As mentioned in our last update, today’s Bellingham City Council meeting includes another important vote. Before the Council decides whether to adopt Initiative 2026-01 or send it directly to the November ballot, we’d like to share a few key facts and explain why we believe Bellingham voters should have the opportunity to decide this issue....
In June, Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund signed an executive order aimed at strengthening economic opportunity, revitalizing downtown, and making it easier to start, expand, and invest in businesses throughout the city. The announcement generated positive local headlines, but it also left many residents and business owners wondering exactly what the executive order does. What the...
Hundreds of Whatcom County residents have participated in the Comprehensive Plan update process. If you’ve attended meetings, submitted comments, sent emails, or simply followed along since spring 2024—thank you. Your engagement has made a difference. On Tuesday, July 14, the Whatcom County Council will hold a public hearing and final vote on the county’s Comprehensive Plan. This plan...
Future 42 Whatcom County is sharing a recent op-ed from Cascadia on the AltaGas/ALA Energy Ferndale Terminal modernization project at Cherry Point, written by Seth Newsome of LiUNA Local 292 and Lance Calloway of Associated General Contractors of Washington. Lance also serves on the Future 42 Whatcom advisory committee. The authors raise a key question:...
FUTURE 42 recently released our second annual comprehensive scorecard highlighting key votes taken by all 147 legislators during the 2026 legislative session. That full scorecard can be viewed here. Today, Future 42 Whatcom County is releasing an abbreviated legislative scorecard specifically highlighting the key votes taken by legislators representing Whatcom County during the 2026 legislative session. 40th...
Whatcom County is in the final stages of updating its Comprehensive Plan — the 20-year planning document required under Washington’s Growth Management Act that helps guide future decisions on land use, housing, public lands, permitting, resource lands, infrastructure, and economic development. Most residents are not following every detail of this process, but several recently approved amendments...
How Did Your Local Officials Vote in 2025? Future 42 Whatcom County is a local county project committed to advocating for key issues such as public safety, housing affordability, and tax relief. As a grassroots effort, we believe local government works best when citizens are informed, engaged, and willing to speak up on the decisions...
How Did Your Local Officials Vote in 2025? Future 42 Whatcom County is a local county project committed to advocating for key issues such as public safety, housing affordability, and tax relief. As a grassroots effort, we believe local government works best when citizens are informed, engaged, and willing to speak up on the decisions...
How Did Your Local Officials Vote in 2025? Future 42 Whatcom County is a local county project committed to advocating for key issues such as public safety, housing affordability, and tax relief. As a grassroots effort, we believe local government works best when citizens are informed, engaged, and willing to speak up on the decisions...
The Whatcom County Council is considering a new 0.1% sales tax that some councilmembers are proposing for criminal justice purposes. Future 42 Whatcom’s position is that the decision should be put to voters, not implemented solely by a majority of the County Council. Major tax decisions are often put before voters and regularly are by...
Today, 40+ local businesses in Whatcom County sent a joint letter to the Washington State Legislature expressing their concerns regarding the proposed state income tax, SB 6346. The letter urges the Legislature to reject the income tax in order to avoid negative impacts on Washington’s economy. To the Honorable Members of the Washington State Legislature,...
Local elected leaders from across Washington are speaking out against the proposal to create a state income tax, warning it could harm communities, small businesses, and the state’s economic competitiveness. In the letter below (and available as a pdf here), they urge lawmakers to reject the plan and instead pursue policies that support growth and...
An important development for Whatcom County is happening now in Olympia. HB 2489, a bill that severely limits local governments’ ability to manage camping and encampments in public spaces, passed out of the House Housing Committee on a 9–8 vote. The deciding vote was cast by Representative Joe Timmons, our 42nd District State House Representative and a member of the Housing Committee. For many cities, those standards in this...
Thank you for staying engaged and informed on the local issues shaping our county. As a follow-up to our recent email outlining the AltaGas Ferndale Terminal proposal and review process, we want to share an important update and a clear opportunity to participate. In 2024, AltaGas | ALA Energy submitted a regulatory application to Whatcom County for...