BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Bellingham has received more than $32 million in security funding ahead of the World Cup.

The city council voted unanimously Monday, June 1 at their regular meeting to authorize acceptance of grant funding from the Dept. of Homeland Security. Mayor Kim Lund will accept the funds on the city’s behalf.

The money will pay for Bellingham Police staff overtime and equipment including drones to cover FIFA World Cup-related events in the city.

According to Deputy Police Chief Jay Hart, their concerns inside the city will revolve around the six games showing at Kulshan Trackside and a block party on Commercial Street.

In a council committee meeting earlier in the day, Hart relayed the anticipated security concerns for Bellingham.

“Due to these events, [the department] believes that there’s a potential for large crowds and traffic-related issues which in turn could bring significant security risks on those days,” he said. “We also anticipate an additional layer of crowding and traffic-related issues due to our proximity to the border and the expected increase in in FIFA fans traveling through Bellingham to arrive either a the Vancouver FIFA site or at the Seattle FIFA site.”

This comes as the city also received grant funding from Washington’s military department to acquire extra equipment for the events.