Council reviews two annexation petitions and asks staff to prepare modified resolutions

The Enumclaw City Council on April 27 reviewed two annexation petitions covering five vacant residential parcels submitted in March and directed staff to return with proposed resolutions that would modify the boundaries to include additional parcels.

Community development director Chris Massenet summarized the filings and explained the process under state law, including the 60% petition method that requires signatures representing 60% of total valuation in the proposed area before the Boundary Review Board would be engaged. He said staff recommends enlarging each proposed area to make the city boundary more regular and to comply with the comprehensive plan.

Massenet said staff is not asking the council for a final decision tonight but wanted direction. "Staff's recommending that the city council review the material and maybe give staff some direction on whether to prepare one resolution to accept, reject, or modify or two resolutions to accept, reject, or modify the annexation areas," he told council.

Council members asked detailed procedural questions about signatures, potential "donut" county pockets, and the implications for police, fire and utilities. Chris Searcy, responding on sewer and public‑works implications, said water and sewer are available to the parcels and noted options such as extending sewer along Roosevelt Avenue.

A member of the Community & Economic Development committee asked staff to consult the city attorney about whether the council could require applicants to cover the cost of a consultant to manage the annexation process, citing the workload on city staff. That council member said the committee prefers processing the two petitions separately and indicated support for returning two modified resolutions.

No final council vote was taken on annexation acceptance, modification or rejection. Council direction at the meeting: staff should consult the city attorney about possible conditions (including consultant funding), prepare modified resolution(s) reflecting the additional parcels shown in the staff presentation, and return to council for formal action.

What happens next: If the council directs, applicants would secure the required signatures, county staff would verify them, and the Boundary Review Board would review a notice of intent before the council could adopt an annexation ordinance and any related comprehensive‑plan actions.