YAKIMA, Wash. – The Yakima City Council discussed the possible annexation of an area of Terrace Heights with the local community in a Sept. 17 meeting, resulting in the adoption of a smaller annexed area than originally introduced.
‘Option 5’ was the most popular annexation map and was voted 5-2 by the city council to move forward with. It, and other map options, would incorporate the Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences and the Yakima Sportsman State Park.
During the meeting, fire officials and the Yakima Police Department shared their opinions and how annexation would affect serving the community.
East Valley Fire noted in the meeting that the proposed area receives many EMS calls and would be held to AMR calls instead of the Yakima Fire Department.
The City also shared eight potential benefits to the area, if the annexation were to go through:
Expanded service provisionExpanded opportunities for economic developmentStreamlined governanceConsolidation of resources and expertiseEnhanced economics of scaleEqualization of service levelsImproved planning and land useEnhanced community
Moving forward, 60 percent of property owners within the proposed area must sign off on the annexation. If 60 percent isn’t reached, the conversation would end.
The full meeting can be found on the City of Yakima website.
