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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, August 2, 2007 Monroe official backs off Sultan annexation By Yoshiaki Nohara, Herald Writer MONROE - It was meant to be a warning. Monroe City Councilman Mitch Ruth now says he brought up the idea of Monroe annexing Sultan to get Sultan officials to take actions to improve the smaller city's financial woes. "My preference is to have Sultan remain independent," he said Tuesday. Ruth suggested annexation last week. He said he still plans to discuss the annexation idea with other Monroe officials in a meeting on Aug. 14. But he doesn't think that the proposal will go far in the near future. "I recognize Sultan has its own identity, which is different than Monroe," Ruth said. The proposal is impossible anyway, Sultan City Councilman Jim Flower said. Sultan and Monroe sit six miles apart. Neither of them has authority to stretch its boundary to the other's, Flower said. Since the birth of Washington state, a handful of towns have merged through annexation, although it's rare. East Stanwood did it in 1961 to join Stanwood, according to the Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington. Seven years later, Kirkland annexed Houghton. Ruth said he had suggested the annexation idea partly because he believes that Sultan's issues affect Monroe. If crime increases in Sultan, that will spread to Monroe. Monroe could give some money to Sultan to combat crime in Sultan, Flower said. "They can write us a free check for two full-time (police officer) positions for two years," Flower said. Sultan is facing financial woes. The city's general fund this year is expected to be about $450,000 short mainly because of unexpected bills for internal investigations at its police department and a revenue shortfall in building permits. Sultan officials are looking at ways to balance the $2.2 million general fund. Sultan became a city in 1905, three years after Monroe became incorporated. Sultan has 4,530 people, Monroe 16,290, according to the state Office of Financial Management. Sultan's leaders are working hard to improve the city's situation and help it thrive with economic development in the future, Sultan Mayor Ben Tolson said. Sultan and Monroe have been around for a long time. The idea of Sultan becoming a part of Monroe makes no sense, Tolson said. "I don't understand why (Ruth) decided to inject himself into this situation," he said.

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