Good reasons for Eastgate to annex to Bellevue

Published 5:03 pm Sunday, November 20, 2011

As an Eastgate resident for 30 years, I am supporting and working for the annexation of my unincorporated Eastgate neighborhood to the City of Bellevue. The city already totally surrounds our area of about 5,000 residents, but it’s King County struggling to provide our local services.

I want the better police protection that the city will provide. Early next year, the King County Sheriff’s Department will cut costs by consolidating its Eastside police precincts into a single precinct based in the Sammamish. County leaders have forthrightly warned Eastgate residents to expect “degradation” of county services in the years to come. King County simply will NOT have the funds to provide even our existing level of local services.

I also want improved access to my local government. The county has about 1,931,000 residents, the City of Bellevue only 122,000.

So county leaders and employees can’t begin to know the concerns of my area that the Bellevue City Council and staff can. Annexation will strengthen our police protection and make government services more accessible. Annexation is a good bargain.

Susan Wineke, Bellevue