Whatcom County is inviting residents to a public open house on September 30 to learn about what is coming in the 2027 and 2028 county budgets, ask questions directly of the people who do the work, and get a plain-language explanation of how county government spends your money.
The event runs from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and will cover the county's proposed 2027-28 biennial budget, which County Executive Satpal Sidhu submitted to the Whatcom County Council on September 1. The open house is designed to give ordinary residents access to department heads and budget staff in an informal setting, without the procedural formality of a council hearing.
What the Event Will Cover
According to the county's announcement, attendees can expect to ask about specific local projects, including parks trails in their neighborhoods, and get detailed explanations of complicated county systems like ballot processing. The event is framed as a "deep dive" into county budgeting, suggesting it will go beyond a simple overview into the mechanics of how the county allocates resources across departments.
The timing matters. The 2027-28 biennial budget is at an early stage, with the council still in its deliberation phase. Public input gathered at events like this can still shape the final document. Whatcom County voters approved a charter amendment in 2025 that moved up the budget submission deadline, specifically to give the council more time to hear from the public and make changes before adoption.
This is not a formal public hearing where you sign up to speak for two minutes. It is an open-house format, which means you can walk around, talk to county staff directly, and linger on the topics that matter most to you without the clock running.
The Budget Backdrop
The 2027-28 budget Sidhu submitted is described by county officials as "disciplined and restrained" in response to a multimillion-dollar projected deficit. The county faces stagnant sales tax revenue, rising labor and materials costs, the end of federal COVID-era aid, and uncertainty around federal funding under the Trump administration.
Sidhu's proposed budget includes new revenue measures and some spending reductions, with layoffs expected in certain departments. Deputy Executive Kayla Schott-Bresler has framed the proposal as an effort to get county spending back to pre-pandemic levels and to operate sustainably through the end of the biennium.
For residents, that means the open house is an opportunity to ask hard questions: which services are being cut, where new revenue will come from, and how the county is prioritizing competing demands across public safety, parks, social services, and infrastructure. The Whatcom County website hosts the full budget proposal for those who want to read it before attending.
How to Participate
The open house is free and open to all Whatcom County residents. No registration is required. The event takes place September 30 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.; the county's announcement did not specify a location beyond the county government, so residents should check the Whatcom County Government website or contact the county at 360-778-5000 to confirm the venue before attending.
For residents who want to engage with county government beyond a single event, the Whatcom County Council holds regular weekly sessions that are open to the public and include a public comment period. Meeting agendas are posted online in advance. The council will hold multiple public hearings on the budget in the coming months before a final adoption vote, giving residents several additional opportunities to weigh in.
Civic participation in local budget processes often has a more direct impact than people expect. County councilmembers do read and respond to constituent input, and budget hearings in Whatcom County have historically drawn engaged residents who have successfully influenced allocations in areas from parks funding to public health. For a closer look at what civic engagement in Whatcom County looks like in practice, earlier coverage of the county jail site selection process shows how major public decisions unfold in Whatcom's government structure.
