If you are planning to or have already bid a project in the City of Bellingham in the next few months be sure you take note of the City of Bellingham’s planned increase in the TIFF or Traffic Impact Fee increase.  The base rate will be going from $1,695.00/pm peak vehicle trip to $1,906.00

 

That change will be discussed by the City Council on November 23rd with final adoption by the end of this year.  If you wish to comment on it you should contact Chris Comeau Bellingham Public Works at 778-7900.  CLICK HERE to see a letter from Chris Comeau.

 

ATTENTION CONTRACTORS, CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY STAKHOLDERS
& GENERAL PUBLIC

The county is currently in the process of updating the 2009 Unified Fee Schedule for 2010. The proposed changes for 2010 are tentatively scheduled to be introduced to the Whatcom County Council on November 24, 2009. If you would like to provide comments regarding the proposed changes please contact Darla Smith at dksmith@co.whatcom.wa.us before November 13, 2009.

 

Most of the changes proposed by Building Services Division are related to Plumbing and Mechanical fees with some exceptions listed. CLICK HERE to find the memorandum from David Stalheim.

 

Washington State Department of Labor and Industries got an earful at a standing room only public hearing in Bellingham October 29th concerning L&I’s proposed 7.6% workers compensation premium increase for 2010.  The 7.6% figure is an average of the myriad of L&I risk classification categories. 

The written record remains open until November 7th. 

Comments can be e-mailed to Ronald Moore at MOOA235@LNI.wa.gov

or mailed to:

Ronald Moore
Employer Services Program Manager
Department of Labor and Industries
P.O. Box 44140
Olympia, WA  98504-4140
FAX  360-902-4729

 

Other than representatives of local labor unions, the testimony offered by business, agriculture, and even social service agency representatives was overwhelmingly opposed to the rate hike.  Even the union representatives, while supporting the increase on employers, opposed the .8% increase in employee contributions.
 
Speakers in opposition repeated several concerns:

1)  the extraordinarily bad timing for a rate increase in a troubled business economy
2)  L&I’s practice of holding the employer guilty until proven innocent in worker’s claims
3)  the need to create a settlement option to injured workers
4)  the need for private carrier competition in the compensation insurance market
5)  the need for L&I to streamline and economize as business are doing
6)  the need to improve Washington’s business climate (per Boeing’s recent decision)
7)  tightening the definitions of occupational disease
8)  the need to establish medical provider networks

 

BIAWC offered yet another perspective suggesting that higher workers comp taxes would encourage more underground contracting which will take jobs away from properly registered contractors.

Another often mentioned perspective was highlighted by several speakers who discussed cases of employee abuse of the workers compensation system.  As it presently operates, L&I claims managers typically accept pay claims without sufficient investigation unlike private insurance companies carefully examine claims.