The Birch Bay Incorporation Association is asking the Birch Bay community to review and provide feedback on a feasibility study it published last week that shows the community is financially viable to become its own city.
The study comes after Whatcom County released its feasibility study last December that concluded the unincorporated area did not have a strong enough sales tax base to keep its budget balanced. The association criticized the county’s study, led by consultants, saying it didn’t reflect the community’s interest in a barebones government that relied on contracts with outside agencies.
Both feasibility studies use the Birch Bay urban growth area as the proposed city boundaries.
Association leaders have said the group is neither for nor against incorporation, and that its goal is to provide Birch Bay residents information to make an informed decision on whether they would like to move forward with incorporation.
The association’s feasibility study lays out several financial scenarios and shows Birch Bay could gain improved local services without increasing taxes. The report also provides information on funding tools for Birch Bay, including grant opportunities, and provides examples of recently incorporated cities in the state.
The association has said it envisions a future city that works in partnership with already established service providers, including the fire, school, parks and water and sewer districts. The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office has also said it could contract services to the city.
Birch Bay has pursued incorporation over the years, most recently in 2008, with the last ballot measure going before voters in the ’90s. Association founder Matt Berry began revisiting incorporation in early 2023, which led to the association’s formation that November.
The association is run by a steering committee that is elected annually. The group holds quarterly meetings to update the public on its research and host speakers, who have included incorporation experts, the county executive, sheriff and state representatives.
If Birch Bay residents decide to move forward with incorporation, the association will need signatures from at least 10% of voters in the proposed city boundaries to get an incorporation measure on ballots. The measure, if passed, would go before the Whatcom County Boundary Review Board for a final decision.
Opponents have been wary of increased taxes, while proponents see incorporation as a way for the community to have better control over its tax dollars and ensure that money is being redistributed in the community.
Birch Bay urban growth area’s 9,000 residents would make the city the fourth largest in Whatcom County.
The association’s report is available at wearebirchbay.org. The association also presented its findings during a May 21 meeting, which is available at bit.ly/4nTFu3K. To view the county’s feasibility study, visit its website at bit.ly/44z19G5.
