Mayor gets cold feet on climate tax

Bellingham's proposed Climate Action Fund, a tax to finance climate-change measures that had been proposed for the November ballot, was "paused" Tuesday by Mayor Seth Fleetwood.

The Climate Action Fund proposed a property tax of 37 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, or $185 annually on a $500,000 home. The city canceled a public hearing on the tax measure scheduled for June 27.

“This is in no way a retrenchment," Fleetwood said in a statement to Cascadia Daily News Tuesday. "We remain fully committed to the critical job of making urgent progress on climate action. But it is a ‘strategic pause’ to build support and in response to community feedback concerning the timing of this measure.” 

Fleetwood said in an interview following his announcement he is still eager to pursue the climate action fund, but it needs enthusiastic community support.