Willow Glen Resident
News
Residents in county pockets want to be annexed, but city is not sure
By Monica Heger
Although Joe Carpenter lives just behind the Burbank Theater, he cannot vote in San Jose's upcoming election. Carpenter lives in a county pocket.
The city council voted unanimously April 25 to proceed with annexing the 69 county pockets under 150 acres. However, under the recommended guidelines proposed by city staffers, it could be another two years before residents living in dense county pockets such as the Burbank area are officially part of San Jose.
The city wants to annex 30 sparsely populated pockets that are under 150 acres first because these would require fewer services.
"We want to be cautious as we move forward with this because we want to be aware of the impact to the general fund," said Joe Horwedel, acting director of the department of planning, building and code enforcement.
Annexing the county pockets will affect the city's general fund because it will increase the number of residents served by city services. Horwedel estimated that if all the pockets under 150 acres were annexedtotaling approximately 1,500 acresthe city would need an additional 36 sworn police officers and five administrative staffers. He said the pockets would also bring in 37 miles of new streets that would have to be serviced by the city. The fire department already serves the pockets, so it would not need any additional staff or resources.
Carpenter, president of the Buena Vista Neighborhood Association, sees the council's action as bittersweet. His neighborhood includes both county and city areas. While he is glad that the city is moving forward, he said it's been a long battle, and he is frustrated with the way the council is proceeding.
"I'm concerned that you're looking at some of the uninhabited pockets first," Carpenter said at the council meeting. "Our infrastructure is falling apart, code enforcement is a problem and there's a mayoral race that I don't get to vote in."
Residents of other neighborhoods also expressed an interest in being annexed sooner rather than later.
"This is the light near the end of a very long tunnel," said Andrea Flores Shelton, who lives in the Alum Rock area, a 130-acre county pocket. "This is about giving unincorporated residents a voice and a chance to participate in the civic process."
Incentives for the city to move forward with the annexations are due to expire by the end of the year, unless the state extends the deadline. The state has already waived the requirement that the annexation of parcels up to 150 acres requires a vote by affected residents. Also, the county has waived the associated fees it normally charges for annexation. Horwedel said it was possible the state would grant an extension on these incentives.
City Councilman Ken Yeager, whose district includes the Buena Vista neighborhood, was concerned the city was banking on an extension of the incentives when one wasn't set in stone.
"What happens if the extension doesn't go forward and we just have this year?" he questioned.
Residents in both Buena Vista and Lyndale, a county pocket in East San Jose, have been particularly vocal about their desire to be annexed.
Horwedel said he would provide a cost estimate for annexing Buena Vista and Lyndale to the city council in about 90 days. Then he would have a better idea as to whether it was feasible to move forward with those annexations.
