(Editor’s Note: The letter below was sent to the Burien City Council with a copy to the Times/News.)

I have reviewed the Berk study on annexation and have some questions about the report. I hope these will be answered in a future council meeting.

1. The study stated that there are no gambling establishments in Area Y. In fact there is one currently open.  This would cause the revenues in the report to be too low, which is fine.  However, it makes me wonder what else was missed, especially expenses.

a) How was this missed?

b) After finding out how it was missed has staff or Berk discovered any other corrections that are needed?

2. I did not see any numbers on how much SWM and the Road Fund Revenue would be increased.

a) How much revenue would come to SWM and the Road Fund from the annexation area?

b) Berk stated that it was unclear if the state funds could be used for capital costs in an annexation area.
What is staff’s opinion, especially the City Attorney’s on being able to use state funds to cover any deficit in capital costs?

c) Will Burien need to use existing reserves in these fund to fund these costs in the annexation area?

3. Berk provided a study on the annexation of North Burien.

 a) How close do the estimates in the study for North Burien compare to actual revenues and expenses that Burien has experienced?

4. Are the estimates for police services too low? Right now the Patrol units from Burien (Nora Cars) and Unincorporated King County (King Cars) work closely together, but it appears the units from Sea Tac  (Lincoln Cars) do not respond with the Nora units or King units. This makes me think that Sea Tac is staffed at a higher level than Burien and as a policy stays in their city limits to a higher degree than the Nora Units.
 
a) If the annexation of Area Y happens the King Cars are basically gone, and the Nora units will need back-up from the Lincoln Cars. Do we need to increase the number of Burien cars on duty that was assumed in the study? 

b) Or is the level of reactive Burien units in the study high enough to really keep our same level of service without the King Units or help from the Lincoln Units?

Ed Dacy
Burien