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Council hears primer on master annexation ILA with Snohomish County; staff say it’s ‘rules of the road,’ not commitment
Summary
Planning director Jeff Ryan outlined a draft master annexation interlocal agreement (ILA) with Snohomish County at a study session, saying the agreement would set predictable rules for future annexations but does not commit the city to annex any area; council members asked for more analysis of pros, cons and stormwater liabilities.
Mill Creek City Council received a study‑session briefing on May 20, 2025 on a draft master annexation interlocal agreement (ILA) with Snohomish County. Planning Director Jeff Ryan described the proposed ILA as a framework to establish rules for potential future annexations within the city’s municipal urban growth area and said the presentation was informational only, not a commitment to annex.
“This is not a commitment,” Ryan told the council, introducing the ILA as a tool that would set consistent standards for planning, service transitions and cost‑sharing if and when annexation occurs. He said the draft template covers planning and development coordination, transportation and road maintenance responsibilities, parks and open space transfers, stormwater and NPDES responsibilities, police and fire transition issues, and reimbursement for unfinished capital projects.
Ryan said the process would begin with negotiation of the ILA terms between the city and the county, adoption by both bodies, and then use of the ILA to streamline later, area‑specific annexation steps. He explained that a master ILA can reduce repetitive negotiation by “knocking out the big stuff” ahead of a specific annexation and can, in some cases, eliminate the petition‑by‑residents route by using an agreed ILA plus the Boundary Review Board process.
Council members asked several substantive questions. Council member Steckler argued that a master ILA may lack the specifics needed for a particular area and suggested the city might instead wait until it identifies a target annexation area before negotiating detailed terms. Ryan answered that the master ILA is intended to expedite later annexations by resolving broad policy questions up front, while leaving room for area‑specific adjustments.
Other council members raised technical concerns about stormwater and deferred maintenance liabilities in county‑developed areas. Director Todd noted that the county currently operates as an NPDES Phase I permittee and may be more advanced in some stormwater programs, but councilors asked staff to analyze the extent of deferred maintenance risk prior to committing to any agreement. Several council members also noted that the county’s recent comprehensive plan redesignated much of the growth area to medium density, and they asked how that would affect development outcomes prior to annexation.
Ryan said the draft ILA is new statewide (enabled by statute in 2020) and has been used by other cities; he offered to return with a deeper analysis of pros and cons if the council wishes. The briefing was informational; no formal action was taken.
Why it matters: a master annexation ILA could speed future annexations, clarify service transitions and give Mill Creek earlier voice in land‑use decisions inside its growth area. Council members emphasized the need for additional analysis on zoning outcomes, stormwater liabilities and which parks or capital projects the county may wish to retain or transfer.
Next steps: staff offered to return with a more detailed evaluation of benefits and risks and with recommendations for any council direction on pursuing an ILA with Snohomish County.
