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Council approves ordinance to shrink Historic Preservation Commission, widen applicant pool to Whatcom County
Summary
Bellingham council voted 7–0 to reduce the Historic Preservation Commission from nine to seven members, remove the city‑resident "qualified elector" requirement and allow those who live or work in Whatcom County to apply, aiming to improve recruitment and tribal representation.
The Bellingham City Council unanimously approved an ordinance to change membership qualifications for the Historic Preservation Commission, a move city staff said is intended to ease recruitment and bring more technical preservation expertise to review historic‑resource certificates.
Planning Director Blake Lyon described the change as a practical step to attract applicants with building‑science and architecture backgrounds who may work in Bellingham but live elsewhere in the county. "Opening up countywide will give us an opportunity to draw in some of that expertise that we might not otherwise have available to us within the city proper," Lyon said.
Planner Emmy Sher explained the ordinance would reduce the commission’s size from nine to seven to align it with other boards and commissions, remove the "qualified elector" residency requirement in Bellingham Municipal Code Chapter 2.54, and instead require members to live or work in Whatcom County. Sher said changing the meeting requirement from monthly to quarterly reflects how the commission currently operates — meeting only when applications are pending — and the code changes also include clerical edits to replace "board" with "commission" where appropriate.
Council members pressed staff on procedural details. One council member asked whether the code’s two‑thirds vote for removal would be altered; city attorney Attorney Merritt clarified that the two‑thirds threshold in the code applies to member removal while appointments and vacancy fillings follow the mayoral appointment and council confirmation process. Lyon recommended staff review existing operating agreements before concluding how state law changes on housing might affect city contracts.
Council member Williams moved, and Council member Huffman seconded, approval of the ordinance for first and second reading; the motion carried 7–0.
The ordinance amends Bellingham Municipal Code Chapter 2.54, and staff said they will follow up to ensure appointment rosters and term lengths in the packet match code requirements.
