February 18, 2009

14 Comments

Fairwood Incorporation Study Presented, Large Turnout at Feb. 9 Community Meeting

Over 200 Fairwood neighbors turned out for the first of two Community Meetings reviewing the draft Feasibility Study for a new City of Fairwood on February 9. 

Sponsored by King's County's Boundary Review Board, Consultants made presentations and gathered a large amount of information during breakout sessions that evening.  Initial comments from the consultants were positive, emphasizing valuable information was gathered and good questions were asked.

During the evening, participants rotated to three different stations, where consultants covered study methodology, financials, and service topics.  All then gathered as a large group for the final session, where comments heard were highlighted.

"I've been doing this over 30 years and I have not heard as polite, polished, civil questions as I have received tonight," said project manager Randy Young of Henderson & Young.  "I think we can immediately address maybe 80 to 90 percent of the questions.  For the big questions, maybe we'll need more time."

Nearly 100 comment cards were collected at the meeting, and Young said that each comment will be addressed.  "We're taking every comment and organizing them into topics.  We'll include a list of points and have a response to each point," said Young.

All this information will be analyzed and incorporated into the Final Fairwood Feasibility Study, which will be presented at the next public meeting on Thursday, March 19.

Prior the the March 19 meeting, the consultants have said they will publish a follow-up meeting summary, which will attempt to address all of the issues raised at the February 9 meeting.  When that document is complete, Fairwood Community News will post it on this website for easy access. 

Fairwood Municipal Initiative's Joe Giberson, spokesperson and sponsor of the incorporation effort, was pleased with the turnout at this first meeting.  "We're all looking for a study that illuminates and that we'll understand and get the information we need to make informed choices," said Giberson.

Preliminary "Tackle"
Despite the number of topics the consultants must tackle, several people were asked to tackle some of the recurring topics they had heard that evening.

Annexation Study Requests
Young noted that many had questions about why Maple Valley was the selected city as comparable to Fairwood rather than Renton, the focus of recent annexation efforts. 

Young emphasized the number of elements that Maple Valley possesses are far more similar than Renton.  Two basic elements include a similar population and a similar type of commercial area.

An interest was also expressed for a parallel study focused on Fairwood annexing into the City of Renton.  While some may want this kind of study, the consultants were tasked to complete a study focused solely on incorporation. 

"We cannot do an annexation study parallel to this one.  It's beyond the scope of work we were hired to do," said Young.   "While we have sympathy and understand that the community needs to know information about that, we were tasked with a comparable city study with Maple Valley."

Jones & Stokes' Community Affairs Specialist Meg O'Leary also reiterated that the scope of work for the study was specific.  "Some wanted to hear more about annexation.  Some were expecting a comparison, but incorporation is an entirely separate effort," said O'Leary.

Developable Land Includes Golf Course?
Pro-Annexation advocate Bryce Nelson had a concern in needing to understand where developable land is available in order to meet the study's revenue goals. 

"I would like to see the consultants put up a map that shows land that's available for redevelopment so we can fully understand," said Nelson. 

Nelson also said one of the consultants "eventually said yes" that the Fairwood Golf Course was considered "developable land." 

Young said that this is incorrect information, and further, a flier is being distributed in the Fairwood Greens neighborhood that contains incorrect information.

In response to this concern, Young stressed first, the golf course area
is a non-issue, and second, content has been grossly misrepresented
in the flier.

Although Young does not know who is circulating the flier, he obtained a copy of it.  He emphasized that the flier is a "serious misrepresentation of what was presented," said Young. 

Young encouraged a review of page 76 of the study, where the bottom half of the page includes a table that addresses this concern.  The table shows that King County lists "Vacant and Redevelopable Land" available in the Fairwood area is 1,316 acres. 

"The golf course is only 117 acres and isn't needed in our lifetime," said Young, noting that this acreage is relatively insignificant to 1,316 acres listed in the table. 

What was said, emphasized Young, is that the consultants will need to research whether those golf course acres are included in the 1,316 listed in the table.   

"We're still researching this, but still, we need to note that if this (the golf course) was included, there are still 1,200 acres of developable land," said Young.  "Above all else, I didn't say one way or another and neither did our report."

"It's unfortunate that this misinformation about the golf course is out there," said Young.

Citizen Tax Increases - Bottom Line Impacts
O'Leary said one of the comments she heard from participants was the desire to understand the impact on individuals' taxes.  "They said, 'As a resident, I want to know how this will impact my taxes.  Will they go up?'" said O'Leary.

Young said the incorporation study was based on keeping the same level of taxation as what currently exists for residents.  There is one exception, however.

Counties are not allowed to charge a "utility tax" and cities can charge this tax...and do. 

"A city can charge up to 6 percent of a bill in a utility tax.  Most cities do," said Young.  Utilities taxes cover a variety of utilities such as telephone, water, sewer, and cable television. 

According to the City of Renton's Finance and IS Administrator Iwen Wang, the City of Renton currently charges the maximum allowed utility tax of 6 percent. 

Maple Valley currently charges 2.25 percent.  The Fairwood Incorporation Study was based on the lower, Maple Valley tax rate.

High Level of Development Needed?
Concerns about an inability to achieve a high level of growth and the numbers can't be achieved were expressed. This comment was connected to high growth concerns, which in turn would mean that the new City's budget couldn't be met unless a high level of growth was achieved.   

Young responded to this concern saying that the comment references only the "Optimistic" revenue scenario, one of three scenarios presented in the study. 

"The study contains three different forecasts, and this question uses the high growth scenario," said Young.  

Young stressed that all three scenarios should have been reviewed, and the other two scenario options are probably more applicable for the current economic climate we're experiencing.

On page 65, Exhibit B-3, three growth scenarios are detailed, including a Baseline, Pessimistic and Optimistic Scenario.  "For the present scenario, one should look at lowest of the growth forecasts," said Young.  "Still there is more revenue than costs." 

The "Pessimistic Scenario" for net revenue still shows that Fairwood would be able to operate in the black, with net revenues totaling $447,822.
"This is a fair question, but we're also interested in the optimistic scenario," said Young.  

Net revenue for the Optimistic Scenario could grow as high as $1.7 million in 2010 and $1.9 million in 2015.  Baseline numbers show a net revenue range of $817,821 in 2010 and $986,674 in 2015.

Poor Economy Concerns
Concerns were expressed about the current state of the economy and how a new city could fiscally survive in this economic climate. 

Young directs people to again review the data supplied in the study for Pessimistic, Optimistic, and Baseline scenarios.  For this economy, Young said the excess revenue would probably fall under the Pessimistic Scenario, which is listed in the black with a net excess of $447,822.

With net revenues that consistently appear to exceed expenditures, what would a City do with those monies? 

Giberson is pleased with the idea that there can be excess funds, even in tough economic conditions. 

"It's important that the City handle all that we must do at the same or better levels.  The excess would be discretionary for the Council to do what they see fit," said Giberson. 

He noted that Maple Valley uses funds to support local organizations with some of their budget through Human Services grants.  If the Fairwood City Council chose to utilize that money towards human services, they could, according to Giberson.

Safety Service Levels
Bryce Nelson had concerns about the level of police services a new city of Fairwood could provide.  "Law enforcement is your biggest line item, and it would be helpful if we knew what we're going to get for the money," said Nelson.

Young said that the study addresses this element through its comparable city approach, utilizing Maple Valley's costing approach as its basis.  "If you have a good handle on the money, you can work with the staffing plan," said Young.  

"When Maple Valley incorporated, they made a conscious choice to spend more money than King County.  Maple Valley's budget is $17/per capita for safety.  They have a population of 20,000, and Fairwood has a population of 25,000, so Fairwood will have an even bigger budget for this," said Young.

But does that keep or increase the level of service Fairwood
currently has? 

"Maple Valley has a higher level of staffing than Fairwood, and this is at a substantially higher level of service than what King County is currently providing to the Fairwood area," said Young. 

Understanding that cities create their own staffing plans to accommodate their specific needs, the City of Maple Valley shared what their staffing numbers were for police services. 

Robin Larsen, police civilian administrative assistant, explained that Maple Valley's Police Department, contracted from King County, is staffed as follows:

1 Police Chief
1 Civilian Administrative Assistant (Maple Valley City Employee)
3 Day Shift Officers (one remains in the storefront office)
3 Swing Shift Officers
3 Graveyard Shift Officers

Maple Valley also has contracted additional services from the King County Sheriff's Office such as detective, canine, and helicopter services.

Next Steps
Fairwood Community News will post the consultants' follow-up summary as soon as it is available, so readers are encouraged to check back often. 

The next Community Meeting focused on presenting the Final Fairwood Feasibility Study and answering any additional questions is scheduled for Thursday, March 19 from 5:30-8:00 p.m. at the same location, Northwood Middle School. 

According to O'Leary, the format is expected to change for this next meeting, but how it will change is still being developed.

Draft Feasibility Study Available for Download
The Draft Feasibility Study can be downloaded from the Fairwood Community News Homepage.

© 2009 Fairwood Community News, Inc.

 

Responses to "First Fairwood Feasibility Study Community Meeting Receives Big Turnout"

March 24 - 11:19 pm
Sam Shirley said: lanb, the answer to your question is this:  No, once we annex to Renton we cannot get out.  And yes, If we incorporate into the City of Fairwood and find out we can't make it, we can dis-incorporate.  Please read the current study on Fairwoods financials.  We do have the money we need.  We can make Fairwood great again by controlling our assets, controlling our zoning, and controlling our future growth.  Protect your property value and the quality of your children's education.  With Renton we have nothing to gain and everything to loose.  Please do the research, then support the City of Fairwood.

March 9 2:18 pm
Mary said: When a city incorporates, it is not like a business incorporating. It is possible for a city to go bankrupt, but it very rare for a city to dissolve or disincorporate.  If a city has financial problems, it either raises taxes and fees or cuts services or both.  Last year Covington closed one of its parks because it couldn't afford to maintain it.  Last fall, the Covington city council voted to add a 6% utility tax, even though the residents didn't want it.

If the incorporation vote fails, then we will vote to annex to Renton. If that vote fails, then we stay unincorporated.

It is important to learn as much about both options because it is nearly impossible to reverse either.  Call other cities and talk with the mayor's office or people that work in different departments.  They can tell you what is involved in running a city.

March 6 - 8:33 pm
lanb said: First off, I am undecided yet so I have a choice/risk question for the readers.

Let us say we choose Renton now, can we ever change that in the future if we don't like the way fairwood is being governed - i.e. revote to incorporate.

On the other hand, If we choose to incorporate now and go bankrupt (a la AIG/Citigroup/GM etc.) what are our bailout options - Annex to renton ?

March 3 - 6:48 pm
Bryce Nelson said: Hi again Sam,

You say to Mr. Gropper that the facts indicate something other than what he's saying.  In other words, that he's not telling the truth. 

Can you please provide some evidence to back up that assertion, besides your own conclusory statements?

March 3 - 3:19 pm
Erin Aboudara said: Amen, Sam!  I would like to see no more apartments of any kind in Fairwood. Many of the crime problems we have in Fairwood center on the apartments all around the shopping centers.  This has been true since the 1990's at least.  LOCAL CONTROL of our taxes!  I DO NOT want to share police service with Benson Hill.  I am concerned that Renton will LOWER the number of police officers on patrol in Fairwood if we annex.  They will concentrate on downtown and other problem areas in Renton and just leave us to continue the same downward spiral that Fairwood has been in due to mismanagement by the King County Council and Ron Sims (thank you, Obama, you can take him!!!).  If we annex, our houses will be less valuable than they would otherwise be with incorporation in 5 years.  The actual sale price might be higher than right now with the current recession but it will not be as valuable as it could be under self-governance.  Look at Newcastle.  Would they have been able to build all of those really nice homes selling for 600K+ if they had annexed to Renton in the 1990's?  No, of course not.  Renton doesn't have master planned communities.  Our master-planned community is aging but it fares far better than any other nearby neighborhoods of the same age.  With local control, in time, we can allow for some redevelopment.

March 3 - 12:04 pm
Sam Shirley said: Mark, the problem is that while you say you are "contemplating" a senior housing facility, the facts point to another section 8 apartment complex. Renton is fixing up their downtown and displacing who?  the affordable housing coalition and the masters builders association of Washington assist in the defeat if the City of Fairwood why?  Fairwood Residents---this "senior housing" is a trojan horse.  Once we give up control we will end up with Royal Hills, not a Lea Hills.  And Mary, after we become the City of Fairwood we can decide, as a community,  if a senior housing facility at this location is something we want to go forward with.  The City of Fairwood could make sure the senior housing didn't morph into something unwelcome.  We cannot afford to allow the construction of more section 8 apartments in Fairwood.  Ask your realtor about about the impact on your homes value.  Think back about the last ten years here and what has happened to our quality of life.  We can stop the slide, but not by giving away our assets and control, and hoping for the best.  NO ONE WILL TAKE BETTER CARE OF FAIRWOOD THAN FAIRWOOD RESIDENTS.

March 2 - 4:48 pm
Mary said: That's a nice facility.  I hope you build it. My mom would love to live there.

March 2 - 8:34 am
Mark Gropper said: The Renton Housing Authority was contacted by an adjacent property owner last spring asking if it were interested in assuming ownership of a 5 acre piece they owned. RHA declined.
My office is responsible for acquisition outreach and I don't recall conversing with any other property owners about RHA purchasing their property.

An entity called RHA more than a year ago and asked if they could acquire the 20 acres we purchased through an assemblage with other adjacent land. They apparently were concerned about slope and wetland issues and had been exploring whether there was enough dry ground to work with. Be that as it may, no deal was worked for RHA to sell.

If anyone is interested in the type of retirement community RHA is contemplating you might appreciate learning about the Lea Hill community near Green River College http://www.wesleyhomes.org/lea_hill.html

Have a nice day. - Mark - 425-226-1850 ext. 223

February 26 - 5:19 am
Sam Shirley said: Anyone who has lived in Fairwood for any length of time can tell you how our neighborhood has changed as more and more apartments are built.  Fairwood residents need to educate themselves on this issue, our future depends on it.  I believe that this "senior housing" is the equivalent of the "Trojan Horse".  If we annex to Renton, and give up control of our neighborhood for ever, we will be unable to take any meaningful action when the Renton Housing Authority changes their minds and decides to build a Section 8 apartment complex.  The city of Renton could re-zone this as they see fit.  Since this property adjoins Red mill and the Pebble Cove apartments it is very likely that the Renton Housing Authority could build whatever they like.  Other residents near the property owned by RHA have said they have been contacted concerning the possible sale of their properties to the RHA.  How many more acres do they want? I have no way of knowing.  What I do know is that the Carriages Apartments occupy approximately 25 acres.  They have 400 units.  The RHA property in question could possibly become the largest apartment complex in Fairwood.  This would devastate our community.  We are at the tipping point and could not absorb this impact to our neighborhood.  How do we stop this from happening?  its simple.  We incorporate as the City of Fairwood and take control of our zoning and our tax surplus.  Through zoning we decide if we need more section 8 apartments (like another hole in our collective heads) or perhaps dedicate this land for another use that more closely mirrors our vision of our future.  If we annex to Renton, we may control one seat on the Renton City Council.  This will ensure that Renton, with their new downtown priorities, will decide what is best for us.  And by the way, I do not believe that it Was coincidence that our last incorporation effort was defeated with funds given to the "vote no" group by (drum role please) The Master Builders Association and The Affordable Housing Coalition.  It sounds like someone wants us to have more apartments!  Lets take control of OUR neighborhood!  No one will take better care of us than we will.

February 20 - 11:03 am
Mark Gropper said: Speaking on behalf of the Renton Housing Authority, a parcel of land in Fairwood zoned R-4 and R-6 totaling 20 acres was purchased by RHA in June 2006.

RHA explored the possibility of a service-enriched senior housing community there of modest size and construction (may be 90 units or so), affordable to seniors with annual incomes of about $30,000 to $40,000. An affordable home-ownership program for public employees (e.g. school teachers, fire fighters, or police officers) who want to live in the community, in which they work, is another concept that we have talked about.

Whether Fairwood incorporates as its own city or chooses to join in the City of Renton has only limited influence over what RHA ultimately may seek to do. What will make a difference is the interest and concerns of the surrounding community, AND the availability of funding.

Having said all this, funding for new housing development is scarce – and will be for the next year or two at least. In the meantime, the land is “banked” and held thoughtfully by your local housing authority.

For clarification on the matter, “Section 8” housing is a program formed under section 8 of the 1937 federal Housing Act. A Section 8 voucher performs like a rent coupon. Families receive rental assistance making up the difference between 30% of their income and the fair market rent in the privately-owned unit they choose to rent. The housing authority does not place Section 8 renters in a particular building or community, but may decline rental in any unit that does not meet the housing quality standards.

King County Housing Authority presently administers the Section 8 program in Fairwood. RHA may administer there in the future as clients transfer of their own accord in and out of the area. Vouchers are what we call “fully portable” they can be used in any jurisdiction of the United States . Just because a unit was rent-assisted through Section 8 at one time, does not mean the current occupants are low-income or receiving assistance.

If you have conduct and behavioral issues with an apartment neighbor or complex, you can speak with the owner and law-enforcement as appropriate. If you think the housing authority may be providing subsidy there, you can call the agency with the specifics about who, what, when, where, how bad and how often. The housing authority can be influential then in working with the landlord if participating in the program. King County Housing Authority can be reached at 206-574-1100.

Thank you, for listening. – Mark

Mark Gropper
Deputy Executive Director
Renton Housing Authority
PO Box 2316, 2900 NE 10th St. Renton WA 98056-0316
Phone 425-226-1850 x. 223
Fax 425-271-8319

February 20 - 2:20 am
Ron said: Mickey and all others worried about section 8 housing, You are wise to want more information about the public housing land in the Red Mill area. This property is owned by the Renton Housing Authority. RHA is not part of the City of Renton, but is a separate municipal government entity with a separate taxing authority that operates in the general area of Renton in coordination with the King County Housing Authority. As I understand it, their primary mission is to assist people who qualify to find and pay for healthy, affordable places to live. Sometimes they build this housing, but more often section 8 housing is provided through rent vouchers. This makes section 8 housing anyplace that meets RHA's minimum livability standards. Every apartment unit in Fairwood meets that their standards, and is potentially section 8 housing.

I wish Mark has chosen to post his comment here. The Reporter does an OK job covering Fairwood, but the quality and depth of writing on the Fairwood Community News site make this the best place to go for complete coverage of the incorporation vs annexation issue. As it turns out, the work of the RHA is not really affected no matter which governance option is chosen by the citizens of Fairwood.

February 19 - 6:33 pm
Bryce Nelson said: Mickey -- I'm not sure where you're getting your information about 500 units of section 8 housing in Renton, but it's false.  The Renton Housing Authority (not the City of Renton -- they're two different entities) owns 20 acres of R4 and R6 zoned land. 

Thus far, the options that they're considering are about 90 units of senior housing or an affordable ownership program for public sector employees.  They are NOT going to build 500 units of Section 8 housing. 

I'd encourage people who have questions about this issue to contact Mark directly at 226-1850.  Hopefully people will be able to get the facts on this issue, not false rumors. 

February 19 - 10:04 am
Michelle Schilling said: Will there be a comparison on your site on the Incorporation vs. Annexation?

February 19 - 9:48 am
Mickey said: We are interested in information on the proposed City of Renton 500 unit Section 8 housing in Fairwood. That alone should put a screeching hault to annexation-we would be getting their Section 8, humm what will that do to property values, crime rate, etc.  We as a community need to really think about this.

February 18, 2009 - 10:19 am
Bonnie Lyon said: The chance to be a part of the creation of government will NOT happen again within King County - Fairwood will be the LAST city formed within the County. We cannot pass this by! How exciting!

 

Leave a Comment:

Name*

Email* (will not be published)

Comment*