All annexations are—and will continue to be―voluntary.

• Clarity for the public to prepare applications: Amend SDC 5.7.125 by restructuring the Initiation Method Requirements and Application Requirements so that an applicant may easily determine what documents must be submitted for the various application types (annexation in accordance with owner consent (ORS 222.125), triple majority (ORS 222.170(1)), or double majority (ORS 222.170(2)). 
• Efficiency and timeliness for staff and officials to process applications and make a decision: Amend SDC 5.7.115 to add a review process that does not require a public hearing, which will be when all the owners of land in the territory, and not less than 50% of the electors (if any) residing in the territory, consent in writing to the annexation and file a statement of their consent to annexation with the City (ORS 222.125). 
  • Currently, a City Council public hearing is required with one narrow exception: “a  single lot/parcel adjacent to the city limits and city services and not dividable by  Partition or Subdivision.”
  • Previous phases of the Development Code Update project reduced minimum lot sizes and allowed “middle housing.” The clause “not dividable by Partition or Subdivision” is now less applicable.
• Reduced costs for annexation applications: Part of the fee to annex includes a public notice fee for the: 
  • City Council public hearing: notice to owners and occupants within 300 ft. of the  affected territory;
  • Local newspaper: notice is published for two successive weeks prior to the hearing date;
  • Posted notice: four public places for two successive weeks;
  • If the code amendments are adopted, and a public hearing is not required for owner consent annexations, then the application fee is reduced for annexation.     Those reduced costs are passed on to the applicant, reducing the amount the property owner needs to pay to request annexation. 
• Other proposed changes include:
  • Removing some definitions from SDC 5.7.113: Several terms are unnecessary to define or are redundant (i.e., defined in other areas of the Code). Therefore, several terms were removed. 
  • Clarifying the review process for Annexations: Move the Recommendation to City Council (SDC 5.7.135) and Appeals (SDC 5.7.165) standards to the Review process standards section in SDC 5.7.115.  

1. Provide easy to understand code language presented in a clear and user-friendly format.
2. Provide a straightforward initiation and review path for annexations.
3. Enable efficient review of annexation applications, which includes a discussion on whether to continue to allow or expand instances when annexation would not require a public hearing.