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ISBA Change Could Allow For Silver Beach Heights Annexations

    On Tuesday, the Lake County Commission approved an amendment to the county’s Inter Service Boundary Agreement with the City of Umatilla, reversing an earlier vote.  The county agreed to allow non-contiguous annexations into Umatilla in the area northwest of town, specifically in the area of the Silver Beach Heights neighborhood.
    The move comes after a previous request from Umatilla to alter the agreement failed. 
        The county has operated an ISBA agreement with the city since 2011, with areas along SR 19 north and south of Umatilla, as well as land near the Umatilla airport included. 
    The new amendment will allow residents in and around Silver Beach Heights to voluntarily annex.  Forced annexations are not allowed.
    “This has been improved upon,” said commissioner Sean Parks, joining a commission majority in approving the measure.
    Commissioners were pleased with wording in the agreement that specifically noted that forced annexations would not be allowed.
    “The wording is very clear,” said commissioner Leslie Campione.
    Commission chair Kirby Smith, who had previously voted against the measure, said the changes allowed him to support the measure.
    I applaud the city,” he said.
    The measure passed by a 4-1 vote, with commissioner Josh Blake voting against.
    The proposal has been controversial in the neighborhood, with some residents voicing concern that the change will lead to forced annexations, though the city has denied that will be the case.  Instead, the agreement will allow current Umatilla Mayor Chris Creech to annex a home he recently purchased into the city, and allow him to continue to serve on the Umatilla City Council.
    As part of the ISBA amendment, the county and city voiced interest in opening larger discussions regarding creating an urban protection area around the city, with hopes of limiting the type of development in the Umatilla area going forward.