The latest news from the Blaine City Council meeting on February 24.
City of Blaine attorney Peter Ruffatto led a study session on ethics for Blaine City Council, a training Blaine lawyers hold periodically for council to provide ethics training and guidance on how to answer questions from the public regarding ethics issues.
Councilmember Sonia Hurt asked Ruffatto if there was any problem of a developer making a donation to the city, to which Ruffato said that was allowed by state law. A small group of residents had voiced concern after Skip and Katie Jansen, the developers of The Ridge at Harbor Hills, had donated rocks to the city in December 2022, prior to city council’s approval of a zoning text amendment that allowed large manufactured home parks in east Blaine.
Ruffatto pointed out the city of Ferndale has a policy that requires councilmembers to recuse themselves whenever discussing issues that benefits them personally, while Blaine’s policy is less stringent.
Following the study session during the regular meeting, councilmember Eric Lewis introduced a motion calling for the city to adopt the same ethics policy by Ferndale. Councilmembers Sonia Hurt and Richard May supported the proposal to go before council for a vote in a future meeting.
Harmon told council that staff recommended council approve a contract from the Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 (BBBPRD2) to provide staffing and operational support for senior services at the Blaine Community Center, 763 G Street. Both the parks district and senior center submitted proposals to manage the center, which has historically been run by the senior center.
Harmon said BBBPRD2’s proposal consistently scored higher.
“Staff is simply recommending to you that we believe the more competitive proposal was the district,” Harmon said to council. “Our plan is to bring you back a contract. That doesn’t mean you have to accept it.”
Harmon said he thought there was a way for the senior center to work collaboratively with the district. May asked if the senior center could have an advisory committee to the parks district, to which Harmon said was a possibility.
Harmon previously said during the February 10 meeting that the proposals had similar prices and programming.
“In my opinion one is stronger on safety and governance,” Harmon said. “I would say the other is stronger on experience.”
City staff had requested Whatcom County Parks and Recreation director Bennett Knox to review both proposals to provide an outside perspective, Harmon said.
The agenda included an action item proposing to reintroduce an oral public comment period at the beginning of regular council meetings following a motion by Lewis, Hurt and Richard May in favor of doing so at an earlier council meeting. Steward had discontinued the comment periods last February following a series of acrimonious sessions in which a few members of the public had raised objections to various council and city decisions.
However, before that agenda item was scheduled to be discussed, Steward proposed that council begin holding a 30-minute town hall before regular meetings on the first Monday of each month. Originally an idea suggested by Richard May last year, the purpose of the town hall would be to provide a dialogue between the city and public. However, unlike council meetings, councilmembers would not be required to attend the town halls.
“Town halls will be recorded and available for any person who wants to hear what was discussed,” Steward said. “It allows for efficient and orderly council meetings.”
Any time limit for speaking would be equally applied to all participants. Previously, there had been controversy over the fact that council had allowed certain speakers more time than others.
Lewis said he thought the city needed to return oral public comment as soon as possible, saying, “My feeling is the town hall is mostly a test to see if free speech works or if oral public commentary works.”
Hurt said she didn’t see it as a test, but as a rearrangement of the previous public comment to keep council meetings succinct.
Council passed Steward’s motion to start town hall meetings 6-0, with councilmember Eric Davidson absent. Council did not discuss the action item regarding oral comment after approving the town hall format.
The first town hall could occur as soon as the next meeting on Monday, March 10, city manager Mike Harmon said.
Mayor Mary Lou Steward administered the oath of office to Blaine Police Department’s newest officers, Zachary Taxdahl, Trevor Chau and Andrew Richardson. Taxdahl, joining from the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, has started on-the-job training, while Chau and Richardson will begin basic law enforcement training in Arlington in March.
Taxdahl grew up in Ferndale and earned his bachelor’s degree from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London before eventually working at the sheriff’s office. He enjoys snowboarding, bird hunting and reading Shakespeare, among other hobbies.
Chau graduated from Blaine High School in 2010 and has worked and coached at Blaine school district. He lives in Blaine with his wife and five kids.
Originally from Georgia, Richardson has lived in Blaine for the past three years. He’s worked as a volunteer firefighter and EMT in Whatcom and Skagit counties and spends his free time with his fiancé and children.
The three new officers bring Blaine Police Department to full staffing.
Council unanimously approved a $3.7 million construction contract for its long-awaited downtown revitalization project with Premium Services, Inc.
The project will revamp two blocks of downtown and provide minor improvements outside of that area. It will replace sidewalks on Peace Portal Drive to help with ADA accessibility, replace downtown trees with a species that won’t buckle the sidewalk and upgrade the Martin Street and Clark Street parklets.
The project, which was slimmed down due to budget constraints, has been moving through city council for over two years.
Lewis proposed a motion for city staff to provide more information at a future meeting of the pros and cons of updating its stormwater manual from the state’s 2019 to 2024 version. The discussion arose because some members of the public have been calling on the city to update to more recent standards.
“We can use 2019 for now until we are mandated to use the 2024 one,” said Harpiar Gandhi, director of Blaine Public Works Department.
Lewis’ proposal needed support from two other council members for it to be on a future meeting agenda. Harmon said he wasn’t prepared to give council a recommendation on how the updated version could impact development in Blaine.
Councilmembers May and Hurt supported Lewis’ motion requesting city staff to research the pros and cons of updating the manual and bring it back to council.
This article was updated February 28 to correct that city staff recommended to council that Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 receive the Blaine Community Center contract. The article previously stated the parks district was awarded the contract. We regret the error.
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