A public hearing to discuss annexation of the Eastgate and Tamara Hills neighborhoods into the city of Bellevue has been cancelled.
The meeting was scheduled for 8 p.m. Monday, but it will be rescheduled in January.
Property owners representing more than 50 percent of the assessed value of both unincorporated areas have signed petitions seeking annexation to the City of Bellevue. The council was originally going to take action on them next spring, but was prepared to act this month to preserve a state tax credit designed to offset the cost of providing services to thousands of new residents.
The Legislature, in a special session to address a state budget shortfall, was considering eliminating the tax credit for any new annexations. Staff believed Bellevue had a better chance of keeping that credit if the Eastgate and Tamara Hills annexations were already in process before the legislative session ended. However, the Legislature adjourned Wednesday without taking action on the tax credit.
The Legislature will meet for a regular, 60-day session starting Jan. 9, and could take action on this issue then. Due to this change in timing, staff plans to place the Eastgate and Tamara Hills annexation and public hearing on the Jan. 17 council agenda.
If the council accepts the petitions, actual annexation would still occur next spring, after review by the King County Boundary Review Board.
The council’s action would not have an effect on the possible annexation of two other unincorporated areas in South Bellevue – Hilltop and Horizon View. Petitions from the necessary 50 percent of property owners in those neighborhoods have not been submitted yet.
