Burien council chambers were packed during a special session of the city council on Aug. 24 to discuss next steps after residents of south North Highline voted to annex to Burien.
Attendees were decidedly upbeat for good reason: Though the final results will not be certified until this week, nearly 38 percent of the votes had been counted and annexation was in the lead by a healthy margin of 12 percent (56 percent for, 44 percent against.)
Mayor McGilton cordially welcomed the roughly 14,000 "new neighbors" from the north and encouraged them to take an active role in the city government.
This sentiment was heartily echoed by fellow council members.
Councilwoman Sally Nelson commented, "We have opening positions on the arts commission, the planning commission and the economic development commission over time and we hope you will apply. We feel like you're part of us now... So thank you for coming, stay tuned and stay involved."
Barbara Peters, Steve Cox and Judy Duff were also recognized as members of the North Highline Council who played a significant role in the annexation vote.
And during public comment, Karen Veloria, a member of the North Highline Council who had opposed annexation, expressed her change of heart and desire to be part of the process.
"I'm now in Burien and that's ok with me," Veloria said. "I'm willing to work with you all. To me we're all still in the same neighborhood. We're all in the same community. These are all just artificial lines. So, here I am. "
With the annexation of "south North Highline" all but assured, attendees expressed their desire for continued expansion to the north.
Seahurst resident Cherisse Luxa said, "I cannot wait until the city of Burien decides to go after the northern part [of North Highline] and so we have reunited an entire area. It's half done. We need to do the other half as soon as we can."
Conversation transitioned from reveling in the annexation to the more practical matter of weaving the two communities together and filling open seats on Burien advisory committees.
City manager Mike Martin reminded everyone that annexation would not be formalized until March. Until then, public services such as police, fire, sewer, water and the library will remain unchanged and residents won't see substantial differences in the level of service they receive.
To help with the transition, Burien will form a team that will hire staff, implement programs for addressing various city services and processes, and work with the King County Sheriff's Department and Fire District No. 11 on a public safety plan.
The rest of the evening focused on appointments to the Arts Commission, Parks and Recreation and Planning Commission advisory boards. Opinions were mixed about how to incorporate citizens from North Highline into city government.
Councilwoman Rose Clark suggested appointing ex officio members who could learn the process of being on an advisory board, but Planning Commission member Jim Clingan expressed concern that while this approach might seem like a good idea, it could lead to preferential treatment based on geographic region.
With that in mind, the council agreed that North Highline residents should receive no special treatment. They could submit their application for any of the advisory boards before becoming citizens, but the council would not review their applications until next March, when the normal cycle for filling vacant seats takes place