Vote "NO"

I will be voting “NO” on annexation August 21, 2007

The City of Federal Way is trying to sell you on the idea of annexation into the city as soon as possible. There are several meetings in the area to promote the plan.

Speakers:

A representative from the mayor or city manager will tell you that the area will be a drain on resources if annexation is not done at this time. And that the schools, library, water, sewer and the South King County Fire and Rescue will remain unchanged.

Another representative will tell you that a city has much greater taxing authority and more taxing options than a county, and indeed, the City of Federal Way has pursued every avenue of taxation available. I interpret that the city is taxing its residents to the maximum allowed by the law, getting every penny it can from you. (There will be no mention of ways to work within a more restrictive budget like you have to do every month, just how to get every penny possible out of your pocket into the city.) According to questions asked at previous meetings, this annexation creates a financial deficit and they ‘don’t really want to annex us’ but are taking advantage of a financial incentive to do so at this time.

The Federal Way Police Department will compare the number of sheriffs’ currently serving our area and proudly pitch the dramatic increase in dedicated officers they will provide. Yet Critical Response times are 3.89 minutes for King County Sheriff and 3.53 minutes for Federal Way Police, about a 21 second difference. (2005 statistics, last full year available) Federal Way is touting that permanent annexation is worth about 20 seconds of response time?

Oh, by the way, a major point raised in past meetings was that fireworks are banned in the city of Federal Way. I do not have a problem with fireworks and view this as a restriction on our rights as a patriotic citizen. (The effective date of an annexation approved by the August 21 vote is July 1, 2008, just in time to hand out hefty fines to our area revelers.)

Issues:

The city will also admit that they, not the citizenry or homeowners of the ‘East Federal Way Proposed Annexation Area’, are the ones who forced this irreversible decision onto the ballot at the earliest time convenient to them. They started in 2003 studying and planning this move but only want to allow you, the person impacted by the vote, a few short weeks to make this very important, and permanent, decision.

For finances, the City of Federal Way is going to take advantage of, and receive, ‘offset’ tax money from the county and the state. A onetime payment of $3.5 million in ‘transition’ money is being paid from King County. And a full 37% of the operating costs associated with annexation, an estimated $2.7 million dollars per year, will be diverted out of the state sales tax revenue for the next ten years to offset the cost of the negative cash flow resulting from annexation. It was stated at an earlier meeting that these funds must be spent exclusively in the Proposed Annexation Area (PAA). Ask how the city will make up the $2.7 million per year, 37%, deficit after the allotted ten years. The issue is identified but not addressed, but then, the most important thing seems to be to get the incentive money as soon as possible, while the offer is good and the amount is the greatest.

The only reason for this big annexation push right now is clearly, and admittedly, big dollars in the city coffers. (Read the handout entitled - Can Federal Way Afford To Annex?)

Handouts mentioned on this page are given out at the meetings and are also available at the City of Federal Way web site: http://www.cityoffederalway.com/Page.aspx?page=1208


Points to Ponder

Who is asking for the annexation? (Or rather forcing a vote upon us!)

If you, as an individual, wanted to be annexed into a city and then talked to your and my neighbors and gathered their support and then approached the city to have it put on the ballot, I am sure we would all feel much more comfortable with the present vote. But we didn’t. Instead, the city saw the money incentive, formulated their ideas of how to get it, carefully prepared a ‘presentation’ to show how this will ‘be to our benefit’ and put it on the ballot at their convenience. Is this the type of government actions you want to have jurisdiction over you?

Additional taxes and fees that you may be subjected to include but are not limited to:

Utility taxes on every single utility you use, including telephones, gas, electric, cell phones and cable television, to name just the ones mentioned, I am sure I left out some.

The Utility Tax Rebate, is it a real financial benefit?

Referring to the handout Annexation: A Tax Computation, the “low income seniors and disabled citizens are eligible for an annual rebate of their entire utility tax” applies to a very small number of residents and is only a ‘rebate’; you have to pay it first, wait a year, apply for the rebate and then may get it back. Meanwhile, you must also pay for the current years’ utility tax without relief. So, even if you qualify, you have to pay it anyway and then apply for a ‘rebate’? This does not sound to me like much of a financial benefit, just more paperwork. (Maybe they are hoping you will forget to apply for the 'rebate')

Home security alarm fee (the application clearly states that you do not get better response time or service, indeed it reads, and I quote, ”Failure to complete this application, or to pay your $25 fee could result in NO POLICE RESPONSE to your alarm system and/or a penalty of $50”! Instead of promoting individual responsibility and assisting or at least allowing personal protective systems, you are punished for your expense and effort. How is that for “improved police service”?)

Home businesses (assessed at $75 initially and $50 per year renewal) allow only a few rare exceptions to be ‘grandfathered’ (no non-resident employees and “limitations on hours of operation”, some businesses may be “phased out over a negotiated period of time”). Negotiated? Or is it really mandated?

Why Annex Now?

The biggest selling point seems to be the additional police presence. Yet Critical Response times are only 21 seconds different! Is permanent annexation worth 21 seconds of response time? The police department handout cites Federal Way crime rate but fails to include a comparison of the actual crime rate for the annexation area.

I do not feel insecure or unsafe with the way it is now. Annexing into a city does not eliminate crime. In my 24 years of living in un-incorporated King County, I have been the victim of crime and I have never been mis-treated or felt ignored by the King County Sheriffs’ Office or the King County court system.

If I had wanted to live in a city, I would have moved into one, not necessarily the City of Federal Way. I chose a more rural setting offered only by an un-incorporated area.

Are we really living in so much fear that we can not put off this vote and take more time to consider the irreversible ramifications of annexation? Do we really want more government regulation?

Please join me in voting “NO” August 21st.