February 15 - 21, 2024
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Driver arrested after I-5 rollover, page 2
Fast food chains open at travel plaza, page 4
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Borderite sports, pages 6-7
Family Care Network revives Blaine plans Blaine City Council approves updated meeting procedures By Grace McCarthy
(See City council, page 3)
s Family Care Network CEO Dr. Rodney Anderson told Blaine City Council during its February 12 meeting that the local medical system planned on submitting building permits within the next month for a Blaine clinic. Read more on page 2.
Photo by Grace McCarthy
Blaine school bond failing to reach supermajority, while other levies pass By Nolan Baker Blaine voters are likely to approve both property tax levies on the February special election ballots, with 68.2 percent (2,817 votes) voting to approve the Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 (BBBPRD2) levy of $0.10 per $1,000 in assessed home value, and 57.6 percent (2,593 votes) approving Blaine school district’s operations levy that starts at $0.98 per $1,000 in property value. The school district’s partner ballot measure, Proposition 2024-08, is likely to fail to reach the state-mandated 60 percent supermajority threshold for bonds, with only 54.4 percent voting to approve the measure. The measure, if passed, would be a $70 million capital project bond going toward renovations to existing school buildings and designs for a primary school in Birch Bay. Fewer than 4,400 ballots are left to count across the entire county, and little is likely to change in results by the next ballot count, set for 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 14.
For the Blaine school district, the levy passing was “mission critical” according to superintendent Christopher Granger, as those funds make up roughly 17 percent of the district’s operations budget. The funds provide relief the school district’s dwindling state funding due to decreased enrollment, and tapped out pandemic relief from federal and state entities. According to the district, the levy was intended to not raise taxes for homeowners, and the district by law cannot collect more than the voter approved amount of $7.5 million in 2025, even if property values rise. The structure of the approved levy will rise slightly year over year, starting at $0.98 per $1,000 in assessed home value, and increasing to $1.04 by 2028. For a home valued at $500,000, homeowners would pay $490 in 2025. The proposed $70 million capital projects bond had a higher voter hurdle to clear, and a larger price tag to sell, and will likely fall short of the needed 60 percent. The bond would have asked for a flat, $0.76 per $1,000 rate through 2046, and gone toward updates to the
Pipeline Fields athletic complex, improvements to Point Roberts Primary School, Blaine Middle School, and the Performing Arts Center, as well as seeking bids for preliminary designs of a Birch Bay primary school. With the expected passing of BBBPRD2’s levy, the park and recreation dis(See Election, page 8)
INSIDE
Blaine City Council unanimously approved amending its rules of procedure governing public meetings February 12, after holding a special meeting February 8 to review the changes. The revised rules, which clarify the means by which public comments may be submitted, come as council meetings in recent months have been disrupted by a small group of people who have hurled accusations against council members and city staff. New notices posted in council chambers and city hall stated that the mayor could limit audience participation to written communication only, submitted to the council by email or written with pens and paper that were provided. A crowd packed into council chambers, some of whom said they attended after hearing about the contentious meetings. Previously, council allowed spoken public comments near the beginning of its meetings but on Monday, it went directly to action items, including council voting 6-0, with councilmember Eric Davidson absent, to approve Resolution 1941-24, amending the rules of procedure. It wasn’t until the last few minutes of the meeting that mayor Mary Lou Steward said there would be no verbal public comment at the meeting, which was met without argument. Meetings held by government agencies in the state of Washington are governed by the state Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) which requires most government meetings to be open to the public. The OPMA also contains provisions to deal with disruptive conduct. “The resolution’s stated purposes are to promote efficiency in meetings, ensure the orderly conduct of city business, avoid disruptions to the meeting, provide for authentic and non-artificial testimony, and maintain order generally, all as envisioned by state law,” according to the resolution summary. Attendance at council meetings began to increase last year when the city considered zoning that would allow large manufactured home parks in east Blaine. About two dozen people, most of whom lived in the area, began speaking out against the proposal. After council approved the zoning change on October 23, 2023, a smaller number of people calling themselves “Save Blaine” began accusing the city of being unethical and lacking transparency, among other charges. They have employed pseudonyms such as Madam Watchdog, who has played recordings of an altered voice called “the Professor,” and been generally disruptive. Police monitored a few meetings late last
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