Roosevelt Ridge Homeowners Association

The City of Monroe has released a “Fact Sheet” outlining details about the changes and consequences of an annexation to the city.  According to the fact sheet, the school district boundaries will not change.  However, Mayor Zimmerman made a comment contrary to this during a city council meeting.  (See article in the Monroe Monitor by Margaret Bashour – http://www.monroemonitor.com/main.asp?SectionID=13&SubSectionID=76&ArticleID=3960)  The fact sheet also states that the water district, which is currently Roosevelt Water, would not change.  Our community would not be forced to connect to sewer unless septic fails and only if sewer is readily available.  The Monroe Fire District 3 would continue to provide fire support and this would not change.  Police coverage would change and we would not be served by the Monroe PD instead of the Snohomish County Sheriff’s department.  Streets and stormwater would be maintained by the city instead of the county.  The fact sheet also outlines the differences in taxes between the city and county.  Each property within the annexation would assume an equitable share of the city’s indebtedness.

Fact Sheet

Margaret Bashour, a reporter from the Monroe Monitor, posed several questions about the fact sheet to Paul Popekla, the Planing and Permitting Manager with the City of Monroe.  Below are her questions and his responses:

Why does the city of Monroe want to annex Roosevelt Ridge?

The City is considering this annexation to help address our ability to meet future population growth. Current projections are that by 2025 there will be 2,500 more people living within city limits. Those people will need about 1,000 housing units to live here.

Is there anything in general you’d like the community to know about this particular issue on the ballot?

Voters can read pro and con statements (written by citizen volunteers) on their ballot that summarizes both favorable and opposing viewpoints on the annexation.

Per earlier articles in the Monroe Monitor on this subject, some residents opposed to the annexation are concerned about the traffic impact on the community if more homes will be built, making the area more compact.  Do you have any insight on possible ramifications or plans to deal with increased traffic?

Any proposed development will have to define traffic impacts (increased traffic, impacts to levels of service or how efficiently the roads carry the traffic, etc) and also define how those impacts are mitigated. Each development proposal would be responsible for providing any required improvements. Without knowing the impacts, we cannot define those improvements.

Residents are also concerned about the lowering of property values for their homes.  Do you have any insight on that, as well?

There should be no measurable impact on property values since any future development is limited to single family detached homes. There may be more compact development than what now exists, but new residential development would be compatible with existing residences. Property values are affected by so many other factors, especially the national, regional and local economy, that newly developed homes should support, rather than lower, property values.  

 I’ve been looking over the August 6^th Fact Sheet from the government website (attached), and have a few specific questions:

 How is the fact sheet subject to change?  In other words, when the fact sheet reads, “The annexation does not change the water provider,” can the community count on that? What, if anything, might change that in the future?

The Roosevelt water Association now provides water to Roosevelt Ridge. As the area develops, it is possible that the City could eventually provide water, but there are no plans for the City to take over those services.

The fact sheet reads that residents whose septic systems fail would be required to connect to city sewer, but only if within 200 ft of the city sewer and only if the city sanitary sewer is extended (by a future developer of property in the area).  Who would be an example of a future developer of property and would the HOA have any say in extending City sanitary sewer?

A developer may consider developing a portion of the vacant area for a residential subdivision. This would likely trigger requirements for extension of sanitary sewer, with the developer bearing the costs of that extension. Local HOA’s could request that sewer be extended to replace their septic tanks, but the City has no funding for extending sewer.

According to the tax comparison on the fact sheet, taxes would actually go down for residents if the annexation goes through (total estimated tax of $3,617 for Sno. Co. and $3,319 for City of Monroe), but there is one variable listed as the “Monroe Utility Tax.”  How much does this tax vary? (by tens or hundreds of dollars, for example?)

The total utility tax will depend on each customer or home, and will be different for every home. The taxes include a 6% charge on monthly bills for telephone, electricity and natural gas; water has a 10% charge.

 I have called the Roosevelt Water to ask about a typical water bill, but as you know a typical utilities bill (water, electricity, telephone) for a house of two retired people will be very different from a house with a large family.

 The fact sheet also mentions indebtedness and that annexed property would assume an equitable share of the city’s indebtedness for improvements approved in the past by voters.  Where can residents see a list of those approved improvements?  When it reads, “This is included in the property tax for each property,” does that mean is it part of the $320 listed at the top of the tax comparison?

That tax would be included in the $320, but currently there is no indebtedness for improvements.

In summary, the Board still encourages residents to vote no for the annexation.  Many of the things that the fact sheet state will not change, could change post annexation.  For example, the city may decide at some future date to change our water from Roosevelt Water to city water.  The school districts may decide to adjust boundaries, which sounds like a plausible possibility given Zimmerman’s comment.  The potential of having to hook up to sewer could cost a homeowner tens of thousands of dollars.  Ultimately, it is your decision on how you want to vote.