	City of Bellingham City Council Regular Meeting agenda September 28, 2026, 7 p.m.
Chair: Hannah Stone Members: Hollie Huthman, Daniel Hammill, Edwin H. "Skip" Williams, Lisa Anderson, Michael Lilliquist, Jace Cotton Legislative Office Manager: Jackie Weller		Phone: 360-778-8200 Email: ccmail@cob.org Web: cob.org/council
How to watch City Council meetings
The City Council Regular meetings are held in a hybrid format – watch or participate in person or remotely. In person: All meetings are held in Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall, 210 Lottie Street, Bellingham unless otherwise noted. The doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the 7 p.m. meeting. Accessibility: Elevator access to the second floor is available at City Hall’s west entrance. Hearing assistance is available, and a receiver may be checked out through the Council office. For additional accommodations, contact the Council office at 360-778-8200 in advance of the meeting. Live via BTV, Comcast, or YouTube: Council meetings are streamed live at cob.org/meetings, cob.org/btv, and on the City’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/@cityofbhamwa. Meetings are also broadcast on Comcast channels 321 (HD) and 10 (SD). Telephone: To listen by phone, dial 253-215-8782 and enter Meeting ID: 871 5188 5205, and Password 9 Language access: Recordings of City Council meetings can be viewed with subtitles or audio tracks in many different languages by changing the settings in the YouTube player. PDFs of Council materials are available in several languages by clicking the “Translate” button in the side panel when opening the document. Video captions, alternate audio tracks, and PDF translations are powered by Google Translate and may contain errors. Information on further language access services, including how to request free interpretation at meetings, can be found at cob.org/cclanguage. Más información sobre el acceso de idioma disponible en: cob.org/cclanguage ਭਾਸ਼ਾ ਨੂੰ ਐਕਸੈਸ ਕਰਨ ਬਾਰੇ ਹੋਰ ਜਾਣਕਾਰੀ cob.org/cclanguage 'ਤੇ ਉਪਲਬਧ ਹੈ। Xem thêm thông tin về tiếp cận ngôn ngữ tại cob.org/cclanguage Meeting recordings: Video recordings of each meeting are available online at cob.org/meetings within five business days following each meeting.
How to provide input: Public comment, public hearings, and written feedback
A Public comment period is held at the beginning of each regular 7 p.m. meeting for 30 minutes or until all speakers who signed up have been called on. Public hearings, if scheduled, are topic-specific and are held after the public comment period. Each speaker at public comment periods and public hearings has two minutes to speak. A sign-up form for speakers is available on the day of the meeting. Sign up is required for public comment periods and recommended for public hearings. Speakers will be called from the sign-up sheet in a randomized order. To sign up, follow these instructions: Online: The sign-up form will be available at cob.org/ccsignup on the day of the meeting. In person: The sign-up form will be available on an iPad or posted QR code outside the Council Chambers doors starting at 6:30 p.m. the evening of the meeting. The sign-up form closes when the meeting begins at 7 p.m. Once signed up, speakers may participate via the following options: In person: Meetings are held in Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall. Online: Join the Zoom meeting at cob.org/cczoom and follow staff instructions at time of the public hearing or public comment period. Over the phone: Call 253-215-8782, enter Meeting ID 871 5188 5205, and Password 9. Follow staff instructions at the time of the public hearing or public comment period. During public hearings, speakers who have signed up in advance will be called on first, followed by any additional speakers who wish to give testimony. Before or after a meeting: Written correspondence is always welcome before or after Council meetings. Send written input to: For general public comment, e-mail all Council Members at ccmail@cob.org. For written public hearing testimony, visit cob.org/publichearing. By mail addressed to: City Council, 210 Lottie Street, Bellingham, WA 98225. Learn more about public comment and public hearings at cob.org/public-hearings-and-public-comment-periods.

Regular meeting

The following items are heard in the regular meeting only.

Call to order and roll call

Announcements and upcoming meetings

Upcoming public hearings

On October 5th, 2026, the Council will hold a public hearing on an ordinance to amend home occupation regulations to expand the allowed home occupation uses, streamline permit review process, exempt certain home occupations from Transportation Concurrency requirements, and implement goals and policies in the 2025 Comprehensive Plan.

On October 5, 2026, the Council will hold the first of two public hearings on the proposed 2027 budget. The budget is available to view online at cob.org/budget.

More details about both public hearings can be found at cob.org/meetings seven days beforehand.

	2.	Next Council meeting
	The next City Council meeting with be held on October 5, 2026.

30-minute public comment period

Advance sign-up is required for participation. The sign-up form will be available at cob.org/ccsignup on the day of the meeting and outside the chamber doors starting at 6:30 p.m. The sign-up form closes when the meeting begins at 7 p.m. Speakers will be called from the sign-up list in a randomized order. Each speaker will have two minutes to speak and the public comment period will close after 30 minutes or after all those who signed up have been called on. See the first page of the agenda for further details.

Public hearing

A sign-up form is available and it is recommended that speakers sign up in advance. Speakers who have signed up in advance will be called on first, followed by any additional speakers who wish to give testimony. The sign-up form will be available at cob.org/ccsignup on the day of the meeting and outside the chamber doors starting at 6:30 p.m. The sign-up form closes when the meeting begins at 7 p.m. Speakers will be called from the sign-up list in a randomized order. Each speaker will have two minutes to speak. See the first page of the agenda for further details.

25069

A public hearing on a resolution in support of Proposition 2026-06 authorizing the City's salary commission to set the Mayor's salary

p. 7

25070

A public hearing on a resolution in support of Proposition 2026-07 streamlining the City's contract review process to allow electronic signatures

p. 11

Mayor's report

Standing time for briefings, updates, and reports to Council by the Mayor.

Council Member reports

Standing time for Council Member briefings, updates, and reports, including from assigned committees, boards, and other groups.

Committee meeting reports

The following committee meetings are held during the day. Committee chairs will present a summary of each agenda item during the evening meeting, and further discussion or action may take place if needed. Committee meetings are open to the public to attend, however committee agendas do not include public comment sessions.

Parks and Recreation 1 p.m.

Edwin H. "Skip" Williams, Chair

Daniel Hammill, Jace Cotton

25065

A contract award for indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity for overwater maintenance and repair services, Bid No. 46B-2026

p. 15

Public Health, Safety, Justice, and Equity 1:05 p.m.

Daniel Hammill, Chair

Hollie Huthman, Edwin H. "Skip" Williams

25066

An amendment to the interlocal agreement with Whatcom County for advanced life support services

p. 19

25068

An interlocal agreement with Whatcom County for paramedic training

p. 22

25067

An interlocal agreement for a multi-agency public safety joint training facility

p. 30

Committee Of The Whole 1:25 p.m.

Hannah Stone, Chair

Hollie Huthman, Daniel Hammill, Edwin H. "Skip" Williams, Lisa Anderson, Michael Lilliquist,

Jace Cotton

25064

Introduction of the 2027 preliminary budget

p. 37

Old or new business

Executive session 2:10 p.m.

Closed to the public. Report in the Regular Meeting only.

Potential porpoerty acquisition (Rosenblatt, approx. 3 min.)

Potential property acquisition (Rosenblatt, approx. 10 min.)

Consent agenda

Consent Agenda items are considered routine and/or non-controversial and may be approved in a single motion. A member of the Council may ask that an item be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered separately.

25056

An interagency agreement with the United States Geologic Survey for water resource investigations

p. 42

25057

An amendment to the interlocal agreement with Bellingham Technical College for paramedic training

p. 47

25058

An interlocal agreement with the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs for a traffic safety grant

p. 53

25060

An interagency agreement for reimbursement from the Administrative Office of the Courts for interpreter services

p. 57