Crowd questions Freeland incorporation

Published 5:00 pm Monday, December 18, 2006

Even a cartoon character could figure it out.

At a meeting called to address concerns of business owners about Freeland becoming Island County’s first new city since Oak Harbor became a town in 1915, supporters of a new urban area on the South End touted a number of benefits to residents, too.

A group of 32 Freeland residents gathered with the business crowd Tuesday night at Trinity Lutheran Church to hear the pros of Freeland becoming a city. Mike Dolan, a member of the incorporation committee, highlighted the history and character of Freeland and why it would be a good thing for Freeland to step up and become a city.

“If we asked Homer Simpson, he would give his characteristic ‘Duh,’ meaning it’s patently obvious why the busy South End community should incorporate,” Dolan said.

Dolan said the idea will pencil out; taxes will cover the costs of city services at the same level people are already paying to the county.

And other members of the incorporation committee, chairman Dean Enell and Chet Ross, said Freeland could control its own destiny instead of the development and density envisioned by the county.

Taxes are a concern

Even so, some in Freeland — and some in the audience Tuesday — said they are quite happy with the status quo. Beyond higher taxes in the city, there were concerns over the loss of rural land to urbanization.

The community meeting last week focused first on the pocketbook issues.

“Preliminary data on the financial feasibility of incorporating looks very positive. We are projecting that the costs to residents of the new city will not exceed those they are currently paying to the county,” Dolan said.

“Taxes will not be higher,” he said.

Incorporation supporters say early numbers indicate that there are $57 million in sales tax revenues and about $1 billion in assessed property valuation within the proposed city limits of Freeland.

Though the new city would get 20 percent of property taxes, Enell said more money could come from retail taxes.

“The more significant resource is the sales tax. It’s about double what Langley receives,” Enell said.

“Freeland has a healthy and well balanced potential tax base from sales tax, property taxes, lodging tax, business taxes, gas tax and license fees,” he said. “In fact many consider Freeland as the cash cow of the county.”

Local control is a benefit

Dolan told the audience that the main benefit of incorporation is that residents of Freeland will have control of their own destiny.

“Freeland is growing rapidly,” Dolan said.

“Over the past 15 years many of us have become concerned about where we are headed and what we will look like in five, 10 or 20 years. We believe with incorporation we can regulate growth and maintain the small-town character of Freeland,” he said.

For example, Dolan said, by incorporating, Freeland planners can envision affordable housing, parks, walkways, improved transportation and economic development.

Dolan and other members of the incorporation committee say growth is inevitable.

“Why not take control of Freeland’s destiny away from county government and control it on a local level?” Dolan asked.

But for others at the meeting, cityhood for Freeland may not be the answer.

Several people were concerned about Freeland losing its rural charm and the area becoming too urbanized, or a victim of urban sprawl.

Dolan countered that zoning regulations developed by the new city could protect open space and farmland.

“Many of us moved here for the rural character of the area. None of us want to see the rural areas destroyed,” Dolan said.

“A city government would be more responsive to its citizens than the county is now,” he said. “The county government doesn’t care what happens in Freeland any more or less than what is happening on Camano Island or in other rural areas of the county.”

Several local businessmen disagreed, including contractor Mark Myres.

Myres said paying attention to what is going on at the county level doesn’t take much effort if people are interested enough.

“All development and construction projects are advertised in the legal notices,” he said.

“The public has a voice at the county. Developments and plans are always posted for public comments,” said Myres, who constructed and owns the building that houses Local’s Only Coffee.

It was a matter of simply paying attention to what is going on in your community, he added.

Property owner and businessman Al Peyser disagreed. Peyser said he supports incorporation because the county is not involved enough in Freeland.

“Freeland needs to be in control of its own growth. There is virtually no planning from the county for Freeland,” said Peyser, who was a member of the Freeland Sub Area Planning Committee, the group developed a growth plan for Freeland during a four-year period of monthly meetings.

“That plan has sat on the shelf at the county for two years,” he said. “Growth now just sort of happens and it’s out of control.”

Dolan agreed.

He cited the Shell Station at Fish Road as an example where local control might have made a difference.

“There was a huge public furor over the construction of the station,” Dolan said.

Opponents of the station say it was built on a wetland. However, the county commissioners and the county hearings examiner disagreed.

Terry Otey, who developed the station, said it took several years of public hearings to get the permits to build the station, all long after the county agreed his property wasn’t a wetland.

Others at the meeting were concerned about who would pay for the new sewer system.

Although the city boundaries have not been finalized yet, the Holmes Harbor community will probably be included in the final plan. Several residents of Holmes Harbor were concerned about being taxed for Freeland’s new sewer system.

Dolan assured the crowd that the sewer district is separate from the city.

“Since Holmes Harbor residents are served by their own sewer and water district, they would not pay for or be a part of the Freeland sewer district,” he said.

The next step to becoming a city includes finalizing the boundaries, gathering Census data from the state and then petitioning Island County commissioners with its intent to incorporate.

The committee hopes everything falls into place to finalize the petition in January.

When a “notification of intent” is filed with the county, a series of events will follow that will eventually give people in Freeland the chance to vote on becoming a city.

Right now, the main sticking point on the incorporation petition is determining the new city’s boundaries. The committee is currently waiting on Census data from the state before setting Freeland’s future city limits.

“We are in the process of fine tuning the boundaries, but they are not final yet,” Dolan said.

“However, once the commissioners have the petition, they will have to schedule public meetings to discuss the incorporation proposal and the proposed boundaries,” he added.

The process has not been as simple as drawing lines on a map. A multitude of factors must be considered, including a look at what land should stay in rural zoning and what would be better used for urban development.

“Census data is the last piece of the puzzle to determine the city limits,” explained Chet Ross, a member of the boundary committee. “It will include population and land values.”

Sewer system is crucial

The Freeland Water and Sewer District has hired a consulting firm to conduct a financial feasibility study into providing sewers for Freeland’s business core.

But Enell said if the public does not support sewers, the committee will probably table their incorporation plans for now.

“To incorporate, there must be a plan in place to build a sewer system,” Enell said.

“I think most business owners support a sewer system for the business core,” he added.

Cliff Bjork, owner of Interstate Label said he is not so sure.

“I am hesitant about a sewer system,” Bjork said. “There are still questions to be answered.”

“How much is is going to cost me? Do I have to sell off part of my property to afford it?” Bjork asked.

Peyser, who owns the building that houses the Freeland Chamber of Commerce and two other businesses as well as the Building Source building, said he supports sewers for the business district if they are economically feasible.

“I will definitely vote for sewers, if the dollars pencil out,” Peyser said. “Sewers will increase the value of land in Freeland and would provide the opportunity to expand and provide different businesses in the downtown core.”

Peyser also said Freeland needs condos.

“A lot of my friends say they would like to live in town in the urban core in a condo. It could happen, if sewers are approved,” Peyser said.

For Phase I, the sewer system must be supported by property owners in Freeland who own 60 percent of the assessed property value in the area to be served by sewers.

The feasibility study will include costs connected to building the sewer system, as well as a breakdown of public funding or other grants that may be available to help pay for the sewage-treatment system.

Funds for the feasibility study were raised by the Freeland Chamber of Commerce. The chamber worked with nearly 100 property owners in the business core to get money for the study.