Forest Grove’s city limits. The uncolored spaces within the city are unincorporated areas.
Frustrations flared during citizen testimony at the Forest Grove City Council’s first reading and public hearing for an ordinance that would annex more than 75 acres of county land into the city.
The acreage is made up of 23 scattered “islands” of property that are surrounded by city land and city services, though the parcels remain unincorporated.
No decision was reached during Monday evening’s City C
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Forest Grove’s city limits. The uncolored spaces within the city are unincorporated areas.
Frustrations flared during citizen testimony at the Forest Grove City Council’s first reading and public hearing for an ordinance that would annex more than 75 acres of county land into the city.
The acreage is made up of 23 scattered “islands” of property that are surrounded by city land and city services, though the parcels remain unincorporated.
No decision was reached during Monday evening’s City Council meeting regarding island annexation. The public hearing has been extended for two more weeks and the council will resume its discussion of the proposed annexation at its Feb. 11 meeting.
City staff recommended the council approve the annexation at that meeting.
Owners of island properties have voiced concerns regarding increased costs and lack of benefits, while city officials say residents of these county-owned pockets are receiving city services without paying the taxes that more than 20,000 other residents pay. These services include city police and fire.
Islanders say a perceived lack of city services – whether they are annexed into the city or not – is precisely the problem. The most common questions and concerns raised by about a dozen people who testified at the meeting surrounded city sewer and road maintenance.
Under Oregon state law, the City Council can vote to annex all 23 islands into Forest Grove with or without property owner approval.
“I don’t believe that people should be forced to be part of a city,” said Ben Knaupp, one of the property owners who spoke at the meeting.
Knaupp asked that the council respect the choices of county residents to remain county residents.
Mayor Peter Truax said providing city services to the island residents at the expense of Forest Grove citizens’ tax dollars is unfair.
Truax halted several testimonies he said went “out of bounds,” either in regards to time limit or topic. This included Knaupp’s concerns about paying tax dollars to a city that is involved with a development lawsuitand Lucinda Hites-Clabaugh’s worry that a “hostile city takeover” of her property would provide no guaranteed services despite hundreds of dollars in increased taxes every year.
Several citizens made specific requests of the city. They asked that individual property owners be allowed to decline annexation or that the revenue from their taxes, if they are annexed into the city, go specifically to services that will benefit them, such as a city sewer line to their property.
Councilmembers and city staff addressed some public concerns while asking questions of their own to clarify details.
The questions and comments spanned a range of topics, though the recurring themes of sewer, taxes and road maintenance highlighted much of the testimony.
For more details on Monday’s City Council meeting, the public hearing and island annexation in Forest Grove, check back with OregonLivelater today or look for Wednesday’s edition of The Forest Grove Leader.