Little conflict over adding to city

Published 3:49 pm Monday, October 18, 2010

LAKE STEVENS — If anyone who lives in the area proposed to be added to Lake Stevens is excited about the idea one way or the other, it’s hard to tell from the number of people who have attended informational meetings on the topic.

The city has had eight well- publicized, informational meetings since last spring, and most have drawn only four or five people, said Diane “Scotty” Swift, community programs planner for the city.

A meeting Tuesday at Cavelero Mid High School drew seven.

On the other hand, Swift said, the intimate gatherings have made it easier to answer questions in depth.

“We’re one-on-one, and that really helps,” she said.

The proposal on this fall’s ballot would add a large area southwest of Lake Stevens to the city.

The neighborhoods lie south of Frontier Village and between the lake, Highway 204 and extend south of 20th Street SE. The 9-square-mile unincorporated Snohomish County area is home to 10,061 people.

If the annexation is approved, Lake Stevens would grow by more than two-thirds, from its current population of 14,553 to 24,614.

“Why does the city of Lake Stevens want to annex this area?” asked Bob Robinson, 73, at Tuesday’s meeting.

“So we have control over how the area develops,” responded City Councilwoman Suzanne Quigley.

If the area were to join the city, it would be subject to Lake Stevens’ development rules, which overall are stricter than the county’s.

Also, the area is designated by the county as part of Lake Stevens’ eventual growth area, Swift said.

“The city will be responsible for the whole area eventually,” Quigley said.

The reason the city is proposing to add such large a chunk at once, Swift said, is because the state is offering a tax rebate to cities for every 10,000 people added at one time, under a law that expires next year.

Lake Stevens would get about $247,000 right off the bat from the rebate, according to city administrator Jan Berg.

Still, the city would be in the red for about a year and a half until it collects 2010 property taxes, Swift said. The annexation would take effect Dec. 31 of this year.

“After that first year and a half, we would be leveled out,” Swift said.

Regarding property taxes for the people who live in the area, they would see a slight increase overall, officials said. The owner of a $328,500 home would pay $16 more each year than they currently pay — to $3,291 from $3,275.

The city also charges a utility tax of 5 percent on electricity, natural gas and cable and 6 percent on phone service, including cellular, which is not charged in the county.

For that extra money, officials said, the first thing people will notice is a difference in police protection. The Lake Stevens police department would hire 13 officers, to add to its total of 27.

This would bring the ratio of residents to police officers in Lake Stevens to 744-to-1, compared to 1,180-to-1 for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, city officials said. City police response times tend to be about half of those for sheriff’s deputies, or less, according to city estimates.

Before Quigley was on the city council, she campaigned three years ago for annexation of her Frontier Village neighborhood to the city.

“The biggest desire I heard was improving police response time,” she said.

This is not to blame the sheriff’s deputies, Quigley said. They’re stretched thin.

“It gets back to that rural level of service versus the city level of service,” she said.

Robinson said he now plans to vote for the annexation. Before the meeting, he said, he wasn’t sure.

“I came in right in the middle,” he said. “I was concerned about taxes.”

Barry West, 44, said he, too, is voting in favor.

“I believe service should be provided at the most decentralized level possible,” he said.

One couple who attended the meeting said the annexation seemed to make sense to them. Others indicated no preference.

In addition to the informational meetings, city officials have conducted public hearings, spoken to numerous civic organizations and even attended gatherings in people’s living rooms, Swift said. She’s heard little opposition and little passion on one side or the other, she said.

“The biggest comment I’ve heard so far is, ‘What took you so long?’ ” she said.

Annexation facts

n Overall, property taxes would be slightly higher in the annexation area if it joins Lake Stevens than they are now. The city charges a utility tax of 5 percent on electricity, natural gas and cable and 6 percent on phone service, including cellular, which residents in unincorporated areas do not pay.

n Police service, animal control, street maintenance, zoning and permitting, storm-water management and traffic engineering would be provided by the city of Lake Stevens rather than Snohomish County. All other services would remain as they are now.

n Garbage pickup would be done by the current company for seven years and then switch to whichever company is providing service in Lake Stevens.

n The ZIP code for the area would change. The U.S. Postal Service will forward mail for one year after Dec. 31, 2009, the effective date of the annexation.

n Two more informational meetings are scheduled, at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and Oct. 29 at Cavelero Mid High School, 8220 24th Street SE. For more information, go to www.ci.lake-stevens.wa.us and click on “Southwest Annexation” under “Latest News.”