The Sammamish police chief will speak to the Klahanie-area Transition Committee on Nov. 12 regarding police services in the annexation area after the new year.

The committee has been meeting with city staff and officials since August to discuss concerns within the bedroom community leading up to the annexation.

Sharing information with someone who listens and plans on doing something about it in due time is new for the Klahanie community, committee chair Lorrie Schleg said.

“The county is so big and we’re just a small piece of it,” Schleg said.

Now, the roughly 2-square-mile area will represent a “decent sized chunk” of Sammamish, she said.

The area remains in unincorporated King County until officially becoming part of Sammamish Jan. 1, 2016.

During the transition, as part of the agreement City Manager Ben Yazici negotiated with the county, the county promised to maintain the parks and roads, among other areas, through the end of the year. The work is valued at $340,400.

Tim Larson, city communications director, said people are starting to see the signs of these improvements, specifically the upkeep of Klahanie Park.

The county committed to maintaining the park, including irrigating, seeding and fertilizing, at an estimated cost of $40,000. Typically, the county stops irrigating the park during the summer as a cost-saving measure, Yazici said.

“Sammamish will do a lot more than King County, is what it sounds like,” Schleg said.

For a long time the large park has been under utilized, Schleg said. There’s a large area behind the baseball field that’s not often used and the playground set is too small.

During the October transition meeting, Schleg said there’s also the possibility of the city opening the park’s restrooms year-round, which will require heaters to keep the pipes from freezing.

Overall, the issues the committee relays to the city are concerns many Sammamish residents already face, Larson said.

Most of the issues revolve around traffic, public safety and speeding throughout the neighborhoods.

For example, Klahanie Boulevard poses a significant speeding problem, Schleg said.

During the September meeting, the committee and city talked about applying methods to narrow the wide road without giving up the plentiful street parking. As it is now, the openness of the road makes it feel like drivers can exceed the 25 mph limit, Schleg said.

Also in September, the Sammamish City Council approved a $70,000 census contract with Census Services. The firm will conduct the survey house-by-house starting Dec. 19.

There are approximately 3,930 housing units in Klahanie annexation area, according to city documents.

Per state law, the city is required to conduct a census.

The addition of Klahanie will also result in approximately $634,000 in additional annual state-shared revenue, according to city documents.

The amount the city receives in annual state-shared revenue, from sources like the gas tax, can change.

In September, the city council also authorized $138,000 to purchase vehicles and equipment for the area.