Marysville City Council votes 6-1 to annex 20,000 residents

MARYSVILLE — After a series of public hearings on the subject, the Marysville City Council voted 6-1 Nov. 9 to annex approximately 20,000 residents of unincorporated Snohomish County into its city limits, which would give Marysville a population of approximately 57,000 and make it the second-largest city in Snohomish County.

This move follows an open house and public hearing before the Council July 13, both of which packed the Council chambers at City Hall, as well as a Sept. 9 public hearing before the Marysville Planning Commission, and two further public hearings before the Council Sept. 28 and Nov. 2. The latter two hearings attracted no public comment, but the July 13 hearing drew public testimony from residents of the annexation area who objected to the city annexing their property.

Council member Lee Phillips cast the lone dissenting vote when the City and County councils voted July 13 to authorize Marysville Mayor Dennis Kendall to sign the interlocal agreement between the city and the county, providing the annexation to the city of the unincorporated urban growth area in roughly the center of Marysville. On Nov. 16, Phillips again cast the lone dissenting vote, and reiterated his July 13 objections on the grounds of government representation by suggesting that, without deciding the annexation through an election, the city would be "telling [residents] who will govern them, and forcing that on them."

The annexation area encompasses the 2,847 acres north of Grove Street, east of State Avenue, south of the 14800 block and west of 67th Avenue NE. Of its 7,275 parcels of property, 91 would experience a change in land use as a result of annexation. The existing city limits of Marysville touch 75 percent of the boundaries of the annexation area, and state law allows a city to annex an area by agreement with the county, rather than by a petition or a vote, if a city's limits touch 60 percent or more of an annexation area's boundaries. The annexation takes effect Dec. 30, following a mid-December census of the annexation area.

Contact Marysville Globe Reporter Kirk Boxleitner at kboxleitner@marysvilleglobe.com or 360-659-1300 Ext. 5052.

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