Burien lawmakers opted July 18 to slow down a bit the decision process on White Center annexation by postponing a formal discussion until Aug. 15.

Council members will receive the results of a study of the financial viability of annexing White Center by consultants Berke and Associates on Aug. 1.

But City Manager Mike Martin said the report would not come in the usual packet of agenda information lawmakers receive on the Friday before a council meeting. The packet is also made available to the public on the city's website.

The lawmakers agreed they wanted a chance to study the report and formulate questions before discussing annexation in depth.

The consultant is scheduled to make a presentation on Aug. 15, so council members decided to wait until then for a formal dialogue.

That is one day before the deadline for mailing ballots in this year's primary election.

Parks Board member Ed Dacy and Planning Commission member Greg Duff are challenging councilwoman Lucy Krakowiak, who was the lone vote against Boulevard Park annexation.

Councilman Gordon Shaw is also in a primary battle with Bob Edgar and Joey Martinez.

Annexation opponents have accused city officials of rushing through a decision on annexation during the summer while Burien residents are distracted.

King County Library System board members are anxious for an annexation decision so they can deal with a recommendation by library staff to close the White Center and Boulevard Park libraries and build a new library.

Martin had previously indicated he might be able to supply study draft information before Aug. 1 if it was deemed accurate and reliable.

Instead, Martin provided a one-page agenda summary that stated, "Initial, draft data seems to indicate the annexation is financially viable, largely because of a sales tax credit offered by the state as an incentive."

The state is offering a $5 million per year sales tax credit to whichever city annexes the area. The credit is for 10 years.

Krakowiak said she discussed annexation with a Seattle City Council member who told her the financial figures did not work out favorably for Seattle.

She said she wanted Burien's consultants to provide a comparison with Seattle's figures.

While saying he wanted to slow down the decision process, Councilman Jack Block presented a non-financial argument in favor of annexing the remainder of unincorporated North Highline.

Block said he was answering a column by publisher Jerry Robinson in the July 15 Times/News asking why annexation is good for Burien.

Block's comments echoed remarks he and other lawmakers made at the June 20 council meeting.

He said Burien originally incorporated so the residents could control the area's destiny. Block noted developers had built apartment buildings in the wrong neighborhoods and the only way to stop that was to incorporate.

Block also dismissed perceptions that White Center has a "rundown business district.
"You don't see vacant storefronts," Block declared. "There is an active entrepreneurial spirit."

He also noted that Burien Police Chief Scott Kimerer has reported to the council that White Center's crime rates are less than Burien's.

Block also reiterated previous arguments that King County's placement of low-income housing in White Center is threatening to make the area very economically depressed. Problems from that could spill over into Burien, Block said.

The reasons for annexing White Center are the same as the reasons for originally incorporating Burien-so Burien residents do not have to worry about what King County or Seattle is doing in White Center, according to Block.

"That is my answer to Mr. Robinson," Block concluded.

Here is Jerry Robinson's column that Block referred to:

Burien annex White Center? Show me why.
By Jerry Robinson, Publisher
2011-07-11

I lost my beloved Elsbeth on July 2.
She was a remarkable and loving woman. She was not only a wonderful wife and mother but also of tremendous assistance in the family business.

This is a very difficult period for me but life must go on.

Here's some thoughts I've been having about Burien's possible annexation of White Center:

I don't think Seattle ever wanted to annex White Center but was playing a poker game with Burien. King County officials tried for years to get Seattle or Burien to annex the territory from Roxbury Street, Seattle's city limits.

It was no secret. County officials led by the Executive Ron Sims felt it was a servicing cost that it wanted to push on to Burien or Seattle. Seattle is still playing games pretending like it wants to annex out to the Burien city limits.

Can Burien offer advantages to the citizens of the territory? It would mean being responsible for fire stations, police, roads and parks and playfields and permitting for businesses. Water and sewer service would remain under existing control.

What advantage is it to Burien? Does size make it better for the average citizen? Show me.

I started out in White Center in 1950, just as several chain grocery stores looked for expansion. It had Safeway but most popular was the Ranch Market on 16th S.W.

In four years it gained five chain groceries: A and P, Tradewell, Prairie Market, Marketime and Albertsons.

White Center also had two men's shops, three women's shoes stores, three new car dealers, three hardware stores, paint stores, a shoe repair, 10 restaurants, seven taverns, six real estate offices, three drug stores, one theater, six attorneys and three dentists.

Our paper provided the ideas and the manpower to build extravagant floats (winning one grand Seafair sweepstakes award in 1958, a governor's trophy and one other.) We built the floats in our office driveway three years in a row.

Our local Highline girl won Seafair queen one year.

I don't know what annexing White Center would do for Burien or for White Center. We lived in White Center in three different houses as the kids grew. They went to White Center schools-Evergreen, Sealth, Hazel Valley and Beverly Park.

We built three different offices and printing plants and eventually moved into a huge plant in Tukwila.

I still love White Center. But I am not sure Burien can do much for it. It has good streets, fire engines, city water, a great playfield and baseball park with tennis courts, two fine swimming pools and some wonderful elementary schools.

It could do with fewer taverns. But hey, they once again have a fine roller rink.