August 17-23, 2017
FREE
Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Dennis Olason resigns from Blaine City Council, page 5
City approves recommendations to modify budget cycle, strategic plan
Photos from Birch Bay’s Rollback Weekend, page 8
Blaine health clinic adds primary provider, page 9
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Visitors learn about the Terrell Creek watershed
B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e
(See Budget, page 3)
s Katharine Sell, l., teaching visitors at the Birch Bay State Park BP Heron Center about the Terrell Creek watershed on August 11. The program, “Salmon of Terrell Creek and their Habitat,” was a part of a summer educational series about the salmon life-cycle and what they eat.
School district adds mental health counselor position By Oliver Lazenby Recognizing an increased need for behavioral and mental health counseling in its schools, the Blaine school district hired a half-time mental health counselor who will work in all district schools starting this year. For Blaine and other small districts, connecting kids with a counselor outside of school can be challenging, said Kaatri Jones, the district’s newly hired mental health counselor. Jones was formerly a counselor at
Blaine Elementary School. Though the district is still defining the job, directors hope to provide students in need with more intense help than previously available. School counselors, who served all students on academic issues as well as social and emotional ones, were overloaded, said district special programs director Randy Elsbree. The Blaine school district isn’t alone in needing more mental health counseling, Elsbree said. He pointed to increased levels of depression in students nationwide and an
City grants one-year extension to Bridges Plat development B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e Permits for a 40-lot subdivision planned for east Blaine were set to expire this month, but during a regular meeting on August 14, Blaine City Council voted unanimously to grant property owner Lloyd Ford a one-year extension for the project, Bridges Plat. “The plat expires in August,” read a letter Ford sent to the city on March 30. “That leaves very little time to get everything completed and secure the financial
Photo by Stefanie Donahue
resources needed to complete the project in time for the deadline. An extension would ensure there will be enough time for the process and to deal with any delays with the sewer extensions or additional requirements and changes that very well may occur.” In February, the city invested more than $300,000 to extend sewer lines through Lincoln Park and along D Street. Staff with the city felt it was a necessary to spur development of three projects in east Blaine, all of which were awaiting sewer
and power infrastructure. With financial assistance from Ford, the city was able to extend the new sewer line to Bridges Plat and were also able to help address issues related to on-site stormwater facilities. “Now that it is certain which direction the sewer line servicing the property is coming from, and the commitment from the city staff for the stormwater facilities, I can move forward with the (See Bridges Plat, page 3)
increase in homeless students in Blaine and other local districts. “There are more homeless students, who face more challenges than other students and are at more risk for things that are under that mental health counseling umbrella,” he said. “It’s a dynamic that’s happening all over the place.” Bellingham and other bigger districts contract with mental health counselors who come to schools during the school day to (See Health, page 2)
INSIDE
The city of Blaine is gearing up for one of its most crucial budgeting years to date. During a recent meeting, Blaine City Council unanimously voted to accept three recommendations issued by the city’s finance committee that would make updates to the strategic plan, alter the city’s approach to budgeting and modify the budgeting cycle from an annual to a biennial budget. Blaine’s strategic plan helps guide city budgeting and planning. It was most recently modified by the city council in 2012. The update will be informed by recommendations from the public as well as the city’s short-term revenue task force, which was created to help identify ways to fund city services. In late June, the council approved a series of recommendations from the task force, which urged the city to maintain general fund revenue, avoid Business and Occupancy and utility taxes, initiate an aggressive economic development program, enhance the city’s web presence and ultimately bolster efforts to make Blaine a more attractive place for business. Since the economic downturn in 2008, costs of services in Blaine have risen higher than available revenue, according to a May report from the city. Despite passing financial and accountability audits from the state, Blaine is currently funding daily operations with reserves. As a result, the city has cut administrative positions, limited city hall hours and has deferred maintenance and capital improvements to public facilities due to lack of funding. Public safety has also taken a hit, with hours for police patrols, traffic enforcement, criminal investigation and crime prevention all on the decline. By late August, the city plans to host a workshop so the public can also help shape the strategic plan update. The strategic plan will eventually help guide the 2018 budget and the first biennial budget of 2019. Starting with the the 2018 budget, the
Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . . 11-12 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
TheNorthernLight.com TheNorthernLight
@TNLreporter
@PointRobertsPress