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 Aerial view of Whatcom County
Washington State’s Growth Management Act (GMA) requires that Whatcom County review and revise its Comprehensive Plan every ten years. The periodic update of Whatcom County’s Comprehensive Plan is currently underway and set to be completed in late 2025 or early 2026.
The Comprehensive Plan outlines goals and policies reflecting the community's shared vision for how the county should grow over the next two decades. Whatcom County, in coordination with the cities within its borders, determines where population growth should occur based on state projections and develops plans to support and accommodate this growth.
Council approved a resolution in March agreeing to initial planning based on additional growth projected to occur between 2023 and 2045:
- +67,638 Population
- +36,013 Housing Units
- +32,349 Employment
Growth projections help the county engage in long-range community planning. The Comprehensive Plan uses these growth projections to identify policies for land use, housing, infrastructure, economic development, and transportation.
The Comprehensive Plan also considers the environmental and climate impacts of projected population growth. A draft Environmental Impact Statement was released at the end of April and will be finalized later this summer.
County Council’s role in the update process is to review draft Comprehensive Plan chapters, hold meetings and public hearings to solicit community input, and adopt a final version of the plan.
Over the course of the next few months, the Whatcom County Planning Commission and County Council will host a number of work sessions and presentations as they begin considering individual Comprehensive Plan chapters. Council discussion of Comprehensive Plan chapters will take place during Committee of the Whole meetings. Agendas and other information can be found in Council's Legislative Information Center.
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 The first Community Conversations event will take place on June 17, 2025.
On June 17, Councilmembers Buchanan, Elenbaas, and Scanlon will be visiting libraries in Blaine and Ferndale to kick off the Council’s new Community Conversations meeting series.
Each quarter, a small, rotating group of councilmembers will travel to libraries in one of the five County Council Districts for informal, in-person events intended to boost community engagement and increase communication between residents and county officials.
Councilmember Scanlon brought the idea for Community Conversations to Council at the start of the year, and it was met with enthusiasm from other councilmembers.
At the January 28 Council meeting, Scanlon said, “The idea is to have councilmember office hours across our library system and to get us out of this building and out in the community for meetings.”
At each event, community members will have opportunities to ask questions, share ideas for the county, and learn about what's happening in local government.
Current Community Conversations Schedule:
Tuesday, June 17
Councilmembers: Ben Elenbaas, Jon Scanlon, and Barry Buchanan*
- Blaine Library, 610 3rd St, Blaine, WA 98230, 2-4 p.m.
- Ferndale Library, 2125 Main St, Ferndale, WA 98248, 5-7 p.m.
*Due to a scheduling conflict, Councilmember Buchanan will only be present at the Ferndale Library.
Thursday, July 10
Councilmembers: Barry Buchanan, Jon Scanlon, and Mark Stremler
- Lynden Library, 216 4th St, Lynden, WA 98264, 4:30-6:30 p.m.
Additional dates are being scheduled in September and December at locations in County Council districts 1-3. Check the Council webpage for updates and additional information.
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 Yarrow grows along the trail at Semiahmoo Park.
During their April 29 Committee of the Whole meeting, councilmembers received a presentation from Susan Marks, Director of the Bellingham-Whatcom County Commission on Sexual & Domestic Violence, a government commission dedicated to improving systems to better serve survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
The Commission, which is funded by both Whatcom County and the City of Bellingham, is currently working on several special projects, including an effort to improve tools for healthcare providers to help identify survivors. They are also working on a grant-funded project aimed at increasing access for survivors to civil and family law remedies. The goal is to make the process for pursuing civil protection orders, parenting plans, dissolution, and divorce easier to navigate.
In addition to their other work, the Commission also provides trainings for schools, workplaces, public health providers, and others who want to learn how to better support survivors.
Marks' presentation highlighted a number of statistics, including the fact that, in 2023, more than 1 out of 4 homeless households in our community was fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence or other dangerous conditions.
Marks highlighted the significance of the numbers, noting, “Each data point reflects the lives of people in our community, and it ripples out to every space and relationship they participate in. It’s their friends, their family, their workplaces, their kids, their schools, their housing—everything is affected.”
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 There are currently two vacancies on the Solid Waste Advisory Committee.
Did you know that United States residents generate over 290 million tons of trash over the course of a single year? Safely managing and reducing all that waste requires collaboration between governments, businesses, and communities. In Whatcom County, the Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC) oversees programs and policies that support safe waste management, recycling, and waste reduction efforts.
One of the SWAC’s primary responsibilities is to assist in the preparation of the county’s Comprehensive Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Plan. The current plan, which spans the five-year period from 2022 to 2027, outlines existing conditions, needs, and goals for recycling, organic material management, solid waste collection, and more. An amendment to the plan was approved by the SWAC in December 2024 and by County Council on May 13, 2025.
"Listening to the community and making sure solid waste is handled and disposed of responsibly is critical. SWAC input is an important part of this process," said Mark Stremler, the County Council designee on the SWAC.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the SWAC, there are currently two vacancies on the committee, one for a member of the agricultural community and the other for a representative of business or industry. Applicants for either of these positions must also be residents of Whatcom County.
The SWAC meets quarterly on the 4th Thursday in January, April, July, and October. Community members are welcome to attend meetings and provide public comment on issues related to solid waste in Whatcom County.
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 Mark your calendars!
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Regular County Council and Committee Meeting Dates:
- June 24
- July 8 and 22
- Aug. 6 (Wednesday)
- Sept. 9 and 23
- Oct. 7 and 21
- Nov. 5 (Wednesday) and 18
- Dec. 9
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Special Committee of the Whole - Begins at 9AM:
- July 29
- Sept.16
- Oct. 28
- Dec. 2
Health Board - Begins at 10AM:
- July 29
- Sept. 16
- Oct. 28
- Dec. 2
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Check the Legislative Information Center for meeting times, agendas, video, and more.
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Thanks for reading the Council Newsletter. We are grateful for the opportunity to share our work and serve this community.
Email councilinfo@co.whatcom.wa.us with questions or feedback.
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