Birch Bay Incorporation Association meeting set February 15

The Birch Bay Incorporation Association (BBIA) will hold its first quarterly meeting since the group officially formed last November to research the pros and cons of Birch Bay becoming its own city.

The meeting will be held 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, February 15 at Christ the King Community Church North Bay, 4895 Birch Bay-Lynden Road in Birch Bay. The meeting will also be held remotely on Zoom, at bit.ly/3STz1Ib.

BBIA founder and steering committee chair Matt Berry said the association won’t vote during the upcoming meeting. Longtime Birch Bay advocate Roland Middleton will present and take questions about public works in municipalities. Middleton is a Whatcom County Public Works Department employee who worked closely on the Birch Bay berm, but won’t be speaking on behalf of the department.

BBIA steering committee representatives will also ask for input on what association members want included in the feasibility study, which will produce data on city operation costs and tax revenues.

The association holds quarterly meetings for all of its members and monthly meetings for steering committee representatives. Meetings are open to the public, and Birch Bay residents who live, own property or conduct business within the urban growth area may sign up to become an association member at the meetings.

The BBIA formally established itself during a November 15, 2023 meeting. During that meeting, association members also voted on city boundaries that would be used for the feasibility study. The proposed incorporation boundaries follow the Birch Bay urban growth area, but could change later if Birch Point or Point Whitehorn area residents want to be included.

The association also elected 15 steering committee representatives, several of whom said they were unsure whether they would support incorporation, during the November meeting.

BBIA has a multi-year process ahead if it decides to pursue incorporation. The group will need to receive Whatcom County’s support to fund the feasibility study, and, among other requirements, circulate a petition requiring the signatures of at least 10 percent of voters within the proposed city boundaries to get the incorporation proposal on a ballot and to initiate the county boundary review process.

More information about BBIA and meeting documents are available on its website, incorporatebirchbay.com.