Remember the Annexation Mess in November

     A few years ago, the City of Ukiah began exploring whether to annex a significant
amount of surrounding land into the city limits. From the start, the message from
residents and business owners was a consistent and emphatic “No, thanks!”

     The city moved forward anyway. Rather than pausing to work through people’s
objections, staff and council members pressed ahead. Nobody I've spoken with can give me an exact figure for what that process ultimately cost, but estimates range from $500,000 to as much as $2 million once you account for the environmental impact report and all the staff time. If you include the hours residents spent showing up, speaking out, and organizing in opposition, the toll on this community in dollars and in patience has been enormous.

     Public pressure eventually forced the city to revise its original plan. But the revised version didn't resolve the underlying problems. Instead of addressing those, City
leaders privately approached a vocal critic, Ross Liberty, with a hypothetical question
about an offer to cut his property out of the annexation map if he would become an
advocate for annexation. When he said no, they asked if he'd at least agree not to
oppose it. He said no to that, too. I’m grateful that Ross has so much integrity and is willing to publicly share what happened. It gives us all a window into how City leaders
do business. Opaque backroom deals, anyone?
     At the Planning Commission meeting in late August, every single member of the
public who showed up was there to voice their opposition to annexation. The next day, a city council member said the City had abandoned its plan. Those of us who were paying attention took a collective sigh of relief.
     All this leaves me wondering who is actually running the City of Ukiah and
whether the obvious mismanagement is due to incompetence or malfeasance. The city
council is the governing body. If council members are simply deferring to whatever staff tells them, they're not doing the job voters elected them to do.
     The City’s argument that annexation would benefit those in the annexation zone
had many of us scratching our heads. For example, how did they think the Ukiah Police Department could respond to more calls? They’ve been understaffed for 15 years. To my understanding, they respond to well over a thousand calls a year at a single motel on North State Street alone. If the City can't adequately staff the area it already serves, how did it intended to extend police protection, and other city services, across a meaningfully larger footprint.
     So where do we go from here? As a real estate broker, I care about property
values. As a lifelong resident of this area, I care about whether our community thrives.
When the City of Ukiah isn’t governed well, it puts these things at risk.
     Three incumbent council seats are up for election this November, alongside a
slate of newcomers. I don’t live within city limits, but if I did, I’d take a hard look at
whether the people currently on the city council have earned another term, or whether it's time for a change. You can find incumbents by visiting https://cityofukiah.com/citycouncil.
     If you have questions about property management or real estate, please contact
me at [email protected] or call (707) 462-4000. If you have an idea for a future
column, share it with me and if I use it, I’ll send you a $25 gift certificate to Schat’s
Bakery. Dick Selzer is a real estate broker who has been in the business for more than
50 years. The opinions expressed here are his and do not necessarily represent his
affiliated organizations.