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Bellingham adopts 2025–2029 Commute Trip Reduction plan, lowers drive‑alone target and contracts WCOG to administer program
Summary
Council adopted a four‑year Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) plan required by state law, approved amendments to lower the weighted average drive‑alone target from 64% to 57% and struck a listed employer, and authorized an interlocal with the Whatcom Council of Governments to administer the program through 2029 with a $25,000 administrative transfer.
The Bellingham City Council voted 7–0 on Feb. 9 to adopt a four‑year Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) plan for 2025–2029 and to implement required measures under state law. Council members approved two on‑the‑floor amendments before final passage: they lowered the plan’s weighted average drive‑alone rate (DAR) performance target from 64% to 57% and removed a specific employer — Silfab Solar Inc. — from the list of CTR‑affected worksites.
Council member Michael Lilliquis explained the ordinance updates the city’s prior CTR plan to comply with state guidance and set new four‑year performance targets. “The CTR program establishes requirements for affected employers to encourage alternative commute modes and reduce single‑occupancy vehicle commute trips,” he said during committee report remarks.
Council member Lisa Anderson moved both amendments (change DAR to 57% and strike the employer name), each adopted 7–0, and the council then passed the ordinance 7–0. The CTR program affects employers with 100 or more employees arriving during morning commute hours; the city — as an affected employer — will meet its obligations by participating in the Whatcom Smart Trips program unless an employer establishes its own program.
The council also authorized an interlocal agreement designating the Whatcom Council of Governments (WCOG) as the lead agency to implement the city’s CTR plan and to administer the Whatcom Smart Trips program through Dec. 31, 2029. That agreement carries a modest financial impact: the city will transfer $25,000 to WCOG to support administration of the program. The council authorized the mayor to sign the interlocal agreement by unanimous vote.
Practical effect and next steps: the ordinance and interlocal formalize the city’s performance targets and an administrative pathway (WCOG/Smart Trips) for compliance; city staff will coordinate with WCOG on program implementation and employer outreach in the coming months.
