Annexation could be money loser
November 14, 2009
By J.B. Wogan
New: Nov. 14, 11:04 a.m.
An unexpected problem has cropped up with the potential annexation of the Marivaux neighborhood: It could cost the city about $4,000 per year.
Marivaux, sometimes called Ravenhill, is about 6.46 acres on the east side of Sammamish with 21 lots and about 64 people. Community Development Director Kamuron Gurol has proposed an annexation timeline where the neighborhood would join Sammamish by March or April 2010.
At the Oct. 20 meeting, the council voted 6-0 in favor of allowing the annexation process to continue. Residents must now collect signatures representing 60 percent of the total property value in the neighborhood and return to the council.
When the council gave Marivaux its preliminary blessing, it was under the impression that adding that neighborhood wouldn’t result in added costs to the city. But further research by city staff showed that the cost of fire protection would go up.
King County Fire District 10 is paying for the neighborhood’s fire protection, but after the annexation, Sammamish would foot the bill.
So even though the neighborhood would bring about $45,000 in added revenues to the city, it would incur $49,000 in costs, according to Gurol. He said about $16,000 of those added costs would from the city paying for added fire protection.
In past annexations, the neighborhoods have represented slight revenue gains through property taxes, while not entailing huge costs in terms of maintenance or improving local street facilities. The city conducted a cost-benefit analysis of Marivaux in 2007 and found a $13,000 gain. Gurol noted that Marivaux’s streets were in good condition.
“All annexations we followed through had to be, at the least, break even,” City Manager Ben Yazici told the council Nov. 10.
The annexation discussion took place at a study session where the council could not take action, delaying any actual decision until Nov. 17.
City Councilwoman Kathy Huckabay indicated she would press on with the Marivaux neighborhood even if it did cost the city a few thousand dollars.
“I would prefer to move ahead with the annexations as it’s configured here,” she said.
City Councilwoman Nancy Whitten concurred.
“You can see where this is. It’s a very natural part of Sammamish,” Whitten said. “The amount is de minimus.”
City Councilman Mark Cross also commented on Marivaux’s geographical location.
The neighborhood is essentially an island, bordered on the east by Soaring Eagle Park, on the south by Sammamish’s Plateau Golf and Country Club, and on the north and west by Sammamish city limits.
“It’s a logical area,” Cross said.
But Cross added that he would want a detailed breakdown of how adding Marivaux would impact the city’s revenues and expenditures before making a decision.
Steven Johnson, a resident from the neighborhood, also spoke at the Nov. 10 meeting, reinforcing his interest in joining Sammamish.
Johnson was one of four residents to sign the first petition, which had to show that at least 10 percent of the property values in the neighborhood wanted an annexation.
Johnson pointed out that his neighbors already attend the city’s July 4 celebration and use the city’s parks in the summer.
“We really feel that we are a part of Sammamish,” Johnson said.
If the council favors the annexation after the second round of signature collecting, then it would hold a public hearing and decide to either accept or reject the petition; then a county boundary review board would examine the petition and decide whether to accept it. After all those steps, the council would pass an ordinance annexing the new neighborhood into Sammamish.
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com.
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