What started out to be a low-key political rally Saturday to urge legislators to pass a North Highline annexation-related bill soon morphed into a debate among the audience over which city North Highline ought to join.

The long-running annexation process is at a critical political point and the action right now is in Olympia in the form of House Bill 1139. The bill would allow the city of Seattle to collect a portion of local sales tax revenue as reimbursement for providing street repairs, youth programs, public parks, police and other local government services.

Both Burien and SeaTac would qualify to collect the sales tax revenue but Seattle would not.

Last year's version of the bill was to eliminate a provision that exclude cities with 400,000 or more residents from collecting the sales tax revenue

If House Bill 1139 fails to pass, the city of Seattle will withdraw its interest in annexing North Highline, said former Seattle Mayor Charles Royer. He moderated the 10 a.m. Saturday meeting at the former St. James Church on Cambridge Street in White Center.

"There will be no choice for people of this community if House Bill 1139 doesn't pass," Royer said, and they would become de facto residents of Burien.

"I'm here so a small group of people in Olympia aren't the only ones to decide," he said. "It's now or never to advance this issue."

Some people at the meeting scoffed at the notion Seattle would pull out of the annexation process. The potential sales tax revenue would represent one-fifth of 1 percent of city government's budget and some doubted that amounted to enough money to change the city's mind.

But Royer said the city is serious because it already has budget problems. He reminded people that residents of North Seattle have been waiting decades for its first sidewalks.

A man from Fremont said he was opposed to annexing North Highline for that very reason. He thought Seattle residents ought to have a vote on whether to annex the area.

Royer said people are missing the point of the gathering - to spur action in Olympia.

"You're the only people on the planet who can vote on this and I think you're talking about the wrong things," he said.

He urged people to save their arguments about the differences in service for the campaign to decide which city to join.

The requirement that there be no unincorporated areas in Washington's urban areas comes from the state Growth Management Act. The Legislature decided the state ought to reimburse any city that annexes an unincorporated areas by allowing the cities to collect a small portion of local sales tax revenue. The Legislature decided to cut Seattle from collecting such reimbursements by inserting language disqualifying any city with more than 400,000 residents.

Last year, then-Rep. Joe McDermott sponsored a bill to eliminate the population requirement. The House of Representatives approved it but a companion bill never got through the Senate.

Since then, McDermott was appointed to the Senate to complete the unfinished term of former Sen. Erik Poulsen, who resigned to work for public utility districts in Washington's rural areas.

House Bill 1139 was introduced for another try this year to eliminate the exclusion of Seattle. With McDermott gone to the Senate, the sponsor this year is Rep. Bob Hasegawa. The eastern half of North Highline is in the 11th Legislative District. Hasegawa and Zack Hudgins represent the 11th District in the House. Sen. Margarita Prentice represents the 11th District in the Senate.

Tim St. Clair may be reached at 932.0300 or timstc@robinsonnew.com