Council leaves annexation hearing open on Corvallis, Kaufman and Old Sixth Street rights-of-way; requests more tax and right-of-way details

The Independence City Council opened a public hearing April 8 on an ordinance to annex three rights-of-way — portions of Corvallis Road, Kaufman Road (Hoffman Road reference in staff comments) and Old Sixth Street — but left the record open and continued the hearing to May 13 to allow staff to answer residents’ questions about tax implications, right-of-way width and funding for planned water and road improvements.

City Planner Fred Evander told the council the annexations are intended to give the city jurisdiction over roads inside the urban growth boundary so streets are built to city standards and so that developers deal with a single agency rather than both county and city. He said the change would also allow the city to set speed limits and safety zones and would simplify work on a planned Corvallis Road waterline project.

Residents who live along Corvallis Road and nearby addressed the council. Michelle Lewis, a property owner on Corvallis Road, said annexation could raise her household’s taxes by “about $3,000 a year” if their parcels were brought into the city, and other speakers said they were concerned about floodplain development, farm land protections, and how annexation might affect future tax and service responsibilities. Several speakers asked whether annexing a road would immediately subject adjacent properties to city taxes; staff said because the current proposal covers only rights-of-way, the immediate tax status of adjacent parcels would not change, but the question warranted further written clarification.

Planner Evander and city staff also addressed legal questions about “island” annexations and cited state statutes governing the process; they noted a road cannot constitute more than 25% of an island boundary under the cited ORS provision. Councilors directed staff to prepare written materials for property owners explaining: (1) whether annexing the road could create an island in the future and what that would mean; (2) the city’s planned right-of-way width and whether the annexation would change the current line; (3) tax implications for affected property owners, including whether any parcels might see dual assessments; and (4) the grant/funding status and likely city costs associated with the Corvallis Road waterline and related projects. The council asked that the public-works director be available for the May 13 continuation to answer technical questions.

The council formally voted to leave the hearing and the administrative record open to a May 13 meeting and instructed staff to return with the requested analyses and written clarifications.