 Annexation legislative update
by Jerry Ritter, OCVA
www.ocva.org
[As we did last month, we asked Jerry Ritter of Oregon Communities
for a Voice in Annexation to summarize legislative activity on
the annexation issue during this past month. Here’s what he says:]
House Bill 2484 (amends ORS-195 Sections 205-215 to require double
majority voter approval for ‘service provider’ annexations): This bill
passed the House 45 - 13 and is now scheduled for a hearing in Senator Charlie
Ringo’s Environment & Land Use Committee on Thursday, June 2 at
8 am.
House Bill 3084 (Prohibits the use of a street as one boundary of an
Island): This bill is intended to stop the practice of “cherrystemming” by
cities to intentionally create islands which they can then annex with
no vote. According to our capitol sources, the bill has been stopped by Speaker
Karen Minnis.
Senate Bill 887A (provides long-term immunity against forced annexation
to Nike and several other businesses; Places a 2-year moratorium
on certain types of annexations; Establishes an interim task force to recommend
annexation law changes to the 2007 Legislature): SB 887A passed in
the Senate with only 2 “no” votes. It was amended by the House
Land Use Committee, which then unanimously moved the bill to the House Floor
on May 27. If it passes the House, it will return to the Senate for consideration
of the House amendments.
SB 887A is clearly the bill the Legislature intends to move. We have
not seen the House-amended version yet. As passed by the Senate,
it really provided no meaningful or lasting annexation reform,
except for a few businesses. This is why we have been trying to persuade
Senator Ringo and Representative Minnis to move the other two bills.
The public outcry over annexations and the annexation reform effort
boil down to one question: “Should those most impacted by annexations
have a meaningful voice in the process?” Public entities (funded with
public money), such as The League of Oregon Cities, have been steadfast
and vehement in their opposition to allowing the public a greater voice in
annexation matters. It remains to be seen if the House amendments to SB 887A
address the problem or simply sweep it under the rug for two years.
[Mitch Greenlick, our state representative, says, “An amended version of
SB887 (Ringo and Greenlick) passed out of the House Committee on Land Use this
afternoon. It stops Beaverton for two years, sets a task force in place to rethink
annexation, gives annexation protection for Nike and Columbia Sportswear, adds
Tektronix and ESI to that protection, and does a couple of other things. It will
probably be voted on in the House next week and will go back to the senate for
agreement on the amendments.
“HB 2722, stopping the 3 mile veto on the formation of a new city is sitting
in Sen. Ringo’s committee waiting for action.”]
The text of SB 887A should be up on the legislature’s website this week.
To read the full text of this and other bills, visit www.leg.state.or.us/bills_laws/home.htm
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