Residents within the Chehalis urban growth area (UGA) are taking action in an attempt to put the act of annexation up for referendum through a petition.
Critics of the annexation, which was approved by the Chehalis City Council on Nov. 24 and the Lewis County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 2, are circulating a petition specifically for registered voters who live within the Chehalis UGA, with a deadline of Tuesday, Jan. 6. A public petition signing event will be held at Recreation Park in Chehalis near the swimming pool at 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 4.
In a letter to The Chronicle by resident Tim Potter, who started the petition, he cites higher costs of living and “new restrictions that many never agreed to” as reasons to oppose the annexation if it proceeds as currently agreed upon. Annexation is currently in a waiting period that gives impacted property owners, businesses and local government agencies a chance to appeal the annexation process, if they choose to do so.
“Residents living within the Chehalis urban growth area are being asked to accept a sweeping annexation with serious financial, public safety and governance consequences — without being given a direct vote,” Potter said. “That is unacceptable. Cellphone bills and power bills would increase by an estimated six percent due to city utility taxes. Property owners could face new land-use regulations and restrictions on animal ownership. Mandatory garbage and recycling services would be imposed. Fire District 5 residents would begin paying for ambulance calls, and Fire Districts 5 and 6 would effectively be absorbed by the City of Chehalis within the annexation area.”
The potential effects of annexation on taxes and other costs has been disputed, with city officials saying some residents in the UGA could see less taxation overall after annexation.
Potter told the Chehalis City Council on Nov. 24 that he would be petitioning for a referendum to make sure the annexation is only voted on by the people within the UGA. He stated that he had 45 days after the approval of the annexation measure to accumulate signatures, of which he said he believed he already had enough. The Jan. 6 deadline falls near the 45-day timeline of when the city council passed annexation, although it is unclear whether the deadline was given by the city or county.
The Chronicle contacted Chehalis City Manager Stacy Denham for clarification but did not hear back before deadline.
Potter also told the Lewis County commissioners on Dec. 2 that Chehalis RCW 35A.14 gives the citizens a right to a referendum. He stated he had visited the Lewis County elections office and was told that about 520 people within the UGA voted in the most recent general state election. With the RCW requiring no less than 10% of the voters to sign the petition, Potter said 81 signatures would be required for the referendum and that he already had about 120 signatures against annexation.
“If it goes to referendum, it will be voted down. It will be handed right back to you because there was not enough communication, not enough planning, not enough community organizing and town halls,” Potter said before he was cut off due to surpassing his allotted time limit.
According to Mindy Brooks, Lewis County community development director, the referendum section listed in the city’s RCWs under “Annexation by Code Cities” is not relevant to the annexation process currently being taken. The city council could have chosen to allow annexation to be decided by voters, but it opted for an interlocal agreement with the county instead.
“Each option underneath of RCW 35A.14 is an independent option for annexation. They do not reference each other, unless explicitly done so, so each RCW is done alone. Therefore, there is no option for referendum or petition,” Brooks said. “There is not an option for the party to the ILA because we are using 35A.14.472 as the option for annexation underneath of the RCW.”
However, citizens are still moving forward with the petition to attempt to require a referendum.
During the Nov. 24 Chehalis City Council meeting, Councilor Kevin Carns made a motion to table the annexation vote and create a resolution allowing voters to have the final say, but the amendment failed without a second. Carns was the only opposition to the final annexation vote from the council.
Potter claimed in his letter that the annexation process fails to adequately account for the defunding of two fire districts and the resulting impacts on emergency response and public safety.
“The residents being annexed currently have no representation in Chehalis city government, yet are being asked to shoulder the risks and costs of a decision made without their consent,” Potter wrote. “The process has revealed a troubling lack of leadership. County commissioners appear more focused on avoiding conflict than protecting constituents. Responsibility is deflected from one district to another, while residents are left without clear advocacy.”
Adding on to what numerous residents have said during city council and county commissioners meetings, Potter said the public’s opposition has been largely ignored.
“This annexation is not happening in a vacuum. It is widely understood that a key driver is the development of a major point-of-sale warehouse and the ability to tax electricity at six percent — impacting both large commercial users and homeowners alike,” Potter said. “Meanwhile, the City of Chehalis and the Lewis County Commissioners appear eager to make public resistance disappear. It won’t.
“Citizens living within the Chehalis UGA deserve better leadership, better planning and honest communication. They do not deserve to have life-altering decisions forced upon them under the assumption that government knows best — especially when the process has failed to demonstrate that confidence is warranted,” he continued. “At minimum, this annexation must be put to a public vote. The people who will pay the taxes, live under the regulations, and rely on the affected emergency services deserve the final say.”
