Does Whatcom get all the money to build a new county jail?

No. The statute specifies that Whatcom County gets 60% of the tax revenue. The remaining 40% is allocated to the cities in the county based on the population of the city.

The County estimates that:

Bellingham’s share for 2024 would be about $3.7 million;

The cities of Lynden and Ferndale would get about $650,000 each as their populations are almost the same.

However, in the first four to six years the County would receive 50% of the cities’ revenue to pay down the debt so the bond could be smaller and less expensive.

Image: Yes! Safe Jail Healthy Outcomes