ing and leading in a different way — although she will need to work with a very progressive council. Two policy areas that will change in the city are the minimum wage, which will increase in 2024 to $1 higher than the state’s already high minimum wage (increasing to $16.28 in January, one of the highest in the country), and the “renter’s rights” initiative that will require landlords to provide 120 days’ written notice of a rent increase above 8% and require “rental relocation assistance” equal to three times the fair market rent or the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development market average, whichever is larger. So, rents in the city can be increased, but not without some “penalties/disincentives” that might not have been clear during the election. There have already been some discussions of a possible legal challenge (both Bellingham’s and a similar measure that passed in Tacoma), so we will report back when we learn more about next steps as this new law is implemented citywide. The new law takes effect on Jan. 27, though the impact might not be seen until the spring, when most of the new leases (for Western Washington University students) will incorporate provisions resulting from this initiative. This will definitely have an impact on rental units and those small businesses/landlords who own rental property in the city, as it could have different consequences on renters than initiative proponents intended. Finally, some school boards in the county elected new members, with some boards now poised to have a center-right majority and/or more conservative members come January, including Blaine, Ferndale, Lynden and Meridian schools. ■
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BUSINESSPULSE.COM | JAN/FEB 2024
BP COUNCIL CONVERSATIONS
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COUNCIL C O N V E R S AT I O N S
Business Pulse recently sat down with Whatcom County Councilmember Kaylee Galloway to talk about her priorities for 2024 and her interest to keep in contact with businesses in the county to better understand their top issues. “There are many issues facing Whatcom County, but among my top focuses in the coming year will be ensuring effective, transparent and community-driven implementation of the Justice Project in addition to addressing housing affordability and homelessness, the upcoming Comprehensive Plan update, and climate mitigation and adaptation, including addressing flood issues, habitat restoration and forest resilience.” In addition, we talked to her about the new Forest Resilience Task Force that she championed for the council to pass this fall. Business Pulse encourages readers to get involved and make their voices known about current forestry issues and what the future should look like for this important industry in our county. “I am excited the council passed the ordinance establishing the task force.
This is an incredible opportunity to bring folks together to collaborate and determine how we collectively want to proceed with forestry issues in Whatcom County. This task force will lean on multidisciplinary expertise to develop a Whatcom County Forest Resilience Plan, which will include strategies and actions towards sustaining a thriving timber economy, restoring healthy forest ecosystems, enhancing carbon sequestration and storage, promoting robust recreation opportunities, improving wildfire, pest, and disease resistance, and increasing climate resilience. The plan will also include a framework for engagement with communities across Whatcom County and the various levels of government, which will help inform how the county engages such as with the Department of Natural Resources as they continue to manage public lands on our behalf.” For information, go to the Forest Resilience Task Force website: https:// www.whatcomcounty.us/4270/Forest-Resilience-Task-Force.
This will be an ongoing column interviewing councilmembers throughout the year.