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Issaquah Annexation
Information Provided To Residents in 2002
Should the
South Cove Area annex to the City of Issaquah sooner, or later?
Article Updated September 2002
Many people don’t know that the South Cove area is not currently part of the City of Issaquah. As an unincorporated area, we receive police protection and many government services through King County. The “Growth Management Plan” calls for all urban and suburban areas to become part of a city by 2012, by which time the County plans to provide only rural services.
Our area has long been an Issaquah "Potential Annexation Area", but the City doesn’t plan to annex us until 2010 unless residents actively petition for earlier annexation. If we do petition and demonstrate sufficient support, the annexation issue could be on our ballot for approval sometime in 2004.
Local homeowners associations have formed the South Cove Area Annexation Committee to explore the benefits of accelerated annexation. Based on what we have heard so far, early annexation would bring us better police protection and more control over issues that affect our area. Since Issaquah has a large retail base, and the City is funded largely by the sales taxes we already pay while shopping in Issaquah, property taxes would go down, and overall taxes would go down for most homeowners.
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Before Annexation |
After Annexation |
| Police provided by King County and dispatched from Maple Valley. 1.6 sworn officers per 1000 people. No block watch. | Police provided by Issaquah, with 5 minute response time; 2.5 sworn officers per 1000 people; An extensive and successful community-oriented policing program. |
| Total property tax rate is currently $12.46 per $1000 of assessed valuation. | Total property tax rate in Issaquah is currently $10.89 per $1000 of valuation. A 6% city utility and phone tax applies, and other fees vary. The overall savings on a $300,000 home with typical services would be about $218/year. |
| Our taxes do not specifically support traffic improvements and police protection in our local area. | More of our taxes would support traffic improvements and other services within our local area. An increased Issaquah population would attract more state and federal funding. |
| We already vote for county elected officials and issues. | We would also be able vote for city elected officials and issues. |
| King County is very large and our area is a very part of it. We don’t have much of a voice, and solving problems can be difficult. | Issaquah is small enough and close enough to be more approachable than the County has been regarding such issues as police protection, speeding, parks, and future development of W. Lake Sammamish Pkwy. |
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After annexation, we would still be served by Eastside Fire and Rescue, the Issaquah School District, and Rabanco collection. City utilities would be billed through Issaquah rather than Bellevue. |
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We are busily gathering more information on the full impact that annexation would have. Answers to many of the questions you may have are posted on our Questions and Answers page.