2025-01-13 Community Development UpdateCommunity Development Update
January 13, 2025
11 a.m.
Present: Commissioner Brummer, Commissioner Pollock, Commissioner Swope, County Manager Ryan
Barrett, Emil Pierson, Mindy Brooks, Josh Metcalf, Geoff Soderquist, Joe Clark, Celeste Wilder, Bryan
Morris, Katie Williams, Stacy Denham, Bill Teitzel, Meja Handlen, G Motta, Aaron Fuller
Guest(s): Unnamed guests
Recorder: Rieva Lester
Public comment: None.
Mindy Brooks provided a recap of the previous week’s meeting.
Meeting participants discussed strategies for developing and maintaining infrastructure in the urban
growth areas.
Mindy said she reached out to other counties across the state and discovered that most zone at urban
density in their UGAs and maintain road infrastructure and administer permitting. She said most have
the cities providing water, sewer and utilities.
Mindy said many counties indicated annexation generally is not occurring.
Mindy invited participants to the 1 p.m. Jan. 15 meeting of the Planned Growth Committee to further
discuss the topic.
After the meeting’s conclusion, Mindy Brooks shared the following notes:
• Winlock – annexation prior to development – this will be a good approach for them.
• Other counties have difficultly maintaining infrastructure based on taxing.
• Can the cities have responsibility of roads in the UGA? No, we cannot abdicate that jurisdiction. We
can have ILAs for maintenance and funding but ultimately it’s County liability.
• For the County to do this, PW needs to be changed – equipment, technical expertise, staff, etc.
• Need to plan for development – long range transportation plans – update the development codes too
for urban densities.
• Need more funding for County – Level of service triggers, etc.
• Can have ILAs to jointly share maintenance – but the issue is money – where does the money come
from and how is it split out to fund the maintenance and planning?
• Water, sewer the cities can have a fee for because it’s their system – but streets are more difficult.
• The cost of annexation is very high as well – and the discussions with Fire Districts.
• How do we get the point where we can allow the development at urban density and maintain it long
term.
• Can we define what the costs are for the County to staff-up, equipment-up, etc. to allow urban density
with County maintenance.
• Why should we allow urban density – because it’s an economic driver.
• Whole county perspective – all cities and all other areas, so it’s a bigger lift than a city taking it on for
just their UGA.
• Are there legislative fixes needed to get annexation – there was one fix last year to provide more sale
tax when annexation but we don’t qualify.
Next – steps
What are the choices and costs?
Meeting ended at noon.