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Public hearing set for child care fund

County council taking comments on $20M spending plan

Lexi Belinskia
Lexi Belinskia (Trenton Almgren-Davis/Cascadia Daily News)
By Ralph Schwartz Local Government Reporter

The public will have a chance to weigh in on how a $10 million property tax levy will be spent to advance child care opportunities and support for vulnerable youth in Whatcom County.

The Whatcom County Council will hold a public hearing on the Healthy Children’s Fund shortly after the start of its meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7. Speakers will able to comment on a proposed spending plan for the first two years of the 10-year levy. 

The levy, approved in November by a 20-vote margin out of 108,560 votes cast, collects a 19-cent property tax for every $1,000 of assessed value, which amounts to $10 million a year countywide. The owner of a $600,000 home pays $114 a year into the fund.

County Health and Community Services has proposed an outline for spending in 2023–24. According to the draft plan, 64% of the levy funds over the first two years, or $12.8 million, would go toward early learning and childcare; and 27%, or $5.36 million, would be spent on support for vulnerable children. The remaining 9% would cover administrative costs.

The draft plan breaks the spending down further. Included in the 64% for child care and early learning is $3.3 million in subsidies for cost-burdened families and $4.5 million to develop a system of regional early learning “hubs” to increase child care capacity and reduce costs.

The 27% for vulnerable children includes $1.875 million each for programs to reduce youth homelessness, and support services for parents and caregivers.

People can speak at the public hearing either in person at 311 Grand Ave., Bellingham, or online via Zoom. A meeting link and instructions on how to participate remotely are available on the county website at whatcomcounty.us/joinvirtualcouncil.

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