Birch Bay Incorporation Association

BBIA Research · Financial Feasibility

Start With the 2-Page Summary.

Whatcom County commissioned Community Attributes, Inc. (CAI) to evaluate the financial feasibility of incorporation. BBIA then took a closer look at the same financial model and examined how different staffing levels, service expectations and revenue assumptions affect the outcome.

The result is not one inevitable city budget. The financial picture changes substantially depending on the level of service a future city chooses to provide and how that service is delivered.

Our analysis found that incorporation is financially viable under several realistic scenarios — including a balanced-budget model with no increase in taxes above current levels.

The two-page summary is the best place to begin. It compares the four financial scenarios side by side and explains why the County’s published high-service scenario produces a very different result from BBIA’s Current Service and Balanced Budget scenarios.

Read the 2-Page Summary PDF · Opens in a new tab
A note about the analysis: These scenarios are planning models, not a future city budget. The actual service levels, staffing, taxes and spending priorities of a City of Birch Bay would ultimately be determined through the public budget process by its locally elected city council.
Feasibility

Build a Birch Bay Budget

Compare a published 2027 model, then move any slider to test a different staffing or tax choice.

1Pick a modelChoose a starting point.
2See the resultRevenue, expenses and balance.
3Try your ownMove any slider to customize it.
Start Here

Choose a 2027 Starting Model

Selecting a model resets every slider and loads that model’s published result.

Current Model: BBIA Balanced · No Tax Increase Published preset
Operating Revenue$5.781M
Operating Expenses$5.759M
Annual Balance+$22K
✓
Congratulations — you balanced the budget.This model lands close to break-even.
Customize

Staffing & Property Tax

Non-labor costs remain in the budget. Staffing sliders change the modeled labor or contract-staffing cost.

7
BBIA: 7 · CAI: 12 · CAI high-police alternative: 19.
1.0 FTE
Published scenarios use 1.0 FTE.
3.0 FTE
Published scenarios use 3.0 FTE.
0.0 FTE
BBIA: 0 · CAI: 2.
3.0 FTE
Published scenarios use 3.0 FTE.
2.5 FTE
BBIA: 2.5 · CAI: 3.0.
1.0 FTE
Published scenarios use 1.0 FTE.
$2,131 each
Seven members. CAI’s approximately $81,984 council non-labor cost remains included.
$0.8772 / $1,000
Slider maximum: $1.60 per $1,000 AV, matching CAI’s modeled city maximum.
$500,000 home: about $36.55 per month at this modeled rate.
What is not in the operating balance? CAI separately estimates about $2.421M of 2027 REET and $340.8K of lodging tax. Those revenues are restricted and are not used to balance the operating budget above.

Method: Published presets reproduce the County/CAI and BBIA 2027 scenarios. Custom staffing uses CAI’s modeled labor costs while retaining the associated non-labor costs. Intermediate staffing levels are illustrative.
DID YOU KNOW?
Keep Exploring

The Numbers Are Only Part of the Question.

Financial feasibility matters, but incorporation also involves boundaries, services, local government and a public legal process. Explore the other pieces of the proposal.

Questions & Answers What Would Incorporation Mean? Get straightforward answers about taxes, services, law enforcement, zoning, city government and what incorporation would — and would not — change. Explore the FAQ See the Proposal Explore the Proposed City View the proposed boundaries along with zoning, service districts, roads and other geographic information that helps explain the proposal. Explore the Maps What Happens Next? Follow the Incorporation Process See how the Notice, public meeting, petition, Boundary Review Board process and eventual voter decision fit together. See the Process Behind the Work Learn About BBIA Learn who is doing the research, how this effort developed and the role BBIA plays in moving the question toward a public vote. About BBIA
Verify the Research Review the Source Material Read BBIA reports, the County feasibility study, public records and other documents behind the financial analysis.
View Public Records →