Council to study Annexation 101

By Terry Murry on Monday, March 22nd, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

WALLA WALLA – The Walla Walla City Council is holding a work session at 4 p.m. today (Monday) entitled Annexation 101. The meeting will provide an overview of the annexation process taken in the city.

Participants include Development Services Director Preston Frederickson and members of his staff, Senior Planner Jon Maland, Planner Melissa Shumake, and Deputy City Manager Elizabeth Chamberlain.

State law governs annexation of land into city limits. Generally speaking, the only areas that can be annexed have to lie within the city’s urban growth boundary. At least 10 percent of the property owners who want their property to be annexed into the city have to file a part of their petition in September or January of each year and pay a $1,600 annexation fee to begin the process. It ends with public hearings on each petition followed by council action. The same process is used regardless of the acreage involved.

The council work session is streamed on the city council page of the city’s website. It is also available via Zoom by calling 253-215-8782 and entering meeting ID 810 7764 3613#.