Barclay annexation goes to vote March 11

The request by Ted and Keri Eady to have the northern 13.6 acres of the Barclay Ranch annexed to the city will go to Sisters voters in the March 11 election. The city council approved placing the request on the ballot at their December 19 meeting.

The vote will be the first test of a new law requiring voter approval for any annexation.

Howard Paine warned the city council that the annexation of the property may not be allowable because of legal questions as to whether a need to add more land to the city has been established.

"I think if this goes on the ballot, you may be asking voters to vote on something that cannot occur," Paine said.

City Planner Neil Thompson advised the council that Paine's concerns were accurate, but that they did not pose a problem.

"You need the voters' approval to allow annexation," he said. "To allow it and not follow through with it (if it is not appropriate), that's not a problem."

Councilor Gary Miller expressed some concern that the timing of annexation could be taken out of the city's hands. In the past, Sisters has annexed property only after it was developed so that it would enter the city at the maximum taxable value.

City attorney Steve Bryant acknowledged that Eady's request implies modification of the city boundaries and that it is not certain whether that means it is immediately annexed.

Miller expressed frustration that the new annexation law makes ironing out questions like that impossible for the city council.

"Whether it's a technical detail or the whole philosophy of annexation, it's out of our hands," Miller said.

In other business, the city council approved extending city water services to property owned by Bruce Forbes on the east side of Sisters Elementary School between Cascade Street and the Redmond Highway. The property is within the city's Urban Growth Boundary but outside the city limits.

Forbes plans a residential development on the site.

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Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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