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Houghton Community Municipal Corporation

Proposition No. 1
Continuation of Community Municipal Corporation

The community council of the Houghton Community Municipal Corporation has adopted Resolution No. 2009-6 concerning this proposition to continue the Houghton Community Municipal Corporation. Pursuant to RCW 35.14.060, the existence of the Houghton Community Municipal Corporation expires on January 4, 2010. Should the Houghton Community Municipal Corporation remain in existence until the first Monday of January 2014?

FOR CONTINUATION OF THE COMMUNITY MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

AGAINST CONTINUATION OF THE COMMUNITY MUNICIPAL CORPORATION


In 1968 the Cities of Houghton and Kirkland were consolidated. The voters in Houghton also voted to establish within the former City of Houghton a community municipal corporation. Its governing body is the Houghton Community Council, composed of seven members elected for four year terms by the voters within Houghton. The Houghton Community Municipal Corporation also has a term of four years and then expires unless continued for an additional four years by majority vote of the electors within Houghton. The current four year term expires January 3, 2010, unless extended at the general election to be held November 3, 2009.

Under the Community Municipal Corporations law (RCW Ch. 35.14) the adoption, amendment, authorization or other approval by the Kirkland City Council of any ordinance or resolution applying to land, buildings or structures within the Houghton Community Municipal Corporation becomes effective within Houghton only on approval of the Community Council or by failure of the Community Council to disapprove the ordinance or resolution within 60 days of its final enactment by the Kirkland City Council as to the following: comprehensive plan; zoning ordinance; conditional use permit, special exception or variance; subdivision ordinance; subdivision plat; or planned unit development. In addition to its disapproval jurisdiction, the Houghton Community Council also has authority to make recommendations to the Kirkland City Council and City Manager on any issues which may directly or indirectly affect the area within the Houghton Community Municipal Corporation.

The primary purpose of the Houghton Community Council (HCC) is to maintain the unique character of Houghton. The HCC was established in 1968 when the citizens of Houghton agreed to merge with the City of Kirkland. A key condition was that the Houghton neighborhood would retain an independent council with veto authority over land use regulations in the area comprising the former city and every four years the citizens of Houghton must vote to retain this important, and extremely rare, consideration.

When Houghton agreed to become a part of the city of Kirkland, the citizens recognized that it was vital to keep control over the land use within its boundaries to ensure the unique beauty and qualities of Houghton would be recognized and maintained, no matter what the City of Kirkland decided to do in the future.

Because of this, Houghton has remained the City’s most desirable community and vibrant neighborhood. The Houghton Community Council continues to prove its value and deserves our vote to continue for another four years.

We urge you to once again renew this unique provision by voting to keep this privilege that no other neighborhood in Kirkland holds.

The present Houghton Council serves little purpose and should be allowed to come to an end in January. It is a vestige of the prior City of Houghton which was merged into Kirkland over 40 years ago. Residents are already represented in the Kirkland City Council and require no additional representation in a duplicative separate body. Further continuation of the present Houghton Community Council, however well-intentioned is an unnecessary expense and an additional layer of government for land use questions in the Houghton area. Furthermore, the Houghton Council can delay land use considerations and perpetuate separate regulations with the affected area which are not standard with other Kirkland areas. The result is that the Council is an anachronism which has outlived its usefulness and needs to be abolished or allowed to expire or come to an end. We recommend voters cast their ballots accordingly against continuation of this body.

The main reason for the formation of the Houghton Community Council (“HCC”) 40 years ago still exists: to protect our neighborhood from undesirable land use decisions when Houghton doesn’t always have direct representation on the Kirkland City Council. We get this privilege at negligible cost as HCC members are volunteers utilizing Kirkland city staff and resources already in place. However, should this protection not be renewed, we lose it forever. Vote to retain the HCC.

 

STATEMENT PREPARED BY: Scott Mullet, Carl Bryant, Carol Buckingham

Do away with this anachronism. We are already represented on City Council and the Planning Commission. There is no necessity to retain a duplicative body which adds time and expense and serves no present purpose. Forty years ago the Council provided a transition function. Today we should be fully integrated into the City and we don’t need wasteful unnecessary expense and delay which are a product of retaining this body. Vote no on Houghton Council.

 

STATEMENT PREPARED BY: John Brightbill, Doug Jacobson

RESOLUTION 2009-6

 

A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMUNITY COUNCIL FOR THE HOUGHTON COMMUNITY MUNICIPAL CORPORATION REQUESTING, PURSUANT TO RCW 35.14.060 AND KIRKLAND MUNICIPAL CODE CHAPTER 2.16, THE CONTINUATION OF THE EXISTENCE OF THE HOUGHTON COMMUNITY MUNICIPAL CORPORATION AND ITS COMMUNITY COUNCIL FOR AN ADDITIONAL FOUR YEAR PERIOD, AND THAT THE QUESTION OF CONTINUANCE BE SUBMITTED TO THE VOTERS RESIDING WITHIN THE HOUGHTON COMMUNITY MUNICIPAL CORPORATION AT AN ELECTION TO BE HELD IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED GENERAL CITY ELECTIONS TO TAKE PLACE IN NOVEMBER 2009.

 

            WHEREAS, when the Cities of Kirkland and Houghton were consolidated in 1968, the voters in Houghton also voted to establish within the former City of Houghton a community municipal corporation known as the Houghton Community Municipal Corporation; and

 

            WHEREAS, under state law, the community municipal corporation may continue in existence for four year periods upon approval of the voters within it; and

 

            WHEREAS, the term of the existence of the Houghton Community Municipal Corporation was extended at the general election held in November 2005 and shall end on January 4, 2010; and

 

            WHEREAS, the Houghton Community Council believes that the electors of the Houghton Community Municipal Corporation should have an opportunity to vote on the question of whether or not the Houghton Community Municipal Corporation and its Community Council should continue in existence for at least an additional four-year period.

 

            NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved by the Community Council of the Houghton Community Municipal Corporation:

 

            Section 1. The Houghton Community Council requests that an election be held in the manner provided for by RCW 35.14.060, and that the ballot at the election contain the words:

 

PROPOSITION

 

            The community council of the Houghton Community Municipal Corporation has adopted Resolution No. 2009-6 concerning this proposition to continue the existence of the Houghton Community Municipal Corporation. Pursuant to RCW 35.14.060, the existence of the Houghton Community Municipal Corporation expires on January 4, 2010. This proposition would continue the existence of the Houghton Community Municipal Corporation until the first Monday of January 2014. Should this proposition be:

 

            (           )           approved                     (           )           rejected

 

And shall also contain the names of the candidates who have filed for election to the seven positions on the Houghton Community Council.

 

            Section 2. The Clerk for the Houghton Community Council is hereby authorized and directed to file this resolution with the City Clerk for the City of Kirkland.

 

            Upon receipt of this resolution, as provided in RCW 35.14.060, the City Clerk notify the Kirkland City Council and file a certified copy of this resolution with the Director of Elections and Records for king County (ex officio King County Supervisor of Elections). Such filing shall be made within sufficient time to allow the election to be held in conjunction with the regularly scheduled general municipal election to take place in November 2009.

 

Adopted by majority vote of the Houghton Community Council in their regular meeting held on the 27th day of April, 2009.

Simple Majority (RCW 35.14.060)
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