Seattle Mayor Wants To Annex White Center; What Do You Think? Take Our Poll…
According to The Seattle Times, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn announced Wednesday (Jan. 27th) that he wants to ask White Center residents in November if they want to be annexed to Seattle.
Since Burien’s annexation of the southern North Highline area goes into effect April 1st, we’re presuming McGinn is targeting the remaining area north of there and south of the Seattle city limits, which holds approximately 20,000 residents.
Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin confirmed that he anticipates the council will now vote to put the measure on the November ballot.
Last year, Seattle was at odds with Burien after then-Mayor Greg Nickels claimed the White Center area and beyond for his city – ever since Countywide Planning Policies, a regional offshoot of Washington’s Growth Management Act, called for King County’s unincorporated urban areas to be included in cities by 2012.
The council will discuss the idea at a 9:30am meeting this coming Monday, Feb. 1st, at City Hall.
So…what do YOU think? If it were put on the ballot today, would you vote FOR or AGAINST annexing the rest of White Center to Seattle? Please take our Poll below, and add Comments if you have ‘em:
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Anyone have any thoughts on what this could do to all of our Mom & Pops? I love White Center because we have diversity and a small number of chains. Would annexation tax them out of the neighborhood?
It would kill mom and pops. I own a store here in white center and in Seattle. The taxes and fees are much much higher in Seattle. It will make starting a new business harder also. We will lose the sheriffs that have done a great job of community policing. Seattle will treat White Center the same way they do Delridge and South Park.
Full Tilt,
Any idea if Seattle Police does any kind of community policing? I would be interested to know.
George
Seattle does not do community policing. They don’t live in the areas they patrol, and their shifts change, so from week to week they are not in the same area.
What about the schools, parks and libraries?
Would they also become part of Seattle instead of HSD or KCP or KCL?
if it was annexed how would future levies or bonds be run for schools, parks and libraries if they were not going to be incorporated into the city?
teacher1 school districts would all remain as they are, parks and libraries would become part of the city of Seattle. I’m not exactly sure how that would future levies for parks and libraries would work. Unfortunately staying with King County we are already looking at park closures. However, Highline school district would continue to manage their own funding. Hope this helps.
George
That is not true. Seattle has said that they would see what would happen after annexation.
I love Fult Tilt Ice cream and admire Justin. But if Seattle is such a bad place to have a small business, why are there 74,000 small businesses in Seattle already? Seattle annexation will be a success for White Center if we all get involved and define for ourselves what our future should be. And folks Seattle will provide much higher fire service, many more police officers, and our property taxes will actually go down. I spoke with Seattle City Council members today during a tour and asked them to keep the store front open and to make sure that we offer our current KC officers, new positions in White Center as Seattle police officers. Whether they will change uniforms and accept the higher salaries is anyones guess. By law they must be offered positions with the new annexing city.
Ask why most of those businesses are failing in Seattle. Taxes are a lot higher. It took me 4 extra months to open a business in Seattle. That is not going to change for our neighborhood. Seattle codes and taxes don’t change from neighborhood to neighborhood.
Really, Seattle is going to provide us more cops? Are they going to take them from South Park who already does not have enough? Or Delridge that is also sorely lacking also. They are understaffed now, and notoriously lacking in community support. Name one neighborhood in Seattle that is singing the praise of SPD.
The people that think this is going to benefit them are the developers and speculators that think once they get a Seattle zip code, their housing prices are going to skyrocket. Once again, look at your closest neighborhoods and see what home prices are there. South Park is lower, much lower. It is going to benefit people that want to turn single family neighborhood in to high density apartments and condos. The reasons for Seattle are greed, nothing to do with benefiting this neighborhood.
Mark, George,
Do you work for the City of Seattle? Seattle hasn’t presented any of this type of information to NH residents at all. They have no numbers of services levels available or any financial committment readily available for us to read about. Where did you get your info from? I know one thing for fact about Seattle service – our Food bank here in North Highline Unincorporated Area serves Seattle City Residents across the Roxbury border, yet the City of Seattle doesn’t contribute a damn dime to it. Ask the food bank for yourself.
Seattle has made no committment to our community regarding anything, so what is your point? Are you qualified and designated by the City of Seattle to promise our community perks? If we don’t have the info from Seattle what exactly will you be voting on? Keeping your Seattle address? Please elaborate on how you can make an informed vote with out information from Seattle.
Hi Mark and George, unfortunately Heidi is unable and unwilling to do any research or listen to anyone regarding Seattle. It’s kinda weird that she is on the NHUAC, and is unable to ask or find out anything about Seattle and it’s neighborhoods.
I would focus your energies on educating yourself and your friends about their choices.. and just let them know that the White Center Citizens for Small Government Backdoor Dealing and Annexation to Burien, or NHUAC doesn’t want to listen to or know anything about Seattle.
-AJ
The point is Seattle City has not presented any facts – it’s just you and george posting stuff. You read the blog post on whitecenternow.com. and Seattle Reps did not present any info you and george keep posting. When I acutally hear it from Seattle, I will believe it. It’s that simple.