The Klahanie annexation area will officially join the city of Sammamish, most likely by January 2016.

A large majority of Klahanie residents, 86 percent, voted in favor of annexing to the city during the April 28 special election. About 2,800 ballots were returned, a 46 percent voter turnout.

City Manager Ben Yazici presented two possible dates for annexation, July 31 or Dec. 31, during a presentation for the council at its Monday committee of the whole meeting. While both are possible, the ideal date is a matter of how quickly the city can implement promised services to some 11,000 additional residents.

Yazici said the July 31 deadline could be a disaster, as it would likely result in costly solutions to compensate for the lack of available resources at the earlier date and it would strain existing equipment and an already busy city staff.

“What I don’t want to see happen, in the process of delivering services … sooner for our Klahanie residents, (is) we drop the level of service for our citizens here,” Yazici said. “That is my biggest concern if we rush this thing, because something is going to fall apart.”

Annexing too soon might also give a bad first impression of city membership, he said.

Though the council did not vote Monday, and they all expressed their desire to include city residents in the conversation as soon as possible, the majority favored the December date.

“Most of the residents (in the Klahanie annexation area) will be fine either way,” said Kristen O’Malley, head of Klahanie Choice. “It’s really important that when Sammamish comes on board that they do bring those services they promised during the campaign.”

If effective July 31:

· The city will see an estimated $3 million in revenue by the end of 2015.

· It is unlikely Sammamish would have the six additional officers it promised the area. It takes approximately nine months to bring in a new officer, and six months to purchase and equip new vehicles. The city could supplement the work by paying additional officers overtime.

· All departments would need to use interim measures to compensate for the lack of time to hire new staff and buy new equipment.

· The public works department would begin street sweeping, stormwater “vactoring,” and landscape maintenance services, as well as begin identifying potential 2016 pavement projects and designing the improvements to Issaquah-Fall City Road.

· The parks and recreation department would begin key services to Klahanie Park; it would also include the area in 2016 event planning.

· There is not enough time to seek proposals for maintenance contracts. Instead, the city would need to negotiate for additional services and modify existing contracts, which could be costly.

· The city would have to rent or lease maintenance equipment.

If effective Dec. 31:

· The city will not collect any additional revenue in 2015.

· The city would have three new officers in service by Dec. 31. Yazici is confident the remaining three would be on payroll fairly soon after the first of the year.

· The city will have the time to hire most of the needed additional staff, to seek competitive prices for maintenance contracts and to purchase new equipment, sidestepping potential costly interim measures.

Regardless of the date, Klahanie residents will not see lower tax rates until 2016.

O’Malley said she has never doubted the city would deliver on its promises, and most of the residents she’s heard from are concerned with their tax rates decreasing.

Councilmember Ramiro Valderrama-Aramayo, who favors the earlier date, said some Klahanie residents are not happy with the decision to annex by the end of the year. He’s confident people will understand the transition will take time, and, regardless of the annexation date, bringing the area up to code is a gradual process.

He’s also confused as to why the city would pass up $3 million in revenue this year.

The city does expect to see $5.8 million in revenues from the Klahanie annexation area at the end of 2016.

The council still needs to create a transition committee, comprised of Klahanie residents, to help spread the word. It also needs to notify agencies and utilities 60 days prior to the effective date.

In early summer, the city plans to host a “Welcome to Sammamish” event. The date is still to be determined.

Yazici anticipates all ordinances will be ready for the council to adopt by July 31.

The first reading of the Klahanie annexation ordinance is scheduled for the June 2 regular meeting in city hall at 6:30 p.m.

The annexation area includes 25 subdivisions with a triangular boundary defined by Southeast 32nd Way/Street and Southeast Issaquah-Beaver Lake Road on the north, Issaquah-Pine Lake Road Southeast on the west and Southeast Issaquah-Fall City Road and Southeast Duthie Hill Road on the south and east.

Klahanie was formerly in Issaquah’s annexation area. After two failed attempts to annex the roughly 2-square-mile area, Issaquah signed over the potential annexation area to Sammamish in mid-2014.