TO ANNEX OR NOT? YOUR VIEW: From North Highline Unincorporated Area Council
EDITOR’S NOTE: On Sunday, we extended an invitation for anyone – organization, business, private citizen, etc. – to submit for publication their pitch for why voters should go their way in the vote on whether Burien should annex most of the rest of North Highline. No negativity about the opposition or why the other view is wrong – just, why you believe your view is right. We have received four essays so far, all from Burien-annexation supporters, nothing yet from any opponents. On Sunday, we published one from Barbara Dobkin and one from four White Center businesspeople. Here’s the third; the fourth is in queue for later this afternoon, and we’re still accepting essays (that follow the rules) through Tuesday afternoon. Please send to whitecenternow@gmail.com – thank you!
By the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council
Special to White Center Now
The North Highline Unincorporated Area Council (NHUAC) urges a YES vote for annexation of “Area Y” to Burien (Proposition 1 at the end of your ballot). Our support is based in large part on the positive impact of Burien’s 2010 annexation of our neighbors to the south. Roads have been paved, long neglected parks have been improved, and the people have been given a voice and a say in their future.
A Burien annexation will ensure that the White Center and Boulevard Park Libraries will not be moved out of the communities they currently serve. Without Burien’s advocacy these essential community resources would have already been lost, but without annexation, according to the King County Library Board, they will be closed.
Staying Unincorporated is not an option. At NHUAC’s October 4 Annexation Forum, State Senator Sharon Nelson and Karen Freeman from King County Executive Dow Constantine‘s office made it clear that the State Growth Management Act and King County Policies, require that we join a city. King County does not have the same taxing authority that cities do to provide continued services to urban unincorporated areas. Under the county, services will continue to be cut and diminish our quality of life.
Our King County Council Representative, Joe McDermott, noted that the county’s new road service plan will eliminate any maintenance or repair to approximately 36 miles of our residential streets. Additionally, he discussed other ways that remaining unincorporated would negatively impact us.
King County Sheriff Steve Strachan, Burien’s Assistant Police Chief Carl Cole, Fire Chief of Burien and Normandy Park and acting Fire Chief of North Highline, Mike Marrs, and Burien City Manager Mike Martin also shared pertinent information and answered questions. We highly recommend if you have any doubts about voting YES for annexation that you view the video of the forum that can be accessed on the NHUAC website northhighlineuac.org.
If we join our neighbors who annexed to Burien in 2010, we will be slightly more than half the population of Burien. Our taxes, which will be invested in our community, will increase approximately $10 a month. A small price to pay for the opportunity to live in a safe healthy community, where we will finally have a say in the issues that directly impact our quality of life.
As the late Deputy Steve Cox, a proponent of our annexation to Burien, often said, “What you see is what you get.”
Vote YES for a brighter future, vote YES for Burien.
-North Highline Unincorporated Area Council
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November 5th, 2012 at 3:50 pm
DO NOT LET BURIEN ANNEX WHITE CENTER!!!
there is no good reason to aquire a burien address people!!
for the most basic reasons:
1. burien can’t afford to take care of us, let alone themselves.
2. burien is struggling at the city council level, they are unable to provide white center and king county with a detailed economic-development plan for the future of white center.
3. burien will lower the value of everything in white center, including our property taxes!!
they will let us wither as they will provide NO EXTRA SERVICES EXCEPT HIGHER TAXES… that is not a sercvice!!
VOTE NO FOR BURIEN ANNEXATION!!!
this does not mean we will go to seattle. this means we stay just like we are, WHITE CENTER. UNINCORPORATED AND HAPPY!!
November 5th, 2012 at 4:22 pm
As a White Center business owner, I am against Burien annexation. They will add seven additional taxes to the business district. Even with the modest reduction in property taxes, our business will see a $1,200 per year increase in Burien taxes and fees, yet Burien will not improve police services here. If annexation is such a great thing for the White Center business district, why are there so many red Vote Against Annexation signs everywhere in the windows of our businesses? The only White Center entity that Burien has talked with is the UAC. How can we be one day until the election and Burien has not met with the business community or provided them with information abou the impacts of Burien annexation? Vote Against Annexation.
November 6th, 2012 at 8:23 am
I love that all the yes to Burien signs are being stolen right after we put them up.
November 6th, 2012 at 2:42 pm
Mr. Malo, I just hope that if you business or home ever catch on fire that we have a fire dept that is available to respond. You fail to address the real consequences of staying unincorporated, and it is interesting that in all your Seattle lobbying efforts you never discussed the impact of increased taxes. This is about more than you, this is about the health and well being of the North Highline community. It also deserves to be pointed out that you are the only resident of North Highline to contribute to the PAC, Independent White Center. All the other funding, and some very big donations, came from Burien and Seattle residents. Why do they want White Center to remain unincorporate?