MILL CREEK – Lisa Hopp worries about the safety of her children.
Drivers race down her small suburban street northeast of Mill Creek, using it as a short cut, she said. Many are teenagers from nearby Jackson High School, Hopp said.
“They fly right through my neighborhood,” she said.
She has three children ages 4 and younger.
“We don’t play out front because of that,” she said.
Unhappy with what she said is a lack of traffic enforcement by the sheriff’s office, she turned to Mill Creek.
Now her area is close to becoming part of the city.
Last fall, Hopp and 11 neighbors collected signatures of property owners in hopes of being annexed into Mill Creek. The owners of 61.3 percent of the property value in the 407-acre area signed the petition. The signatures were recently certified by the county.
The annexation would add 1,800 residents to the city’s 2004 population of 12,760. The area runs along the south side of 132nd Street SE, straddles 35th Avenue SE and includes the Thomas Lake shopping center.
A hearing on the proposed annexation is scheduled for 7 tonight at City Hall, 15728 Main St.
If the City Council votes to send the annexation to the county for validation, the county will leave open a 45-day window for anyone who wants to contest the proposal. If contested, the county Boundary Review Board would conduct hearings and could add or subtract from the annexation area.
While the board has the authority to deny the annexation, it would have to have good reasons for doing so, said Tom Rogers, city planning manager.
“It’s more adjusting as opposed to denying,” he said.
If no one contests the annexation, the board can still adjust the boundaries, but the process will be quicker.
Either way, the plan would go back to the City Council for final approval.
The annexation is a good deal for the city and the residents, city officials said. The city will gain revenue, the residents’ taxes will drop, and they’ll receive better services, city officials said.
“It allows us to provide service without increasing the tax burden on existing city residents,” Rogers said.
With all taxes and utility fees considered, the owner of a $200,000 home would pay $230 less per year, according to city statistics.
Not everyone supports the annexation. Some in the area have told the City Council in hearings that they don’t want to be part of the city, Rogers said.
An option for the City Council would be to leave out a small area in the northeast corner, along 47th Avenue SE and 132nd Place SE, where many residents are known to oppose the annexation, Rogers said. The council must decide on the boundaries before it sends the annexation to the county.
“Whatever comes back from the county is take it or leave it,” he said.
Reporter Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439 or sheets@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
