Politics & Government

Council Accepts 268th Avenue S.E. Annexation Petition Following Lively Public Hearing

The Enumclaw City Council voted 6-1 Monday to accept the 60 percent petition as part of the process for the annexation of 101 acres along 268th Avenue S.E. into the city.

The Enumclaw City Council acknowledged the lively input provided by King County residents who felt strongly about the proposed 268th Avenue S.E. Annexation either way and opted 6-1 to move forward with the process by approving a resolution Monday night that accepts the 60 percent petition that represents the majority of property owners in the area in question.

Some highlights of the proposed annexation, according to City Planner Clark Close, are:

  • It represents 101 acres along 268th Avenue S.E., bound by S.E. 424th Street and S.E. 432nd Street.
  • There are 42 parcels representing about $9.8 million in assessed fair market value (June 2011).
  • It is about 13 percent of the city's remaining 1.25 square miles of Urban Growth Area (UGA).
  • There are 85 people in the annexation area.
  • The city stands to see an annual net gain if about $35,127; it will collect less in utility fees as it would no longer collect out-of-city rates.
  • Residents in the area would see a net annual property tax bill decrease.

Councilman Glen Jensen, who cast the lone dissenting vote, came to represent six of the 11 residents who came to speak to Council directly about their concerns during a public hearing at the meeting.

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Resident Eddy Eley told Council he did not wish to live in the city and didn't want to see further development where he lives. He also took exception to what he said was fellow residents who hadn't lived in the area as long as he had pushing their will for annexation on others who didn't agree.Β 

Dave McCrindle said he didn't want the additional traffic that would result from added population growth and development. "I want my big lot," he said. "I want to be out of city limits."

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Robert Mills added that he doesn't think some of the residents who signed the petition were fully informed and that the 62 percent approval represented a narrow margin of the affected residents. Additionally, with the city short one police officer position, newly annexed areas would stretch police resources, he said.Β 

"It will change our lifestyle and I just don't think that's fair," he said.

Mills later pointedly directed a comment at the annexation petitioner Richard Kranz, saying he lives in the area but Kranz simply owns property there.

Addressing Mills, Kranz acknowledged he currently does not live in the affected area but has family that still does. Nonetheless, the larger issues are that the county can't provide the services for the area that the city of Enumclaw can, like 911 response, he said.

An acquaintance relayed to him that during a recent 911 call, it took the King County Sheriff's Office nearly an hour to respond, he said.

Opponent Jason Cohen, however, argued he himself had utilized 911 services in the past and the county was always prompt.

Cohen said he wasn't interested in the additional costs of hooking up to the city sewer system as well as the additional density and traffic that annexation would bring.

But Steve Fasoli, Nina Body and David Fallon said they would like the opportunity to engage in city issues.

Body said she's lived in the area for 21 years and "never voted for anything in the city I call home. I'd like the opportunity to vote."

Fallon concurred. "I'd like to be involved in the decision process and be a member in the city of Enumclaw instead of just a neighbor."

Councilmen Sean Krebs and Jeff Beckwith explained their rationale for voting to continue with the annexation process.

The Council followed all guidelines according to the state and even exceeded them in the effort to inform the public through public notices and open houses, Krebs said. "I see no reason to oppose," he said.

Beckwith said that the city didn't suddenly spring the annexation on current residents as the area was within the Urban Growth Boundary, and has been for at least 20 years.

The acceptance of the 60 percent petition means the city can proceed to the next step, which is to submit the petition to the state Boundary Review Board, said Community Development Director Erika Shook.Β 

It will typically taken the city two weeks to process appropriate paperwork and the state board 45 days to review and approve. Meanwhile, the city will be holding two more public hearings on the annexation issue, likely in the January or February 2012 timeframe, she said.

According to Shook's staff report in the meeting's agenda packet (page 370), acceptance of this petition in no way binds the City Council to annex the proposed area, so further discussions are likely down the road.

To that end, Councilman Mike Ennis asked Shook for documentation regarding public notices in order to research allegations from the public that the city had been distributing subjective material on the matter.

More information: Current City of Enumclaw Annexation Petitions

Patch has more from Monday night's Council meeting coming Tuesday. Stay tuned.


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