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Whatcom County Council roundup
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The latest Whatcom County Council news … Council discusses recommended biennium budget
Whatcom County Council held a meeting on October 22, then held a special meeting discussing the county executive’s recommended 2025-2026 biennium budget on October 29.
In the October 29 special meeting, council discussed the executive’s proposed 2025-2026 biennium budget. The budget projected a revenue increase in the general fund, jail fund, emergency medical services, equipment and administrative services, while forecasting a reduction in the county road fund, flood control zone district and other funds.
The 122-page budget document recommended the county operate with a general fund
of $133.3 million by 2026. The general fund would have $139.8 million in expenditures, an increase from the current general fund expenditures of $136.2 million in 2024.
Council discussed in length what an expanded budget would look like for the superior, juvenile and district courts and administrations, which have seen an uptick in caseloads in recent years. The executive’s budget recommended an increase in revenues and expenditures for district and superior courts, and both the prosecutor’s and public defender’s offices.
County renews contract with BBWSD
Council renewed a five-year interlocal agreement with the Birch Bay Water and Sewer District in a 7-0 consent vote on October 22, continuing its longstanding partnership with the local water and sewer district to
collaborate with flood management, water treatment and storm water runoff infrastructure.
The county renewed its fiveyear contract with BBWSD for $0, with the county saying that contract fees are “more than offset” by the current cost of stormwater rates.
Discussion of Birch Bay UGA
During the council committee of the whole meeting on October 22, council discussed updating the population and employment projections for the Birch Bay urban growth area (UGA) and other areas around the county as part of its decennial update to the comprehensive plan, the long-range planning document for the county.
According to county data, the population of the Birch Bay UGA has more than doubled from 4,163 in 2000 to 8,685 in 2020, citing “adequate land supply, availability of public water
and sewer and the attractiveness of the area.” (County council changed the Birch Bay UGA’s zoning regulations to increase residential density after the area was growing slower than anticipated in the comprehensive plan.)
A county technical report estimated an average population growth of 105 people per year in the Birch Bay UGA from 2023 to 2045, with 450 new jobs during the same period.
According to county data, Birch Bay UGA had 3.8 percent of the county-wide population in 2023, but only 0.5 percent of the county-wide jobs.
Council discusses Lummi Island ferry rate increases
The council finance and administrative services committee discussed on October 22 how the county would implement increased ferry fees for the Lummi Island ferry, though no action was officially taken by council.
Ferry fees are set up to fund 55 percent of the adjusted total operating costs associated with the ferry, while county funds sub-
$33.2 million awarded for Pacific Highway port of entry construction and design
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced it had awarded a $33.2 million grant to a Native-owned small business for the design and construction of a significant upgrade and expansion of the Pacific Highway port of entry in Blaine. The grant was given to T1-RJS Joint Venture LLC, a North Bend, Oregon-based corporate collaboration between Tribal One, a Coquille Indian Tribe-owned firm, and RJS Construction, a wom-
an- and Native American-owned construction business. The grant was awarded through the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Business Development program, which seeks to award competitive bids to companies from underserved and underrepresented communities.
The project will alter the traffic configuration to improve vehicle flow, add four vehicle inspection lanes bringing the capacity up to 10 total lanes, and add six enlarged bays for vehicle inspection, according to GSA.
The full-service, 24-hour land port of entry connects State Highway 543 in Blaine with the Pacific Highway in Surrey, B.C. One of the busiest U.S./Canada ports in the western U.S., the Pacific Highway port was last expanded in 1999, and while it is predominantly used for commercial vehicles, it has seen an increase in noncommercial vehicle traffic in recent years, according to GSA.
The $25 million of funding came from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which earmarked a total of $3.4 billion for land
port of entry improvements by GSA, and an additional $8 million came from the Inflation Reduction Act.
A condition of the Inflation Reduction Act funding will be for the new lanes and canopies to be built with low-emission concrete and steel. The project’s material-related emissions will be reduced by an estimated 190 metric tons of carbon dioxide, according to GSA.
“You can’t have a big-league economy with little league infrastructure,” congressman Rick
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sidize the remaining 45 percent of the operations, according to county documents. The county road fund currently provides that subsidy, but council was notified in October 2022 that fares would not be able to cover its share of the operating costs.
If fares aren’t increased, according to a staff memo, the ferry would be operating at a nearly $1 million deficit by 2029. Multiple fare increases over the course of several years need to cover the funding gap, and the increase began after an executive order went into effect in June 2024. The $1 increase in fares was the first in 12 years.
Of three policy options; reduce expenses, reduce the percentage of operating costs that fares must cover, or increase fare revenues, council seemed to gravitate towards option three recommended by the county executive office. Increasing fare revenues would increase rates 28 percent in 2025, nine percent in 2026 and then eight percent through 2034.
Larsen, lead Democrat for the transportation and infrastructure committee, said. “A more modern port of entry will also reduce congestion and wait times for travelers, improve public safety, and further promote cross-border trade and tourism in the United States and Canada.”
According to GSA, construction is expected to begin by July 2025, and “substantial completion” is expected by November 2026. For more information and updates, visit the GSA website at bit.ly/3YqMsSO.
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