It was only one year ago when the Mill Creek City Council was united against annexing areas east of 35th Avenue SE.
Now, with a dangled carrot of potential large sales tax revenue from a planned retailer, a majority of members suddenly think going east of 35th is not such a bad idea.
The idea is a valid one to ponder. But in its rush to expand the city boundaries, a lot of questions that demand answers might be bypassed.
The Council must demand firm numbers on potential revenues from both sales taxes during construction and once the store is open. So far, the only numbers that have been provided are simple calculations regarding construction sales taxes, and a figure of $510,000 a year in retail sales taxes — from the developer, not a retailer.
In addition, why is Gramor Development so eager to work with the city of Mill Creek on design standards for the old buffalo farm, especially if Snohomish County has, according to Gramor’s John Graham, no design standards? Why is he willing to lead a push to annex the area into Mill Creek?
The Council’s eagerness to annex the proposed development strip on 132nd Street SE and add those revenues is understandable. But the decision is one that must be made rationally, with hard facts and hard questions asked.
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