Annexation's more than money

Recent articles in the Mirror have reported on the city of Federal Way considering three potential areas for annexation. It appears the entire focus is on the cost or financial benefit to the city if the annexation is added to our boundaries. This narrow spotlight on dollars is not the most important factor.

More than money is at stake in these decisions which impact not only residents and property owners within their boundaries, but those city dwellers that live adjacent to these unincorporated areas. I expect a prudent city staff to examine the financial implications of possible annexations. In the end, elected officials must base their decisions on much broader issues. They must weigh numerous factors, including the city’s manifest destiny, and make tough decision in the best interest of the entire community.

Having served in city administration in another state, I can attest to the difficult politics of annexation. Often, unincorporated areas like it that way and resist change. By remaining outside the city but close by, property owners reap many of the benefits while escaping the regulations and taxes associated with city residence. Their concerns should not be marginalized, but these once rural areas are now within a growing metropolitan area that is developing to handle increased population. Their neighborhoods will undergo change irrespective of the city’s decision.

It is in everyone’s best interest that change is orderly, preserving neighborhoods and allowing for smooth transition into the future. While most of these properties were built with little governmental oversight or direction, cities don’t have that luxury, and are expected to plan their urban growth in order to accommodate infrastructure demands on emergency services, utilities, parks and so on.

The city is doing the responsible due diligence, but most of the talk about money is likely posturing, given that amounts are relatively insignificant.

Unincorporated folks should expect a legitimate forum on their issues and concerns, but in the end, vote to join the inevitable. Instead of fighting, their energies are best spent negotiating earnestly with the city officials who should be poised to listen.

Property owners are now in a unique position to craft key annexation solutions rather than squander this opportunity in the face of a foregone conclusion. For if the city doesn’t annex now, it is only a matter of time, and in the meantime these neighborhoods will be bypassed while others prosper. Slower-growing property values will be the only reward for intransigence and delaying the inevitable.

Some folks with an especially strong independent streak won’t accept being in the city, and there will not be any way to satisfy them. Ultimately, some may decide to move further out into other unincorporated areas, and that is their right. It won’t be annexation that will force that decision, but the natural forces of the area’s evolution.

Let’s get beyond the rhetoric about dollars and start talking about what we see in our community’s future and how these possible annexation areas can play a role in a vibrant and healthy city.

Joe Ganem

Federal Way

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