OLYMPIA…Senator Don Benton, R-Vancouver, plans to file a bill before the 2006 legislative session that would require a public vote for property owners subject to annexation efforts.

“The city of Vancouver is primed for another land grab,” said Benton, who has represented the area since his election to the Legislature in 1994. “What I want to do is protect property owners who don’t want to be annexed into the city, which often amounts to more taxes, more regulations and no additional services.”

Since incorporation in 1857, Vancouver has annexed 130 times. The first six times was approved by registered voters in the proposed annexation areas. Laws have changed since then, making it much easier to annex without voter approval, resulting in 124 more annexations.

“Today, residents whose land is in the city’s sights have much less say about annexation,” Benton said. “The trend to protect property owners has been moving in the wrong direction and my bill will move the trend back it in the right direction, giving the people who actually own the land a say in the process.”

Benton’s bill provides a method for property owners in the area proposed for annexation to submit the measure for voter approval. The petition for a ballot proposition must be signed by at least 10 percent of the registered voters in the area proposed for annexation.

“This gives area landowners a choice about whether or not they want their land to become part of the city,” Benton added. “It should be their choice, as a whole. It shouldn’t be up to government or a portion of the area landowners. It should be up to everyone impacted and that is what this bill will do.”

For more information about Vancouver’s annexation history visit: http://www.ci.vancouver.wa.us/annexation.asp?menuid=10463&submenuid=16654&itemID=16659

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