Seattle City Council approves “path” to potential 2011 annexation vote
ORIGINAL 2:32 PM REPORT: Six days ago (WCN coverage here), the Seattle City Council‘s Regional Development and Sustainability Committee passed a resolution putting the city on what Council President Richard Conlin described as a “path” toward a November 2011 annexation vote. This afternoon, the full council has just passed that resolution (see its full text here). Before the vote, in the public-comment period, they heard from five annexation supporters and four opponents, three of whom primarily voiced concern about the impending closure of the South Park Bridge and suggested any money that Seattle might spend toward annexation would be better spent as a contribution to a new bridge. Conlin said today that the resolution “lays out a timeline” toward a decision on a potential annexation vote. He said the resolution reaffirms city leaders need “some numbers” before a final decision and that it’s not an “irrevocable commitment” but that “we think this would be a good idea if we find a way to make this happen.” The motion passed unanimously with little discussion, 8-0 (Sally Clark absent). Next step: The city has a long workplan laid out in the resolution, moving toward a final decision next winter on whether to have an election in November 2011. ADDED 3:09 PM: Read on for the official Seattle city news release about today’s vote:
Today Seattle City Councilmembers unanimously passed a resolution stating their intention to seek a November 2011 annexation election for the remaining unincorporated area of North Highline. This timeframe will provide time to outline a work program, deliverables and a schedule to support the Mayor and City Council in determining whether Seattle should pursue annexation of this area.
“Annexing North Highline will benefit the citizens of that area, as well as those in the City of Seattle,” stated Council President Richard Conlin. “There would be initial investments in the community, and the shared fire and emergency services will improve quality of life in this South Seattle area.”
While the action taken today is non-binding, it will allow the Council to proceed in working with King County and the community to evaluate all aspects of the potential annexation. Once compiled, this information will provide the necessary analysis for residents to make an informed decision, should annexation come to a vote in November 2011.
The City Council is committed to working cooperatively with King County Executive Dow Constantine on the financial issues that must be addressed in order to move forward with the potential annexation.
Tags: Annexation, Seattle City Council
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April 13th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
Good!
Lets get going!
Time for a vote!
April 13th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
Absolutely!
“Annexing North Highline will benefit the citizens of that area, as well as those in the City of Seattle,” stated Council President Richard Conlin. “There would be initial investments in the community, and the shared fire and emergency services will improve quality of life in this South Seattle area.”
Couldn’t agree more.
-AJ
April 14th, 2010 at 9:56 pm
Really? Improve life for all? Seattle is short 200 officers now. Where is all this extra money going to come from to take care of White Center. They are going to ignore us just like they have ignored every other south end neighborhood. Take a look at South Park, Delridge, and Rainier Valley if you want to see White Center’s future under Seattle.
May 28th, 2010 at 10:15 am
I agree with that…At least with Burien annexation we’d have King County Sherrif around…I’d rather take my chances with them
December 3rd, 2010 at 11:43 am
Seattle provides almost twice as many police officers per resident than King County. and Burien will create its own Police department in the next few years (as any city of its size does), as they can not afford the 5% annual salary increases that Sheriffs deputies demand. The vast majority of cities of any size in Washington have their own police department, including dozens of cities much, much smaller than Burien. And Seattle, if they move forward with annexation, has talked about a gang unit just for the 25,000 in the White Center area instead of sharing a King County gang unit with Burien and Skyway. Seattle is a better deal folks. We just need to make sure that we keep the CSO position and the storefront.