Update on local efforts to comply with the State Legislature’s mandates for public water systems in the “Hirst Fix” bill passed in January, 2018. Land use consultant Roger Almskaar, also President of the Whatcom Chapter of Citizens Alliance for Property Rights (CAPR), presented documents to the Whatcom County Council on June 19th asking for a change to the Drinking Water …
Citizen Journalism: May 22nd through June 6, 2018, Whatcom County Council and Watershed Management Board Meetings
Whatcom County like our State is better served when the ‘legislatures’ are on vacation or adjourned. Our State Legislature is adjourned, so safe there for now; our Whatcom County Council is still in session and our County is still at risk. 5/22 Whatcom County Council County sales taxes are increased 12% thus far in 2018. Preliminary County Capital Projects …
Citizen Journalism: Current Status of Whatcom County’s Water Resource Planning Program
Minutes and opinion piece from the Whatcom County Planning Unit work over the previous month. This information has been submitted and provided to Common Threads NW from the combined works of Skip Richards and Roger Almskaar. Current Status of Whatcom County’s Water Resource Planning Program This report is the first in a monthly series. It will summarize the background and …
Citizen Journalism: Planning Unit Meeting May 9th, 2018
The following meeting minutes were provided by a CTNW Citizen Journalist. PU – GFC Meeting – Draft Meeting Notes; BIAW Conference Room (1650 Baker Creek Pl., Bellingham, WA 98226), May 9, 2018, 2:00-4:00pm Attendees: Kurt Baumgarten, Linda Twitchell, Henry Bierlink, Rebecca Schlotterback, Ander Russell, Shannon Moore, Fred Likkel, Dan Eisses, Paul Isaacson, John Mercer, Skip Richards, Gary Stoyka, Cliff Strong, Becky Peterson …
Watershed Management Board Diminishes the Role of Stakeholders
This recently released PDF document shows the plans being made by the Watershed Management Board to run meetings and exclude the legally authorized WRIA 1 – Planning Unit members from the process. In October 2017, the Washington State Legislature passed ESSB 6091, which redefined the need for an updated watershed plan and acknowledge that the lead agency is Whatcom County Council …
Citizen Journalist Reporting: Planning Unit Meeting “Brainstorming Solutions”
Planning Unit Brainstorming and Solutions: The Planning Unit met for solutions and brainstorming, led by Kasey Cycler, of the Department of Ecology (DOE). The meeting was well attended by the Planning Unit and 40-50 other people, including Councilmembers Tyler Byrd, and Satpal Sidhu. Eric Hirst, from the Hirst case was also among those from the public attending this meeting. John …