After frustrations were voiced by residents during a public hearing, the Winlock City Council voted four to one to approve a resolution advancing its process to annex the city’s Urban Growth Area (UGA) and expand eastward to Interstate 5.
Lindsey Alvord was the only council member to vote against the resolution.
Annexation would bring part of unincorporated Lewis County land into Winlock’s city limits.
The vote came after a public hearing was held earlier Monday evening. The hearing was opened by Winlock Mayor Brandon Svenson at 5:32 p.m. and continued for nearly two and a half hours as over a dozen people spoke, adjourning at 7:52 p.m. Throughout the meeting, speakers expressed concerns with the potential effects of annexation, including higher taxes, loss of well water and laws on planting trees.
The first speaker, Tim Fife, didn’t mince words regarding his thoughts on the proposed annexation.
“They don’t need you,” Fife told the council of the residents of the city’s UGA.
Fife also criticized Winlock’s government and what he called the city’s strong-mayor system of government.
“There’s been nothing but issues from the mayor since the day I moved here,” said Fife.
One man, Eric Bernard, told the room he had been living in the City of Kent’s UGA when his community voted to be annexed into the city.
“We were allowed to vote and too many people fell for lies,” Bernard said. “When you annex, you’re inheriting everything that area needs.”
Bernard alleged issues with Winlock’s sewage system, telling the council the city needed to fix its sewer problems before annexing the UGA. As Bernard continued speaking, tensions rose between himself and members of the council.
“That’s laughable,” Svenson retorted to Bernard at one point.
Bernard then accused the city’s government of authoritarianism.
“This is a perfect example of an authoritarian government,” Bernard told the room.
When Lewis County Commissioner Lindsey Pollock stood up to speak, she was met with applause from the room.
“I’m actually more here to listen for the county,” Pollock said.
Pollock told the council about the various ways the county would be involved in the annexation process.
At one point, District 15 Fire Commissioner Randy Pennington told the room about potential increases in insurance costs that could result from the annexation.
“I’m probably going to leave you with more questions than answers,” Pennington said.
According to Pennington, localities are rated by a Renton-based organization on a one to 10 scale when determining insurance premiums for fires. Under the scale, one is considered the least expensive to insure while 10 is considered the most expensive, meaning locations rated a 10 have the highest premiums. The ratings are based on factors such as the water supply and distance to fire safety infrastructure, such as fire hydrants.
Pennington told the room the City of Winlock is ranked a six while the area in the UGA is ranked a seven. Were Winlock to annex the UGA, the combined area would have to receive one single rating. Pennington told the room that while he wasn’t sure what was going to happen, it was possible people within the current boundaries of Winlock could see their insurance premiums rise.
“What’s the rating going to be?” Pennington asked. “All I can say is it will have an impact.”
According to Pennington, a house valued at $300,000 would see its insurance increase by $1,200 were the ratings for its area to rise from a six to a seven.
“What I can tell you, it will have an effect. I just don't know how,” said Pennington.
Throughout the rest of the hearing, those speaking mentioned a variety of issues, including water wells and potential concerns for senior citizens living on fixed incomes.
“We’re not stupid, stop treating us like we are,” one frustrated citizen told the council.
Mary Blair, a resident of Winlock’s UGA, expressed her feelings toward Winlock succinctly.
“I say right now, to hell with the City of Winlock,” said Blair.
Kathy Montgomery told the council that while she recognized that growth in the area was inevitable, she was concerned the Winlock City Council could make the problems accompanying growth worse.
“Well you can’t stop progress, but you can sure screw it up,” said Montgomery.
After the hearing ended, the council recessed before returning for the regular council meeting, where it voted to approve the annexation resolution. Members of the council expressed their appreciation for the public’s input on the matter, with several agreeing that more research needed to be done before the process could be completed.
“I want to thank everyone that came,” said councilor Jeramy Allman.
Svenson told the councilors he viewed Napavine as an example of the benefits UGA annexation can have for a city. According to Svenson, the taxes Napavine raises from its commercial area have allowed the city to pay for a large police force and city staff.
“For me this is just the next step,” said councilor Lonnie Dowell. “We don’t have the numbers yet to pull the triggers.”
For Dowell, the council could still learn new information and decide not to keep moving forward with the proposal, arguing the council could walk away even during the last step of the annexation process.
With the passage of the resolution, the next steps for proposed annexation include county approval and final approval by the city council.
