Annexation

We had an interesting discussion about annexation tonight at Council. We don’t take votes at work sessions, and this was meant to be informational. I’m not sure where all the council members are at on this—I guess we will find out in the coming weeks. It does seem like there may still be four votes to move the issue forward.
The staff has prepared a timeline that would take us to the Boundary Review Board (BRB) either in September this year, or February 3, 2011. It’s available here.
We expect the result, assuming it’s affirmative, would be appealed again by Fire District One. They appealed the last decision of the BRB, which brought us to this point of re-set. With that timeline and contingencies, it would take us into 2012 for the annexation to be in effect. With that timeline, we will also turn to our current residents in Mukilteo to discuss, or possibly to vote on, the issue. There are a variety of election dates after the potential BRB decision and before any vote inside the annexation area. Once the BRB decision is rendered, and any appeals are settled, it makes sense to ask Mukilteo voters: that’s when we’ll have a full picture of what we’re asking, both inside and outside the current city limits.
The discussion about annexation is happening in the framework of another process, our adoption of a long-range financial plan. That plan is taking the shape of a variety of policies governing the city’s finances. We also have a workshop to discuss a vision for the future of Mukilteo scheduled for June 10th. I’m excited for that opportunity to talk about a host of issues facing Mukilteo, and to envision what shape the future may take.

One other topic that came up was the zoning for the manufactured home communities inside the annexation area: the biggest one is Carriage Club Estates. Most of the councilmembers present voiced an interest in adopting a manufactured home park zone, similar to what the County has in place now for those properties. This is great news for the residents of Carriage Club, and I'm glad more of the council now shares my interest in taking this action.