LAKEWOOD — Most schools in Lakewood could be annexed into Marysville’s city limits.
The Lakewood School Board is exploring whether it should have four of its five schools added to Marysville’s municipal boundaries.
Lakewood Elementary, English Crossing Elementary, Lakewood Middle and Lakewood High School as well as the district’s bus barn and administration offices are all on adjoining property that is part of an annexation proposal.
The 83.7 acres are part of Marysville’s urban growth boundaries, land identified for possible annexation as part of its long-term expansion plan. Neither Lakewood nor Marysville school district boundaries would change as a result of an annexation.
Only Cougar Creek Elementary School west of the other schools would remain in the unincorporated part of the county.
“I think it opens the door to some good partnerships,” said Fred Owyen, a retired Lakewood facilities director who’s serving as a consultant on the annexation issue.
Gloria Hirashima, Marysville’s city administrator and planning director, said the school land is exempt from property taxes.
“It’s not a money maker,” she said. “It’s an issue of trying to strengthen relationships with the community.”
There are potential benefits to annexation, Superintendent Dennis Haddock said in a letter to district constituents.
They include a possible savings in having a law enforcement officer on the high school campus, better access to local government, a more streamlined permitting process and lower fees for future school construction projects.
Haddock said there are a few additional fees associated with the anenexation, such as a 5 percent tax on utilities, but “the overall result appears to be a reduction in costs and improved services to the district.”
Lakewood-area commercial and residential land west of I-5 already has been annexed into the city. No homes or residents would be part of the newest annexation proposal.
The annexation process would start with a request from the school district to the city. It also would need to go before the state Boundary Review Board of Snohomish County.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.
More on the Web
To learn more about the Lakewood School District’s proposal to include four of its schools in Marysville city limits, go to http://tinyurl.com/Marysville Annex to open a Power Point file.
To share your opinion on the proposal, go to http://tinyurl.com/MarysvilleSurvey.
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