Bellingham council ratifies police contract, approves park and roof contracts and extends landmark-tree regulations

The Bellingham City Council on March 10 unanimously ratified a collective bargaining agreement with the Bellingham Police Guild, awarded two construction contracts and extended interim regulations protecting landmark trees.

The council voted 7-0 to ratify the police guild agreement covering Jan. 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2026, which includes cost-of-living adjustments and a series of pay-premium changes and benefits modifications to take effect over the contract term. The agreement also creates a $125-per-month contribution to an HRA/VEBA for employees not assigned take-home vehicles effective Jan. 1, 2026.

Council members also approved two construction contract awards. The council awarded a reroof contract for the Pacific Street Operations Center warehouse to Queen City Sheet Metal and Roofing Inc. as the lowest responsive bidder at $343,997.46 (engineer’s estimate $618,215.36). The council approved a second construction contract for Story Brook Park Phase 1 and West Maplewood sidewalk improvements to Premium Services Incorporated of Bellingham for $1,983,491.62 (engineer’s estimate $1,952,394).

In committee, the council also authorized the mayor to retain Avison Legal PA to assist the city in assessing eligibility for federal clean-energy tax credits established by the Inflation Reduction Act; the services will be paid for through the Washington Clean Energy Tax Credit Assistance Program and at no cost to the city. The council voted 7-0 to extend interim development regulations related to preservation of landmark trees across the city.

The meeting also confirmed three appointments: Chelsea Bodamer to represent the Barclay neighborhood (first…