The latest news from the Blaine City Council meeting on October 13.
City council unanimously approved a resolution allowing the planning department to revise its urban growth area (UGA) proposal.
Alex Wenger, director of Blaine’s Community Development Services, said he planned to bring a revised UGA proposal to Blaine City Council after the November 4 election. The new proposal would be based on the outcome of the de-annexation proposition and an updated land capacity analysis.
The ballot measure will go before Blaine city voters in November asking whether they would like for 573 acres of incorporated UGA land in east Blaine to be de-annexed. If voter-supported, the city would then seek approval to “swap” that UGA land with unincorporated UGA land near Semiahmoo as well as UGA land in southeast Blaine. The city hopes to include the change in the county’s comprehensive plan update, which is due by the end of the year.
Wenger said there were “technical” issues that needed to be worked out with the county, including possibly changing the name from “swap” to “UGA reduction and addition.” He added the city needed to talk more with Birch Bay residents about the proposal.
By approving the resolution, council also approved removing a proposed UGA reserve near Semiahmoo that was in the original plan because UGA reserves are not required in the comprehensive plan update.
City council unanimously approved a roundabout with an I-5 terminal relocation as its preferred alternative for the Bell Road-BNSF Railway Grade Separation Project.
The grade separation is a long-range project to improve the traffic congestion and safety concerns caused by train delays at the intersection of Bell Road and Peace Portal Drive near the southern Blaine city limits. The at-grade crossing would be replaced with an overpass.
Council also had the option to vote on another alternative of adding a roundabout at the existing I-5 ramp terminals, but the city’s project consultant, David, Evans & Associates, recommended the alternative that council approved.
Council’s resolution authorizes the project’s alternative analysis report to be finalized.
Blaine police chief Rodger Funk recognized three members of Blaine Police Department with recognitions for their life-saving efforts during two calls in May and September. Officer Trevor Chau received a life-saving award, sergeant Jordan Maphumulo received two life-saving awards and officer Jeremiah Leland received the meritorious service medal, a recognition that goes above life-saving. Read more on page 4.
Finance director Jennifer Spidle finished the second half of her presentation on the proposed 2026 budget, which will be about as barebones as this year’s budget.
City council will hold two public hearings on the 2026 budget during its meetings on Monday, October 27 and Monday, November 10.
Blaine resident David Brudvik, who had never attended a council meeting, was the first to speak during Monday night’s packed town hall. Addressing everyone from the podium, Brudvik said he was building a profile on the members of a group once-called Save Blaine, which is made up of a handful community members who have thrown accusations at city leaders and filed large public records requests. Brudvik said he wanted to uncover the group’s actions because he didn’t think it was right how they were impacting the city.
Referring to it as a quote from a “cult classic of the ‘90s,” Brudvik ended his speech reciting the fictional Ezekiel Bible verse that actor Samuel L. Jackson says in the movie Pulp Fiction while holding a gun to another man’s head. The audience erupted in applause after Brudvik’s speech.
In a subsequent email to The Northern Light, a Save Blaine member said they believed the Pulp Fiction quote represented a direct threat against the group.
Brudvik’s speech was followed by former council member Mike Hill accusing council member Richard May of drinking during a 2022 council meeting; an accusation denied by May. The confrontation ended in Hill yelling.
The town hall was standing-room only as other audience members provided an array of thoughts around the city, from ongoing budget discussions to the November general election.
The town halls are held for 30 minutes before the first regular council meeting of the month. They serve as an alternative to oral public comment, which was banned in February 2024 after members of the Save Blaine group failed to follow council rules, leading to police officers monitoring meetings. A crowd-control barrier now separates speakers from city leaders.
