Bellingham Finance Committee Unanimously Recommends $14.3 Million in FY27 Departmental Budgets

BELLINGHAM — March 30, 2026 — Bellingham Finance Committee votes 5-0 to recommend more than $14 million in FY27 departmental budgets, including $5.7 million for police and $5.2 million for fire. Chairman J. Allam presided over a roughly 90-minute public hearing March 30 in which Fire Chief Miller and Police Chief Fitzgerald each disclosed staffing conditions they described as below safe or adequate levels. Miller said the south fire station — built in 1956 — sometimes dispatches a single lieutenant to major emergencies when its ambulance is transporting, citing a November cardiac arrest where the officer performed CPR alone for six minutes. Fitzgerald said a $100,000 cut to his salary cushion line means the department will run one sworn position short for the first half of FY27, leaving "no cushion anywhere else in the budget" for a critical incident. Both chiefs flagged a proposed 800-unit 55-and-older development in south Bellingham — projected to add 750 to 1,000 additional annual emergency calls — as the most significant driver of future resource demand. The committee's next meetings are April 6 for warrant article review and April 13 for DPW budget presentations.