Bellingham City Council
The Bellingham City Council held its regular meeting on the evening of October 5, 2026, following a day of committee meetings and a special morning budget work session. The council took formal action on three ordinances and one interagency agreement, all of which passed unanimously 7-0. The most consequential vote of the evening — and arguably the most consequential policy development in recent months — was final passage of the home occupation ordinance (AB 25074), which liberalizes rules for home-based businesses throughout the city. The ordinance is the first regulatory step in a deliberate "commercial continuum" strategy aimed at eventually allowing neighborhood-scale commercial uses in residential zones. The other major topic dominating the evening was the city's fiscal situation. Council held its first public hearing on the preliminary 2027 budget (AB 25084), which projects an $8 million general fund deficit and relies heavily on the hoped-for passage of a Regional Fire Authority (RFA) ballot measure in a February 2027 special election. The RFA — a proposed merger of Bellingham Fire and Whatcom County Fire District 8 into an independent government agency — drew pointed criticism from public commenters who questioned its regressive fire benefit charge and argued that a levy lid lift would be a simpler and less burdensome alternative. Deputy Administrator Forest Longman defended the RFA approach as the only mechanism offering durable, long-term financial stability. Council also received committee reports on: the Bellingham Mitigation Bank (a decade-long environmental project now ready to open); updated ambulance service rates (unchanged since 2014 except for CPI adjustments); a five-year extension of the Comcast cable television franchise; a draft RFA plan reviewed in Committee of the Whole; and informational presentations on the Whatcom Racial Equity Commission annual update and a new Drone as First Responder (DFR) program proposed by Bellingham Police Departm
**1. AB 25074 — Home Occupation Ordinance (BMC Titles 13, 20, and 21)** - **Vote:** 7-0 (first and second reading; final passage) - **Motion/Second:** Council Member Daniel Hammill / Council Member Michael Lilliquist - **Staff recommendation:** Approval, with revisions noted in staff memo correcting two errors identified after the Planning Commission hearing - **Council action:** Approved as presented, including staff-identified corrections - **Key specifics:** Expands home-based business permissions to include operation in accessory buildings; increases employee limit from 1 to 3; allows on-site retail sales of products made at the business; raises maximum square footage to 500 sq. ft. (capped at 50% of residence gross floor area); creates a tiered permitting structure (permit-exempt, administrative, and discretionary); exempts businesses under 500 sq. ft. from transportation concurrency fees; prohibits fleet dispatch centers and outdoor storage; requires operations plans for disc…
- **October 12, 2026 (Monday):** Indigenous People's Day celebration, 6–8 p.m. (doors at 5:30 p.m.), Lummi Nation School. Sponsored by the Community Consortium for Cultural Recognition. - **October 13–16, 2026:** Whatcom Housing Alliance Housing Week — 17 events, tours, and workshops including a tour of North Haven Tiny Home Village. More information: Whatcom Housing Alliance and Sustainable Connections websites. - **October 14, 2026 (Wednesday), 6:00 p.m.:** RFA Planning Committee public hearing on the fire benefit charge, Council Chambers, City Hall. - **October 19, 2026 (Monday):** Next City Council regular meeting, including: - Morning budget work session covering public safety (police, fire, municipal court) — AB 25085 continued - Revenue forecast public hearing - Three public hearings on ballot measure resolutions: 1. Resolution to o…