November 13 - 19, 2025
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Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office to move, page 3
Blaine XC athletes place at state, page 6
Birch Bay UFO investigator, page 11
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Blaine adopts Blaine girls soccer experiences thrill of victory $44.3 million 2026 budget B y P a t G r u bb
(See Budget, page 3)
s Senior midfielder Brietta Sandell looks to the sky in celebration after Blaine defeated Nooksack Valley 2-0 on November 8 to clinch a spot in the 1A State playoffs. Blaine was later eliminated from the playoffs by Cedar Park Christian on November 11. Read more on page 6.
Photo by Nolan Baker
Outside police investigation finds group ‘deliberately disruptive’ to Blaine governance By Grace McCarthy A month-long investigation by the Ferndale Police Department (FPD) released in late October found that a group of individuals known under the banner of Save Blaine has intentionally interfered with Blaine city staff and council’s ability to effectively govern the city over the past two years. The FPD report, which is the first investigation from an outside agency, describes the actions of a handful of people against Blaine employees and city councilors as “deliberately disruptive to the effective governance of the city of Blaine.” Whatcom County resident Donna McGaffic, who also uses the last name Newman, had asked Blaine Police Department to investigate allegations she made of misconduct by Blaine mayor Mary Lou Steward, Blaine police chief Rodger Funk and other city leaders. Funk requested FPD provide an outside review, which produced an 18-page report which concluded McGaffic’s complaints were unfounded. Additionally, FPD found the actions of McGaffic and others associated with Save Blaine to be negatively impacting city operations. Among others, McGaffic’s primary complaint stated Steward broke the law by using her political influence to violate
the rights of councilmember Eric Lewis. She accused Funk of failing to investigate the complaints. After Ferndale began its investigation, McGaffic requested police also investigate Blaine city staff for sanitizing and omitting records from public record requests and conflicts of interest related to zoning and permitting decisions, unethical behavior, and other allegations. McGaffic’s main concern centered on a September 8 Blaine City Council meeting where Steward urged Lewis to resign or the mayor would put forward a motion to censure him. The mayor’s request came after emails circulated from earlier in the year that showed Lewis agreeing to put specific motions in front of city council requested by members of Save Blaine, who also call themselves Blaine Water Coalition. Steward was concerned that Lewis, who appeared friendly with the group, would provide the group with attorney-client privileged information discussed during executive sessions involving a lawsuit that one of the group’s members, Geoffrey Baker, had filed against the city. “Based on my review, it is evident that Donna McGaffic and the groups with which she is affiliated strongly oppose decisions made by the Blaine City Council,
particularly those involving Mary Steward,” wrote Ferndale officer Richard Hart, who conducted the investigation. “In seeking redress, Donna McGaffic initially contacted Chief of Police Rodger Funk, whose response did not meet her expectations, leading to further allegations against him.” According to the report, McGaffic then forwarded her allegations to Whatcom County prosecutor Eric Richey, who declined to investigate. She subsequently (See Investigation, page 5)
INSIDE
Blaine City Council adopted a $44.3 million budget for 2026 on November 10, balancing ambitious utility infrastructure investments against modest growth in general operations while drawing down reserves in several key funds. The budget, approved as Ordinance 253039, allocates $42.2 million in revenues across all city funds, with the $2.1 million gap covered by tapping into existing fund balances. Utility operations dominate city spending, accounting for nearly 60 percent of total expenditures. The electric fund’s planned $2.6 million drawdown stands out, reducing reserves from $3.2 million to just $637,000 – an 82 percent depletion that could signal future rate adjustments or major capital projects. City manager Mike Harmon explained that the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) has “experienced tremendous rate pressure on their purchase power,” adding, “If they’re not producing enough power through the dams, they buy power at whatever the market rate is at the time. So, if it’s a cold day and everybody’s buying power, that price is high.” Those costs are passed onto their customers. In addition, BPA has to secure power for Blaine based on what the city’s predicted growth is in coming years. In 2023, it was anticipated that the Grandis Pond development would add significantly to the electrical demand, so BPA priced accordingly. Harmon added that Blaine’s electrical rates remained significantly lower than that charged by Puget Sound Energy. The general fund budget of $10 million maintains core city operations with what city officials hope will be a balanced approach. Property taxes bring in $1.24 million (up 1.6 percent from 2025), while retail sales taxes contribute $2.69 million (up 5.4 percent). Utility tax revenue jumped 20.5 percent to nearly $1.5 million, one of the most significant revenue increases. Council approved the allowable one percent increase in its share of the property tax, which will add $15,620 in revenue for 2026. Capital projects and reserves Transportation receives substantial attention with $4.2 million allocated for capital improvements, while the city’s transportation benefit district continues building reserves, growing from $1.25 million to $1.47 million. However, some funds tell a different story. Impact fees collected from developers sit largely unused. Traffic impact reserves will grow to $1.16 million and park impact reserves to $455,000, both with zero planned expenditures in 2026. Real estate excise tax funds hold over $2.1 million with minimal capital spending planned. The hotel/motel fund faces pressure,
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