BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Changing guidelines for temporary shelters and reconsidering an annexation were among the Bellingham City Council’s decisions made at their meeting on Monday night.
The council did a final, rollcall vote unanimously approving the changes made to temporary shelter guidelines, including removing capacity maximums.
The city council also voted 5-2 on two agenda items brought up earlier in the day pertaining to the annexation of the area near Squalicum High School.
The first would reconsider the annexation, which council shot down last month.
The second would reconsider the annexation as well but save the discussion for a year from now.
Council member Michael Lilliquist agreed with the motion to reconsider, noting that no annexation is without its flaws.
“This is not the best development in terms of smart growth, but, I mean, it’s right on a transportation corridor; it’s right on a bus line; it’s less than a mile and a half from two grocery stores,” Lilliquist said. “It’s on the edge of the city, so it’s not ideal but it’s not the worst, and there’s no annexation that I’ve seen in my time here that isn’t problematic.”
The council also voted unanimously to move forward with consideration of a new, one-tenth of one percent sales tax that would fund the city’s criminal justice services.
A final vote will be taken on that ordinance at a later meeting ahead of the Oct. 17 deadline.
