The Burien City Council took the first steps on Jan. 23 toward a cooperative effort with neighboring cities to resolve the ongoing North Highline annexation question.

The council proposed an interlocal agreement between neighboring cities and King County that would set the groundwork for discussions between the governments and North Highline representatives on how to work collaboratively in reaching decisions on future governance of the North Highline area.

Both Burien and Seattle have been considering an annexation of the North Highline unincorporated area.

Some residents of all three communities think the cities seemingly have been negotiating for leverage.

The annexation area includes White Center, Boulevard Park, Beverly Park, Salmon Creek, North Shorewood and Top Hat with a total population of about 31,000.

On Dec. 19, Burien lawmakers delayed a decision on declaring a potential annexation area (PAA) until sometime this year.

Council members also discussed at an annual retreat on Jan. 13 how to process the decision and how to "broaden the discussion table" without immediately declaring a PAA, according to Scott Greenberg, community development director.

"To me it seems like a no-brainer that we ought to get everybody together and try to figure this thing out," Councilman Gordon Shaw said during last week's discussion.

The potential annexation has significant financial implications for Burien whether North Highline were to be annexed by either Seattle or Burien.

If Burien annexes North Highline, the city would face a significant shortfall to pay for basic services.

If Seattle annexes the area, Burien would lose the current financial and public safety benefits of sharing police and fire services with North Highline.

North Highline currently is served by King County government as an unincorporated area. The county has recommended that the area become part of another city through annexation, since the county says it cannot afford to keep providing urban-level services.

The North Highline Unincorporated Area Council last year conducted a study that indicated it was not financially feasible to form its own city through incorporation.

In recommending the interlocal agreement, Burien lawmakers rejected two other options: the immediate adoption of a PAA followed by community discussion; and defaulting on the annexation question by allowing the decision to be made by other cities.

"Right now it seems counterproductive with all the jurisdictions doing different things," noted Councilwoman Sue Blazak.

Deputy Mayor Jack Block Jr. asked staff why North Highline was not mentioned as one of the cities that would negotiate under the ILA.

Greenberg pointed out that the ILA, by law, should be between the mentioned cities, but that it does not mean that North Highline or other groups cannot participate in coming up with terms for the agreement.

Shaw also cautioned that King County should facilitate the process "because of the adversarial sides that have already developed."

Block mentioned that at the retreat, he asked King County Councilman Dow Constantine whether he would be willing to facilitate the meetings, and Constantine said yes.

Greenberg said that city staff would present a drafted outline of the agreement in February, with the agreement ready for review in March.