IPRTF - Steering Committee - Oct. 14, 2026

The Whatcom County Incarceration Prevention and Reentry Task Force (IPRTF) Steering Committee met on October 14, 2026. Members reviewed the 2026 year-end report outline and discussed a process for proposed amendments to the Justice Project Implementation Plan under Ordinance 2023-039. Discussion covered the roles of the IPRTF, JPOP, the Finance Advisory Board, municipalities, and county and city councils; members favored a transparent review process and a separate, trackable update document. The ordinance calls for periodic spending-plan updates and a more comprehensive implementation-plan update at least every five years, with updated plans requiring county and Bellingham City Council approval. No amendment or spending action was approved at this meeting.

Members also discussed funding and jail-planning context, including reported Bellingham jail costs of about $519,000 per month and roughly $231 per inmate per day, and approximately $580,000 approved for a seasonal winter shelter. The 50/50 funding and average-length-of-stay work groups are preparing progress or final reports, with recommendations expected to return to the IPRTF; capital costs, sales-tax revenue variability, and the relationship between shelter, housing, and justice-system spending were noted. The committee agreed that the updated Sequential Intercept Map report should go to the IPRTF for consideration of adoption. No contract awards, vendor selections, or procurement approvals were identified.