Karinstra? Yes. John Scanlon? Yes. Mark Stremler? No. Elizabeth Boyle? Yes. Barry Buchanan? Yes. Van Ellenbus? No. Kaley Galloway? Yes. That motion carries five to two.
[4:35:29] Okay. Final amendment.
[4:35:31] Councilmember Scanlon. Last one, this is the last be it finally resolved
[4:35:38] adding in the text here in blue.
[4:35:45] Okay, I've got a motion from Councilmember Scanlon
[4:35:47] to amend the be it finally resolved to read be it finally resolved by the
[4:35:50] walking county council that walking county strives to cultivate a community where
[4:35:53] all individuals are free have equal protection and are provided due process
[4:35:56] under the law and are safe to live their lives and pursue their personal
[4:35:59] familial educational and economic goals without fear of surveillance,
[4:36:02] harassment, intimidation, injury, abduction, or death.
[4:36:05] Do you have a second?
[4:36:06] Second.
[4:36:07] Seconded by Boyle.
[4:36:09] Yes, please.
[4:36:10] Yes.
[4:36:11] Councilmember Scammon.
[4:36:11] We had someone who came tonight who I thought was very brave.
[4:36:17] A lot of people were very brave tonight telling their stories,
[4:36:19] pouring their help, hearts out to us.
[4:36:21] I'm so many different issues.
[4:36:23] And we had the person I am going through my notes here
[4:36:29] to find the story, but it was the person who talked with us about being detained without
[4:36:39] a warrant. Yeah. That's abduction.
[4:36:45] That's why I think we need this in here.
[4:36:49] Okay. For the discussion, Councilmember Schrammer.
[4:36:53] Yeah, I can't help but wonder if our sheriff's department if there was, you know, a significant event going on and
[4:37:03] Let's say there was federal law enforcement in the area doing something and they need it and our sheriff's department needed some help
[4:37:11] But
[4:37:14] they called on to fit, you know the federal law enforcement
[4:37:19] You know, I mean it can it can go both ways
[4:37:23] what would we hope the response would be would we hope it would be yeah we'll come and help you guys
[4:37:35] whatever's going on or would we want them to say nope nope hands off you guys handle it not our
[4:37:47] deal right
[4:37:51] you can go both ways Sheriff
[4:37:57] Tanksley I saw you pop on would you wish to comment on that
[4:38:01] Yes, absolutely. I would thanks for having me. I'm sheriff tanksley sheriff of walkin county and it's 10 40 and I've been hanging with you guys all night. I
[4:38:14] mean, so we work with our federal partners every single day on
[4:38:21] criminal
[4:38:22] investigations
[4:38:24] There was a law passed in 2019 to call the keep washing and work and act we adhere to that law
[4:38:31] And on January 23rd, 2025, I wrote a letter to the community, forwarded the letter to the council about the Keep Washington Working Act and the relationship that Wacom County Sheriff's Office has with regard to ensuring we're in compliance with that act.
[4:39:00] I've had a conversation, had a meeting last month with the Washington State Attorney General's Office about the Keep Washington Working Act and what we can and what we cannot do.
[4:39:13] So I'll say that councilmember Stremler is exactly right.
[4:39:20] that if there was a critical incident, we would respond to help them.
[4:39:27] There has been critical incidents here in Wacom County that our federal partners have responded to during the recent floods.
[4:39:37] I like to add that I'm sure a lot of people have seen the footage of the driver of a tractor trailer.
[4:39:48] being stranded and a huge tractor, a former came in, but the people that was on that tractor were higher.
[4:40:06] So, yes, we do work with them, but it's very clear with them and us in terms of what we can and can't do. I meet with the heads of our federal partners to talk about expectations, what we will and won't do. So, I think it's very clear here in Washington County, what local law enforcement can and cannot do.
[4:40:32] with them. And certainly, we have a participated in any immigration activity with our federal partners.
[4:40:44] So, yeah, I mean, it's just apples and oranges what we can and cannot do.
[4:40:53] Council Member Scamon.
[4:40:55] Chair Tanksley, thank you so much for that. I don't know if you caught it earlier, but I did
[4:41:01] comment on your comment earlier today, and one of the things I said is that our federal partners
[4:41:08] who helped out, and I was there. I was with you in the EOC, right, watching those videos. They
[4:41:13] are here as that day. I thank them for what they did, saving people in our county, and I would
[4:41:18] fully expect them to do that again no matter what we do tonight, because they're professionals
[4:41:23] and your team are professionals, and we can separate things out, right? We have our state laws
[4:41:29] in place about what we work with our federal partners on and in the items that we don't work with them on and so I would expect people to be professionals and when there's a request for help that they say yes and in vice versa.
[4:41:46] But for keep watching and working at and code up.
[4:41:52] Yeah, and certainly I knew that we all have our own roles, but I can assure you and it's my testimony that the sheriff's office does not need a reminder of the law, so we certainly will abide by the law.
[4:42:12] So, I know your resolution says to remind the Sheriff's Office and the law that was passed in 2019 is a stark reminder.
[4:42:22] Thank you.
[4:42:24] Oh,
[4:42:28] yes, Chris.
[4:42:29] Ms. Quinn-Walkham County Prosecutors Office.
[4:42:32] And just to follow up on the concerns that were expressed by Councilmember Stremor and the comments just made by the sheriff.
[4:42:39] If I did have a chance to look at one of those paragraphs that be further resolved and
[4:42:45] Sheriff just referred to this, I think there could be a perception that that's a directive
[4:42:53] from Council to the Prosecutor's Office as an elected official on the Sheriff's Office.
[4:42:58] I'm not sure if that's Council's intention, but it could be read as, hey, we're reminding
[4:43:03] you to follow the law.
[4:43:06] If it's Council's intention to say, our hope is that you will follow the law.
[4:43:12] That would be one thing that shows your intent.
[4:43:15] But this is kind of written a little bit broadly.
[4:43:20] It's basically says remind you not to cooperate with the federal.
[4:43:25] And there are going to be lots of situations where we have to by law and should be cooperating.
[4:43:30] So I do just draw that to your attention if that's something you want to potentially work on.
[4:43:36] There are situations where we have to work with them by law.
[4:43:41] And that wouldn't allow for those sorts of exceptions.
[4:43:44] So I do just bring that to your attention.
[4:43:46] Again, one, you shouldn't be directing them.
[4:43:50] If this is a statement of your intent.
[4:43:53] And two, as the sheriff indicates, you know, there are lots of situations where both those entities will be cooperating with the federal.
[4:43:59] We'll look at role enforcement.
[4:44:04] Okay, let's dispel the motion on the table, which is amending the final resolve statement.
[4:44:10] But as we do that, let's think maybe about a different verb that might feel better than remind.
[4:44:15] If that's the tickle point.
[4:44:18] Okay.
[4:44:20] The motion on the table from councilmember Scanlan and seconded by boil is to amend the final resolve statement as presented here on the screen.
[4:44:28] is there any further discussion on this amendment?
[4:44:34] Okay. Seeing them can we do roll call? John Scanlon? Yes. Mark Strömler? No. Elizabeth Boyle? Yes. Mary Buchanan? Yes. Ben Ellenboss? No. Kayla Galloway? Yes. Jessica Reinstra? Yes.
[4:44:48] That motion carries 5-2. Okay. Going back to the last resolved statement on page 3.
[4:45:07] Chris, do you think encourages, gets back to a better spot or we could say and supports the county sheriff prosecutor and their staff to continue refraining from coordinating or how we want this to be like a friendly, like we support your continued upholdence of these state laws. If that's the intent, what is your preferred verb?
[4:45:34] Well, really, the Chris Quinn-Walking County Prosecutors' Office, I guess the questions
[4:45:38] best posed to the council, what is the statement that you want to make here?
[4:45:43] Well, I think some of us felt really, and I'd be specific, felt very uncomfortable by
[4:45:53] some of the media coverage around and activity that took place up in Linden that showed county
[4:46:00] county sheriffs in support of ICE agents in taking a law enforcement activity, presumably
[4:46:12] an immigration one, maybe there were other legal issues there too.
[4:46:18] So we kind of just want to make sure that we are,
[4:46:23] you know, that we're being cautious
[4:46:25] about how we're coordinating with our federal law enforcement agencies right now so that
[4:46:31] it's consistent with our fiduciary responsibility to our local communities and serving our local
[4:46:36] communities and how we invest our local dollars and maybe those actions are reimbursed by the
[4:46:43] federal agencies and maybe that's a decision we need to have a conversation about.
[4:46:50] But I think I don't want to speak for councilmember Scanlan but I think that was kind of the spirit
[4:46:55] behind, behind that one, is yours different than that?
[4:46:59] I think encourages is good because it's not directive.
[4:47:03] We use encourage often when we're talking with
[4:47:07] other independently elected offices via resolution.
[4:47:10] Okay.
[4:47:13] Council member Ellen Boss.
[4:47:15] Yeah. Did we ever seek to find understanding
[4:47:18] from the people involved in those situations before we took this action?
[4:47:23] Like, did anybody reach out to Chief Tanksley
[4:47:25] and ask about it. So, like, it's my understanding that there are warrants in that situation. So,
[4:47:33] are we just advocating for complete lawlessness here? I mean, I feel for anyone who has to be,
[4:47:40] you know, be a single parent because their partner is, you know, taken from them by police, but I think
[4:47:49] that it's a fairly common occurrence that when you commit certain crimes, you raise your child
[4:47:55] by yourself if that's the partner you pick regardless of whether I caress them the sheriff's
[4:48:00] department, the FBI, or whoever. So like, I would love for these things to seek understanding more
[4:48:11] so than just like scream your position and that's all I got. Yeah. And I think the sheriff did provide
[4:48:24] context for that incident. And I think perhaps there was some additional
[4:48:30] out-community outreach, maybe, to share if I don't know what you want to speak to
[4:48:34] on that. I think optically, again, what do you like to say, the Court of Public
[4:48:42] opinion, optically seeing that imagery might spook community members and threaten the
[4:48:57] trust they have in their local law enforcement. So I think that's just where we're just trying
[4:49:02] to be strategic and thoughtful about how we coordinate with these agencies when I guess
[4:49:11] Yes, maybe this is the conspiracy theorist in me, but I mean, I'm concerned that we could
[4:49:15] be told one thing and then something else totally different happens.
[4:49:19] So how do we know that we're not being told, yeah, we're going to issue a warrant and then
[4:49:26] frame it as something maybe different than it is.
[4:49:29] And I just want to make sure that we aren't getting caught up in that.
[4:49:35] So share it, thankfully.
[4:49:36] I don't, I'm sorry.
[4:49:37] I don't mean to be asserting my own sort of like concerns, maybe these aren't real yet or
[4:49:44] but I think that's where I just want to make sure that we're looking out for you guys.
[4:49:49] No, certainly,
[4:49:52] I'll take this opportunity to really clear the air that incident.
[4:50:00] That you're talking about, and council member Ellen Boss is exactly right. And I briefed several people on this that there was a arrest warrant for that individual signed by a federal judge. And we sent our SWAT K9 unit there to assist because our team knows the area. We're not going to send our K9 unit by himself. So we sent two
[4:50:29] to other operators.
[4:50:33] Our deputies were assigned to the perimeter,
[4:50:37] and then at some point we're called,
[4:50:40] I guess, further into the parking lot.
[4:50:43] It's more of optics, but earlier I talked about,
[4:50:47] I had a conversation at a meeting
[4:50:49] with the Attorney General's office,
[4:50:51] and it was specifically about that case,
[4:50:54] and we did not violate any law.
[4:50:59] So I think that when we have these incidents, oftentimes, anytime recently, that a person witnesses the Wacken County Sheriff's Office or any other local police officer with federal partners, the assumption is that it's some type of immigration enforcement.
[4:51:20] and 10 out of 10 it hasn't been. So I know that these times are very tense, but before
[4:51:31] we assume information, I think we have to gather the information. So just know that
[4:51:39] no local law enforcement here, we do follow the law, but I do understand the tenseness
[4:51:47] the situation and the concern. So if there's any questions, the public can reach out to me,
[4:51:55] the council, and I can answer those questions, but in that case, yes, it was a federal arrest warrant
[4:52:03] by a judge signed by a judge, and the law was followed. So I know this is probably not the
[4:52:11] the forum to keep talking about this.
[4:52:13] I think Council Member Scalen said that earlier,
[4:52:17] so I do appreciate the forum and the time.
[4:52:20] Thank you.
[4:52:22] Thank you, Sheriff.
[4:52:23] Council Member Allen-Boss.
[4:52:25] Yeah, and I think the sheriff hit on it.
[4:52:29] Sheriff Tanksley, can you pop back on here?
[4:52:34] It's my assumption all warrants are signed by a judge.
[4:52:42] like you guys just don't decide you're gonna go serve a warrant. You get a hold of a judge or a
[4:52:51] peer in front of a judge. You lay out the case that you believe that you have and then they say
[4:52:57] yes or no whether you can go. So like I heard in public comment today people saying things like
[4:53:03] there's no supervision. We have a military force working unilaterally like that's not a helpful
[4:53:11] narrative for us to be propagating, because that is not the truth, that is not the facts,
[4:53:18] that is not what is happening.
[4:53:21] There are checks and balances put into the system, and if we wonder how we get to a situation
[4:53:28] where law enforcement officers have to wear masks, I can understand why they're afraid
[4:53:40] to.
[4:53:41] They're wearing the mask because they're afraid of the narrative that we are creating up here by questioning the system instead of seeking understanding like we're doing here with this is a wonderful conversation with with Sheriff Tanksley, maybe with this is the conversation we should have had, but yeah, I'm sorry Sheriff Tanksley, I appreciate the job that law enforcement does.
[4:54:10] of especially the Sheriff's Department.
[4:54:14] Yes, thank you.
[4:54:15] And lastly, the only thing that I want to tell the people
[4:54:19] of Alachim County is that I think I can speak
[4:54:24] for other chiefs that every law enforcement officer
[4:54:30] I've met here in Alachim County,
[4:54:33] we're out here doing the right thing.
[4:54:35] We're out here every day, all times the day and night.
[4:54:40] looking out for the people that live here and visit Lockham County. So I just want everyone to know that you have some heart working law enforcement officers here and you know, they certainly need your support. I understand the fear that's going on right now.
[4:55:00] Your local law enforcement is there for every single one of you. So, again, thank you. And please support your local law enforcement. If you have any questions, ask me. And I'll. I'll answer it. But I don't have the answer. I'll find it. So thank you. Thank you. So I think councilmember Scanlon, did you. Want to propose.
[4:55:29] the change of verb here,
[4:55:34] back to encourage.
[4:55:35] Yes.
[4:55:37] Okay, so the motion to amend the be it for the resolve statement, the last one on page three as shown on screen,
[4:55:46] would be to strike reminds and retain original language of encourages.
[4:55:55] And hopefully that is seen as more friendly as intended.
[4:56:03] Okay. Council members now and do you make that motion? Yes. Okay. And I will second.
[4:56:14] Is it just the difference between encouraged from reminding to encourage but not to continue refraining?
[4:56:21] It retains the language that would be an encourage encourages the county sheriff prosecutor and there's to have to refrain from coordinating
[4:56:29] unless you had other language you wish to change.
[4:56:33] Okay.
[4:56:45] Can we do a roll call on that point
[4:56:56] of order? Yes, ma'am. You all have your main
[4:57:00] motion is to propose the original version, not the substitute. Am I following that you
[4:57:11] want to just keep what's in the original or is the motion to keep the entire paragraph on
[4:57:19] the amended version, the substitute we're looking at, right, so we made a motion to amend
[4:57:27] that had changed this resolved, so we're amending it again to strike reminds and retain
[4:57:33] encourages, so we're amending an amendment.
[4:57:46] My apologies.
[4:57:47] I'm sorry, I think that's subtracted.
[4:57:49] What I understand is many motions ago, the original motion on this AB file was to put forward
[4:57:57] the original proposed resolution which uses the word encourages and now you're making a motion to amend the substitute because we've I just want to make sure I'm following yeah, so we moved the original language
[4:58:13] then we amended the original language and now we're wanting to revert back to part of the original language.
[4:58:22] So we've already. Yes, I'm with you. Okay, with you, the emotion to amend it was two motions ago. So now, and since hindsight is always 2020, what will ultimately happen, I think is will be really close to the substitute version. We just won't have accepted the amendments in green.
[4:58:40] And then the changes we're making now back to the original language, so those will be how this ultimate version differs from the substitute version with the exception of a couple script or grammatical stuff.
[4:58:54] I'm clear now. Thank you.
[4:58:55] Thank you.
[4:58:57] Keep in each other on track. I just wanted to be sure. Thank you, Kathy.
[4:59:01] I'll call the role now for this. Mark's tremler.
[4:59:05] Yes.
[4:59:11] Elizabeth Boyle.
[4:59:13] Yes.
[4:59:14] Barry Buchanan.
[4:59:15] Yes.
[4:59:16] Ben Ellenboss.
[4:59:19] No.
[4:59:20] Kaley Galloway.
[4:59:21] Yes.
[4:59:22] Jessica Reinstra.
[4:59:24] Yes.
[4:59:25] John Scalen.
[4:59:26] Yes.
[4:59:27] That motion carries six to one.
[4:59:30] Okay.
[4:59:34] So now we are back to a main motion to approve the resolution as amended.
[4:59:41] I
[4:59:44] believe this version once we unhighlight the green portions will be the amended version
[4:59:51] that we will be voting on.
[4:59:57] Any further discussion?
[5:00:01] Council Member Strungler. I can't help but wonder if there's anybody listening who went through the tedious process of becoming a legal, a legal person of the United States, what they're thinking right now.
[5:00:25] Jim, you want to talk?
[5:00:28] I think that's rhetorical. I'm sorry. I'm not going to recognize.
[5:00:34] Okay. Did you have more to say on that? Nope. Council Member Scanlon.
[5:00:41] This summer, I attended my sister's wedding.
[5:00:46] My uncle married into my family.
[5:00:53] I'm not
[5:00:53] gonna say where he's from. He's from another country that is under an authoritarian regime.
[5:00:57] He fears for his family's life every single day. And when I was talking with him at this family
[5:01:06] celebration, he says, John, I'm even scared to go visit my family because I also know I have social
[5:01:12] media posts against my own government because he has been a citizen of the United States now for
[5:01:18] probably 30 years. So he fears going home because he opposes his government as home
[5:01:26] and he fears coming back to the United States because we know there are stories about there
[5:01:33] about checking social media posts.
[5:01:39] He followed the path he is a United States citizen
[5:01:44] and he fears authoritarian governments.
[5:01:49] He's my uncle and I love him.
[5:01:54] I'm pretty sure he would want me to support all this
[5:01:56] and that's my name is on this thing.
[5:01:59] And I'm ready to vote on the whole thing.
[5:02:01] Okay.
[5:02:02] I just, I want to thank Council, our staff,
[5:02:07] members of the public who've stayed with us this late.
[5:02:10] Those of you who were able to submit amendments,
[5:02:14] I just, even though we're not going to get to some of the other feedback and amendments
[5:02:20] that we've received are just for the record, want to express one, recognizing the impacts
[5:02:31] to our local workforce and wanting to support our local workforce.
[5:02:36] I want to specifically call out our farm workers and our immigrant communities that are so
[5:02:43] So key and critical to our local walking county economy.
[5:02:48] My heart breaks every time I think about the Mount Baker roofing situation.
[5:02:56] And I think it's really sad when family members have to fear that they'll never see their
[5:03:02] loved ones again and whether that's because they're detained or they're in a high-risk
[5:03:07] job that threatens their life every day.
[5:03:12] So just wanting to get that out there.
[5:03:16] Another item that didn't make it into this resolution, but I will put down as a commitment
[5:03:21] I hope of this council through our support of this resolution, which is continuing to
[5:03:27] provide more active communication with our community, our partners and organizations.
[5:03:35] A body of work, I know that I've started working on with one of our staff members is around
[5:03:40] standing up a website for resources, the City of Bellingham has something like this already so having an opportunity where we can provide updates, information, resources to our community and continue to provide update on that.
[5:03:59] I think as always, we're going to continue to review our own county policies and practices.
[5:04:04] is that that cause unnecessary harm or barriers to our communities. I think that's a body
[5:04:15] of work that I'll look forward to continuing to work on through the racial equity commission.
[5:04:23] And then I know there was comment earlier during public hearing around the cities, keep Washington
[5:04:31] in working act, advisory committee, I don't know that we'll have the capacity to stand
[5:04:37] up something similar, but I am committed to continuing to look to the City of Bellingham
[5:04:42] as a leader in some of this work, and I think if the county can engage in that body of work
[5:04:48] in coordination with the city, that that's something I would really like us to do, or should
[5:04:55] other circumstances arise in our county where we need to do more of that work that again.
[5:05:00] And this resolution would provide us sort of an enabling commitment to that body of work. So, anyways, I'm sorry. Those didn't make it into a formal amendment process, but I did just want to get them on the record. And I did want to appreciate the community members. Each of the many community members who emailed us today, were present today, provided testimony during open session. I think I carry many of those voices and many of the voices who are too afraid to show up and speak their truth.
[5:05:30] with me when I'll be voting yes on this resolution.
[5:05:35] So I'll pause there, I know it's late, guys,
[5:05:37] but this is super important.
[5:05:39] Call the question.
[5:05:40] Call the question, okay.
[5:05:43] Motion to call the question, does it need a second?
[5:05:48] Yes, sir, will you go straight to the vote?
[5:05:50] Okay.
[5:05:53] Or you could just call the vote.
[5:05:55] Okay, we'll do that.
[5:05:56] And I'll withdraw, then we don't have to vote.
[5:05:58] I'll move.
[5:05:59] Call the questions of thing in parliamentary procedure.
[5:06:01] Okay, so the motion to approve the resolution as amended roll call Elizabeth Boyle. Yes, Barry Buchanan. Yes, Ben Ellenboss. No, Kaley Galloway. Yes, Jessica Reinstra. Yes, John Scanlon. Yes.
[5:06:19] Mark Stremler. No, that motion carries five to two.
[5:06:25] Okay, the next item on our agenda is our introduction items.
[5:06:30] We have two, one is with regards to, so AB 2026-040 is the ordinance establishing the
[5:06:37] walk and county code section 2.02195 performance audience.
[5:06:41] The other has to do with AB 2026-016 ordinance amending walk and county code.
[5:06:46] Chapter 20.34, resident rural residential island to allow food prep for offsite consumption
[5:06:52] when accessory to and located within an approved community center, do I have an motion to introduce?
[5:07:00] I move to introduce both items.
[5:07:02] Okay. Council Member Scanlan moves to introduce and you can in seconds.
[5:07:12] And did we decide if we wish to have the performance audit route through a public hearing?
[5:07:29] So, but we're moving to introduce it right now. So, or would you rather that we consider
[5:07:35] you separate and refer this one back to committee for a work session and not introduce it?
[5:07:39] I removed my motion.
[5:07:41] Okay. So, um, Council Member Scanlon, um, would your new motion be to introduce AB 2026-016?
[5:07:53] Yes.
[5:07:54] I moved to introduce AB 2026-016.
[5:07:57] Okay.
[5:07:57] In Councilmember Buchanan, would you second that?
[5:07:59] Yes.
[5:08:00] Okay.
[5:08:01] With a motion to introduce AB 2026-016, further discussion on that.
[5:08:07] Okay.
[5:08:07] Seeing none.
[5:08:08] Can we do a roll call?
[5:08:09] Very Buchanan.
[5:08:11] Yes.
[5:08:11] Van Allen-Boss.
[5:08:13] Yes.
[5:08:13] Kayleigh-Galloway.
[5:08:14] Yes.
[5:08:15] Jessica Reinstra.
[5:08:16] Yes.
[5:08:16] John Scanlon.
[5:08:17] Yes.
[5:08:18] Mark Strungler.
[5:08:20] Elizabeth Boyle.
[5:08:21] Yes.
[5:08:22] Okay, that motion carries 7-0. Council member Scanlon, what is your motion for AB 2026-041?
[5:08:30] I move to request that the chair work with the clerk and vice chair to schedule a work session for
[5:08:38] this item.
[5:08:41] Okay, work session that our next committee of the whole or it could potentially be one of those
[5:08:47] special committee of the holes that we do in the other Tuesdays. That could be a good time for that
[5:08:51] Unless you have other plans.
[5:08:53] Are we just going to invite any and all charter review members to participate?
[5:09:00] Yeah, so my thought was invite all the charter review members, but request that the original sponsors of this amendment be prepared to speak on it.
[5:09:15] Okay, so let's maybe not specify when the work session because we'll want to make sure it aligns with charter amendment charter commissioner.
[5:09:24] So Council Member Sam Moschlin is to have myself and himself and Kathy are clerk to plan a work session for the discussion of this item in committee the whole time unspecified as to ensure scheduling that worked with our commissioners.
[5:09:49] Okay.
[5:09:50] Kathy, is that okay for the record?
[5:09:59] Was there a discussion?
[5:10:00] Motion on this. Second. Thank you.
[5:10:06] Scanlan moved. Boil, seconded.
[5:10:12] Okay. Can I get a
[5:10:13] work call?
[5:10:15] An Allen bus? Yes. Kaley Galloway. Yes. Jessica Reinstra. Yes. John Scanlan. Yes.
[5:10:23] Mark Strömmler. Yes. Elizabeth Boyle. Yes. Barry Buchanan. Yes. Okay. That motion carries
[5:10:29] 7-0.
[5:10:33] Council members, because it's 11-11 and that seems like a lucky number, can we move
[5:10:37] to a journey?
[5:10:39] Move to a journey.
[5:10:40] Okay. Skip committee reports, other items and council member updates. Okay. I've got a
[5:10:45] motion from council member. You can't into a journey. Do I have a second?
[5:10:50] I thought I was going to do it anyway.
[5:10:51] Okay. So can we do a roll call for this last item, this last action?
[5:10:56] second to that. I wrote down Boyle because that's who I heard first. Sorry, Reinstra. It's
[5:11:02] a tie. Buchanan Boyle has a good ring to it. Kaley Galloway. Yes, Jessica Reinstra.
[5:11:07] Yes, John Scantlin. Yes, Mark Strammler. Yes, Elizabeth Boyle. Yes, Barry Buchanan. Yes,
[5:11:13] Ben Ellenbuss. No, he wants to stay around a while. Okay, that motion carries six to one.
[5:11:19] We are adjourned. It's 1112. Thank you all so much. Have a great evening. I'm going to be recording
[5:11:26] And our next meeting I'm going to be