Council narrowly rejects annexation
By Terry Murry on Tuesday, May 31st, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA — The Walla Walla City Council recently voted down the petition for the Narum and Burseth 60 percent annexation on Cottonwood Road. The final vote was four opposed and three in favor.
“I voted no,” Mayor Tom Scribner said. “Can’t say what exactly the reasons were for my no colleagues to vote no, but for me there were three.”
Scribner said for he was concerned there is no development agreement or even a detailed description of what is planned for the property.
“We do not know, for example, how many houses will be built on the property,” he said. “Therefore, we have no idea how many more vehicles per day will use Cottonwood Road, the only road that serves the acres to be annexed.”
Scribner’s second concern is the substandard condition of Cottonwood Road and the congested intersection of Cottonwood/Howard/Reser/Project. He said a city staff report regarding the annexation discussed the substandard condition of Cottonwood Road, the danger for bicyclists and pedestrians who use it, and raised the question of who will pay for improvements to Cottonwood Road.
“I think to annex first and then to negotiate with developers regarding how much they should pay for infrastructure improvements lessens the city’s bargaining position,” he said.
Scribner also didn’t like the look of the city map if the land was annexed.
“We are told by staff, and literature regarding annexation states, that one of the most important reasons to annex property is to correct irregular city boundaries,” he said. “The property at issue, if annexed, would have made the city boundaries on the south side of town, which are already very irregular, even more so. Look at the map of the property. It is a very irregular trapezoid, surrounded on three sides by county property. To annex this property would be contrary to what we have been told is a very important reason for annexation.”
