Some Burien residents expressed frustration last week at the prospect of having no say over whether their city doubles its size by annexing North Highline.

"We were promised an advisory vote," said a woman at the last of three "community conversation meetings" sponsored by the city of Burien at Sylvester Middle School.

The registered voters of North Highline will hold an election to decide whether to join Burien or Seattle. However the citizens of neither Burien nor Seattle have any say about the matter.

The woman pointed out that Burien has been a city for a relatively short time and is still forming itself.

"This needs to be about community," she said. "We're just coming together.

Another woman said there is a common belief in Burien that its residents get to vote. When they find out they don't, they'll start worrying about "hidden agendas," she warned.

A man told officials that Burien runs the risk of losing its small-town feel if it absorbs North Highline. He too urged Burien to hold some kind of vote.

"We had an advisory vote on fireworks," he said, drawing a laugh from those in the audience.

Another woman reminded officials that the Burien Planning Commission recommended against annexing North Highline. A different study done by a consultant for the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council concluded North Highline doesn't have a sufficient tax base to form its own city.

"I adore everybody in White Center," she said. But why haven't Burien officials heeded previous studies showing annexation won't pencil out, she wondered.

Another woman at the meeting worried Burien is overextending itself. Annexing North Highline would pull the attention of Burien city government northward.

"We're spreading ourselves too thin," she said.

A man in the audience asked what plans Burien city officials have for serving North Highline residents, who come from a wider array of cultures and ethnicities than what Burien is used to.

A woman who lives just outside the Burien city limits said she prefers joining Burien.

"It's (North Highline) part of Burien and I don't think Seattle really cares," she said.

She added that she's seen many improvements made in North Highline but cautioned the community has a way to go.

"North Highline could turn into Bellevue or an armpit," she said.

After listening to numerous speakers oppose annexation of North Highline, a man from Boulevard Park spoke up.

"I feel kind of like a stepchild," he said. "You don't really want me, but you won't let me go either."

A couple of people recommended North Highline become part of Seattle.

A man suggested people take a look along Delridge Way in West Seattle to see "massive changes" for the better - a new branch of the Seattle Public Library, Neighborhood Service Center, Delridge Community Center, new parks - all done by the city of Seattle. He also urged people to go to see other city improvements in Columbia City and Beacon Hill.

White Center and Boulevard Park should become part of Seattle, he recommended.

"If North Highline goes to Burien, there will be no change," he said.

The first step toward annexation will be for Burien or Seattle to declare North Highline a "potential annexation area." Burien could take that step perhaps by November or December, said David Cline, Burien director of planning.

North Highline residents could vote on the issue in 2007 and, if they decide to join Burien, the change in governance could occur in 2009.

Tim St. Clair can be reached at 932-0300 or tstclair@robinsonnews.com