Feb. 12, 2008
A $1.25 million check to Auburn is first from annexation incentive fund
Auburn's mayor was presented a giant version of a $1.25 million check from King County today to help pay for expenses related to annexing 4,000 acres of land and 15,000 new residents from unincorporated King County. Auburn is the first city to receive money from the county's $10 million annexation incentive fund and also received $500,000 in road improvements.
City annexations of urban areas will save King County money and help reduce a budget deficit forecast for 2009. King County is currently the provider of police and other local services to more than 210,000 residents living in urbanized pockets of unincorporated King County. The State Growth Management Act states that cities generally are the unit of government most appropriate to provide services in urban areas. Extensive negotiations with the cities in King County resulted in agreement that all urbanized areas of King County should become part of cities by the year 2012.
"Mayor Lewis's leadership made these annexations possible," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "Without his willingness to go out and lead community meetings, these annexations would not have happened."
The Auburn annexations are a result of overwhelming voter approval from the Lea Hill and West Hill areas in August 2007.
"We would like to thank Executive Sims and his staff for their outstanding efforts to help promote this annexation effort under the new incentive programs," said Auburn Mayor Pete Lewis. "This truly was and will continue to be a successful partnership."
"With so many annexations throughout King County meeting mixed results with voters, Auburn's successes illustrate what is possible with strong outreach and strong services," said District 7 County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer. "I commend the City of Auburn for these achievements."
In addition to the Auburn annexations, voters in the unincorporated Benson Hill area south of Renton voted in November 2007 to annex their 16,000 residents into the City of Renton. That transition is effective March 1, 2008. A measure to annex an area called East Renton to the city, failed in February 2007, as did an August 2007 proposed annexation east of Federal Way to that city.
King County's Annexation Initiative was launched in 2004 to promote annexation of the ten largest remaining urban unincorporated areas and set up a $10 million fund to help pay for the transition.
To help with annexations, the Washington State Legislature last year granted a state sales tax credit to jurisdictions with a population of less than 400,000 annexing more than 10,000 people in a single area. The sales tax credit expires January 1, 2010. Cities are now lobbying for additional state help such as annexation process improvements or extending the state sales tax credit beyond 2010.