Birch Bay Incorporation Association holds annual general meeting, elects steering committee

About 30 people were in the audience for the Birch Bay Incorporation Association’s (BBIA) annual general meeting at North Bay Community Church on
November 21.

BBIA founder Matt Berry led the meeting with an overview of the past 18 months since he began looking into whether the unincorporated community should incorporate into its own city.

“We can’t say if taxes will go up because it’s based on city council and their constituents,” Berry said. “But I don’t think they will based off of the surveys we’ve done.”

BBIA steering committee member Lisa Guthrie said BBIA’s survey on service level expectations garnered 639 responses, which is 87 percent of permanent residents and 90 percent of people living within the urban growth area (UGA). In that survey, 56 percent of respondents said they knew how they’d vote on incorporation, with 29 percent opposed and 27 percent in support.

Whatcom County Council approved funding this summer for a feasibility study that will provide more data, including costs, on the Birch Bay UGA becoming a city.

BBIA steering committee member Jonathan Mallahan said three firms submitted a response to the county’s request for bid to conduct the feasibility study. Interviews and selection are expected to occur in December.

BBIA steering committee member Sharman Burnam said the association was looking for additional funding and taking contributions as it had to pay fees for Zoom meetings, meeting room rentals, newsletter emails, its website, marketing materials and other expenses.

During the open session where only a few people spoke, an audience member asked why the steering committee term was only one year as it could lead to a lack of institutional knowledge. Mallahan replied that he thought it was a great idea to extend the term limit.

Another audience member, Don Enos, asked if BBIA was actively engaging with the city of Blaine about its proposed UGA swap, where city staff was proposing de-annexing UGA land in east Blaine and mostly adding the equivalent UGA land south of Semiahmoo.

Berry said BBIA did have a conversation with the city about it, but BBIA didn’t have the authority to take positions that would be future Birch Bay city policy. “We are only elected to look into the feasibility,” Berry said.

The meeting concluded with the BBIA steering committee election, where 15 people threw their names into the hat. All 15 members, most returning members, were elected to become 2025 steering committee members.

Steering committee members include Lisa Black, who is studying public administration and law; Patrick Alesse, a heavily involved Birch Bay community member for decades; Pauline Nefcy, who has worked as director of finance and administration at various businesses; and Holly Hamilton, who works as planning consultant for the city of Nooksack.

The following members will be on the steering committee: Jason Polverari (Central Reaches), Jan Barnes (Cottonwood Reach), Lisa Guthrie (Birch Point Village Reach), Raymond Chladny (State Park Reach), Jonathan Mallahan (Central Reaches), Caprice Pine (Birch Point Village Reach), Lisa Black (Central Uplands), Patrick Alesse (Central Reaches), Sharman Burnam (Central Reaches), Pauline Nefcy Central Reaches), Michael Edward Rutkowski (Hillsdale), Matt Berry (Cottonwood Reach), Yorkson Jeen (Birch Point Village Reach), Michael Stringam (Birch Point Village Reach) and Holly G. Hamilton (Cottonwood Reach).

The association holds quarterly meetings in addition to monthly steering committee meetings. BBIA has stated it’s a nonpartisan organization with a mission of researching the pros and cons of Birch Bay becoming a city.

BBIA has a multi-year process ahead if it decides to pursue incorporation.

For more information on BBIA, visit incorporatebirchbay.com.