Whatcom County Council May meeting roundup

The latest news from May Whatcom County Council meetings. Custer area drainage improvement district

County council unanimously adopted an ordinance, after a public hearing during its May 9 meeting, that changes the method of assessment for property owners in the Custer area’s drainage improvement district.

The primary channels for drainage improvement district 7 are the upstream reaches of California Creek, and tributary to Drayton Harbor, as well as several other unnamed tributary ditches in the area.

The district’s assessment system will be based on a combination of a relative ratio per acre and a relative ratio of improvement value per lot. There will be a minimum fee for lots smaller than one acre. The existing method of assessment is based solely on a relative ratio per acre per lot and does not take into consideration the greater contribution of runoff from and benefit to the district’s higher density development.

More information on the revised assessment can be found at

Letters ...

From previous page if they won’t pay property taxes. It’s been sitting empty and deteriorating for years.

Contact Bellingham mayor Seth Fleetwood and Bellingham City Council and all the candidates that are running for mayor and demand they end PeaceHealth’s tax-exempt status.

Sheri Lambert Bellingham

The Editor: I have been a cancer patient at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Cancer Center since the summer of 2021 when I was diagnosed with stage three gastro esophageal junction cancer and have received most of my treatment in Bellingham including radiation, chemotherapy and immunotherapy. I am extremely grateful for the extraordinary care I have experienced.

But besides medical treatment, I’ve discovered there is another side to cancer that is equally important: A patient’s emotional and mental health. Without support in this area, it is difficult, if not impossible, for a patient to successfully manage the side effects of various medical interventions. Currently I attend a weekly women’s support group. In addition, my oncologist referred me to the outpatient palliative care program.

I’ve met with Dr. Angela Caffrey twice and both times her compassionate and insightful questions helped me and family members develop the strategies and hope we needed to get through some of the most difficult parts of my treatment plan.

bit.ly/41oROMz.

Bellingham way station

Council unanimously approved the county executive to award Unity Care NW a $2 million grant for capital funding for the Way Station project in Bellingham during the May 9 council meeting. In a separate action, council also amended the project budget to add nearly $2.4 million for a funding total of $5.8 million.

The Way Station, at 1500 N. State Street, will provide individuals and families experiencing homelessness with a range of health and social services to assist their transition to sustainable housing. Whatcom County Health and Community Services department, PeaceHealth, the Opportunity Council and Unity Care NW have partnered to repurpose the county’s property into a facility that will serve people in need of hygiene, medical and behavioral health care.

Unity Care NW is a nonprofit health care provider in Bellingham and Ferndale.

Funding for the Way Station project comes from Unity Care NW, the county’s behavioral health fund, which includes a state grant from the department

Therefore, I was devastated to learn PeaceHealth Palliative Care has been reduced and will now only be available to patients admitted to the hospital.

According to a statement by Bryan Stewart, system vice-president for PeaceHealth’s Home and Community division, “The health care provider couldn’t justify continuing the program given the high cost of palliative care.” It is my opinion that palliative care can actually reduce costs by addressing a patient’s spiritual and emotional needs in addition to medical ones.

I sincerely hope PeaceHealth reconsiders this cost-driven decision and that the full range of palliative care services will be reinstated. Such a decision would be in accordance with both the hospital’s mission statement and values.

Linda Morrow Bellingham

The Editor:

Most readers of The Northern Light are aware of PeaceHealth’s campaign, “We See You.”

In the context of recent medical services cuts, our community is flummoxed by this message because we believe PeaceHealth management does not “see” us. A chorus of voices has raised concerns about the slashing of St. Joe’s outpatient palliative care program. Countless others have similar concerns but are too ill or too vulnerable to muster the energy to add their voices.

I have contacted numerous PeaceHealth administrators about the cuts, ranging from the system-wide CEO and chief medical officer in Vancouver, Washington to the director of community of commerce, and the public utilities improvement fund.

More information can be found at bit.ly/3nUSr2u. The project budget amendment can be found at bit.ly/41oRZHJ.

Flood response equipment

Council unanimously approved a resolution during its May 9 meeting to authorize the county executive to purchase flood equipment using a state department of commerce grant.

Nearly $4.3 million will be spent on a public safety communications network; flood warning sirens; automated sandbagging machines; administration and overhead; response support containers for supply storage; an integrated public notification system and more, according to the resolution.

Short-term vacation rentals

Council unanimously introduced an ordinance during its May 23 meeting for a public hearing at council’s June 20 meeting on Title 20 Zoning Code Amendments for short-term vacation rentals.

The amendments provide definitions, allowances and permit types that will help the county’s planning commission regulate vacation rentals and their im- health and chief development officer (CDO) in Bellingham.

Only one PeaceHealth employee responded – the CDO at the local foundation, stating, “There is a whole team of us who are working to find a solution that meets the community’s needs, supports the donor community, and maintains the strong reputation of our foundation. More to come!”

Before PeaceHealth launched its “We See You” campaign, those responsible for its cre ation should have conducted focus groups to determine its potential value. Everyone I’ve asked has a negative impression of the campaign.

We are waiting to be “seen” –and waiting for mission-driven, ethical solutions to the palliative care cuts.

Micki Jackson Bellingham

pacts on neighboring properties.

More information on the proposed amendments can be found at bit.ly/3WIKJFC.

Lighthouse Mission funding

In a change from its previous decision, council requested administration bring forward a $750,000 contract with the Lighthouse Mission in Bellingham to fund the shelter’s kitchen equipment and specialty furnishings in a motion during its May 23 meeting. The motion passed with a 4-1-2 vote, with councilmember Carol Frazey opposed and councilmembers

Todd Donovan and Kaylee Galloway abstaining.

Council originally denied the new homeless shelter funds because as a Christian organization its hiring practices conflict with Whatcom County policy that prohibits religious bias of any kind.

Funding for the contract would come from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, according to the meeting agenda.