Council authorizes Gig Harbor boundary adjustment so city can build roundabout at 56th and 8th Avenue

Pierce County Council members on Tuesday approved an ordinance authorizing an interlocal agreement that adjusts the City of Gig Harbororporate boundary to include the full right-of-way at the intersection of 30 Eighth Avenue and 50 Sixth Street. The change is intended to let Gig Harbor deliver a roundabout and associated Americans with Disabilities Act and active-transportation improvements without a split jurisdiction at the intersection.

Erica Rhett Hunt, council staff, told the council the project budget is about $2.7 million and includes $1,640,000 in Transportation Improvement Board funding. She said engineering revealed that parts of the right-of-way needed for construction fell outside the city limits; bringing those pieces into the city by mutual interlocal agreement will streamline right-of-way acquisitions and let the city complete the work within the TIB schedule. State law allowing cities and counties to adjust corporate boundaries by mutual agreement was cited in staff materials.

Council member Dunson moved the ordinance and members supported the interlocal after staff confirmed the city and county had negotiated terms and the city had adopted a companion ordinance. Planning and Public Works staff advised the council the change has a de minimis fiscal impact for the county.

Ending: the council adopted ordinance O2025-526 by unanimous vote; the interlocal will become effective after both jurisdictions adopt the agreement and complete any conditions described in the interlocal document.

(Quotes are attributed only to speakers in the article speaker list.)