Item B: River Road/Santa Clara Annexation Policy

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Finally, there is a section on River Road and Santa Clara in the Urban and Urbanizable Land section of this chapter which contains an additional policy related to annexation: 3. Annexation of the River Road and Santa Clara areas will occur only through strict applications of state laws and local policies, e.g. ability to extend services in a timely manner. In each case, Eugene will make every reasonable attempt to provide for annexation only on a voluntary basis and according to prior individual property annexation agreements. Many residents in the River Road and Santa Clara area do not agree with the fundamental principles or polices in the Metro Plan. There is not agreement that the City should provide a full range of urban services rather than having the multitude of special districts, the City and Lane County providing services at the current level. Much of this River Road and Santa Clara section was written prior to the 1982 adoption and initial acknowledgement of the Metro Plan. It was written at a time when sanitary sewer service provision was the significant issue. In order to allow sanitary sewer service to be provided outside the city limits, special policies were developed and put into place. At this time, the sanitary sewer project has been completed and nearly all of the properties have connected to the system. The City owns and operates the sanitary sewer system and provides this service to residents in the area both inside and outside the city. Under the current policy, several hundred small annexations have occurred in River Road/Santa Clara since the Metro Plan was adopted in 1982, resulting in about 40 percent of the area within the City. Currently, all annexations are initiated by the property owner and submitted directly to the Boundary Commission after review by City staff to ensure that the application meets the following criteria: 1.The property is inside the urban growth boundary and annexation would be consistent with adopted plans and policies. 2.Public services and facilities can be provided as prescribed in the Metro Plan or applicable refinement plans. 3.Annexation will result in a boundary in which services can be provided in an orderly, efficient, and timely manner. The provisions of the Eugene Code related to annexation application procedures and criteria are provided in Attachment B. Lane County Boundary Commission The Lane County Local Government Boundary Commission is a State agency created under ORS 199 to review certain types of local government boundary changes. Its members are appointed by the Governor. Boundary changes include minor boundary changes (annexations to or withdrawals from cities or districts, and transfers of territory from one city to another city or one district to another district). Major boundary changes include mergers, consolidations, formations, and dissolutions of cities or districts. Currently, Boundary Commission staff (primarily Paula Taylor, Executive Officer) prepares the staff notes, advertises the public hearings, staffs the public hearing and notifies all required local and state agencies of the official outcome. The City pays an annual assessment which pays for a portion of this service. L:\CMO\2007 Council Agendas\M070124\S070124B.doc