Voters may have a say in 1,500-acre Lake Stevens annexation

LAKE STEVENS — City and county leaders have decided to pause a Lake Stevens annexation plan that would expand city boundaries to include roughly 3,000 more residents and the lake itself.

They want to put the proposal to voters first.

The proposed Southeast Interlocal Annexation includes about 500 acres east and south of the lake, plus the 1,000-acre body of water — all now in unincorporated Snohomish County.

Officials have said the annexation could provide a more structured form of government for the area as the population continues to grow and city leaders pursue their goal of becoming “One Community Around the Lake.”

They initially hoped to annex the land through a new method established by state Senate Bill 5522, passed in June. It does not require residents to vote, but instead says a city and county can agree to allow unincorporated land to be annexed within urban growth areas by adopting an interlocal agreement.

But on Tuesday, the city and county councils decided to table the proposed annexation agreement after residents urged them to get more input from those in the area.

The Lake Stevens City Council agreed to work with the County Council to pursue an advisory vote, to appear on the August primary ballot.

An advisory vote would not make any binding decision on the annexation but would provide officials with an idea of how people feel about it.

“Let’s see what the sentiment is out there,” City Councilman Gary Petershagen said. “It’s good for us to listen to the public.”

County Council Chairwoman Stephanie Wright and her colleagues also said they supported waiting on the results of a public vote before making a final decision.

County Councilman Sam Low recused himself from the deliberations to avoid any conflicts of interest. Low previously voted in favor of another annexation while serving on the Lake Stevens City Council. His wife is also general manager of the Lake Stevens Sewer District.

It isn’t clear yet who would be allowed to participate in the vote, aside from those within the annexation area.

One idea was that the whole city could be involved, according to Senior City Planner David Levitan. That’s because the Southeast Interlocal Annexation would incorporate the actual lake. Hundreds of people live along its shores, and anyone is welcome to visit public beaches.

“Right now, your constituents don’t even know that this is going on, for the most part,” Janice Huxford told city and county council members at the Tuesday meeting. “Can we simply slow the roll, folks? Can we make this something that can be discussed as a community?”

Lake Stevens became an incorporated city in 1960. Ten years later the population was recorded as 1,283.

The city began to annex land in 2002, and by 2010 the number of people living there skyrocketed to 28,069. Now an estimated 34,150 people live in Lake Stevens, according to state data.

Another annexation, called the Machias Industrial Annexation, was approved in late February. It did not bring as many people into the city but incorporated almost 70 acres. In that case, 13 of 18 property owners petitioned to annex, the city has said.

The Southeast Interlocal Annexation process has been ongoing for about eight months, with two meetings, an informational website and thousands of postcards sent to residents, according to Levitan.

“I’m disheartened by the number of people who didn’t participate in the public meetings, who didn’t speak up in this opportunity,” City Councilwoman Anji Jorstad said Tuesday. “I feel nervous about how little we’ve heard from the folks who live in that area.”

City and county leaders acknowledged that their staff tried to make the process public. The COVID-19 crisis has gotten in the way, though.

“We are in the middle of a pandemic. It’s hard to do that outreach,” Wright said.

Several residents spoke out against the proposed annexation at the meeting. They raised questions about its impact, including whether the area’s development potential would change and if the addition would put a strain on city resources.

“I think this is a bad deal for everyone in the southeast interlocal area,” said Michael Jones, who lives within the proposed annexation. “It’s a land grab for the city, a tax grab for the city and we get absolutely nothing from it.”

The property tax levy rate would go down for those incorporated into the city by about 7 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, or around $28 for a home worth $400,000.

At the same time, residents would notice an excise tax of 6% on utility bills. Excise taxes depend on the cost of each bill but are expected to add between $5 and $25 each month, depending on what utilities the person has, according to the city.

City staff say the allowed density of development will be similar to what it is now within the proposed annexation. The current zoning rules in the unincorporated area impose a minimum lot size of 7,200 square feet, Levitan said. City rules would allow slightly smaller lots, down to 6,000 square feet, he said.

Lake Stevens would hire two more patrol officers for the added area, bringing the department’s patrol force to 22 officers and four detectives, according to Police Chief John Dyer. An assessment would then be done to determine if more officers are needed to cover the annexation, Dyer said.

The city’s Public Works department has created an inventory of sidewalk, road and other infrastructure improvements that will be necessary in the annexation in the coming years. Those upgrades will likely be paid for in the same way other infrastructure projects are financed — with developer fees and other funding, according to Public Works staff.

The city now pays most of the expenses associated with maintaining the lake’s water quality. Lake Stevens is responsible for 90% of the costs of managing the lake, and the county pays the remaining 10% under an interlocal agreement signed in 2013, city Public Works Director Eric Durpos said.

That contract expires at the end of the year. The city may choose to buy test equipment and train employees to take over some of the work that’s now contracted out to the county, Durpos said.

Rachel Riley: 425-339-3465; rriley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @rachel_m_riley.

Stephanie Davey: 425-339-3192; sdavey@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @stephrdavey.