MUKILTEO—The City of Mukilteo’s, 15-years in-the-making, plan to annex a portion of unincorporated Snohomish County finally went into effect on Saturday, July 12, after the council approved an ordinance last Monday. The land, which is now officially within Mukilteo city limits, includes the east side of the Mukilteo Speedway—from the Mukilteo Speedway Café to Beverly Park Road—as well as both sides of 121st Street SW.
Council member Jason Moon moved to approve ordinance 1513 during council’s regular meeting Monday, July 7, seconded by Council member Richard Emery. The motion, and by extension the ordinance, passed unanimously.
“We thought this was going to be a smoother, easier, process but there’s always things that come up. I appreciate the consistency and the work that our staff does, and looking forward to all of the work ahead,” said Council member Moon.
Though the ordinance was passed last Monday, it officially went into effect on Saturday, July 12 (City ordinances typically go into effect five days after they’re approved). During those five days City staff notified businesses and residents of the change so that they could update their information and numbers.
Mukilteo has been in discussion of annexation since 2009 when voters resoundingly disapproved a ballot measure (Proposition 2) with approximately 5,663 opposed and 2,924 in approval. Back then there was a requirement which would require the city to annex a total of three different districts which have since been removed by changing legislation.
Mukilteo City Councilman Steve Schmalz originally authored the statement against the annexation back in 2010 arguing that the decision would bring higher taxes, reduced services, lower property values, and get rid of the area’s “small town feel.” He had a change of heart last Monday, however, voting in favor.
The topic of annexation returned to the city council 14 years later with its first review on April 24, 2023, continuing through its last review on February 18, 2025, leading up to the July vote.
“There was always the caveat with this particular area where you had to look into other annexations but one of the state legislatures set the rules a little differently to make it more accessible for cities to do it like this – it made it a lot easier,” said Schmalz. “I just want to thank all the previous councils who went through and discussed this and spent the time throughout the annexation process. It was a long process and there was a long debate but I’m finally looking forward to putting this particular chapter behind us.”
Between its last meeting in February, through the decision last week, the city sent a notice of intent to the Boundary Review Board, County staff reviewed the material and presented their findings to the County Council who did not oppose the annexation but recommended that the Boundary Review Board not take jurisdiction.
According to Andy Galuska, Planning and Community Development Director for Mukilteo, the annexed area’s taxes and revenue should hit the city by January 2026.
“All of the staff are prepared to take on the additional needs of that area, the fire department is ready to hand off from south county to us, all we needed was the ordinance to pass,” said Galuska.
Last Monday’s vote approved only the Phase I annexation plan. Additional Phase II and Phase III annexation efforts are currently being pursued by the city which would include a larger area along the east side of SR 525, from roughly the QFC intersection south to Beverly Park Road, and then north from Beverly Park Road to the southern boundary of Paine Field Airport (Phase II), and annexing the remaining Urban Growth Area from Beverly Park Road south to 148th Street SW and Hwy 99, and east to Airport Road (Phase III).
The Mukilteo City Council previously authorized Mayor Joe Marine to sign an interlocal agreement with Snohomish County to annex these areas as allowed under RCW 35A.14.296.
“Since returning to office in 2022, one of my continued priorities has been annexing this specific area,” said Mayor Joe Marine. “Many people are surprised to learn that when they dine at, for example, the Mukilteo Speedway Café, they’re actually outside city limits. Given how often our residents visit these businesses and how frequently our emergency services already respond to calls there, it simply makes sense to bring this area officially into Mukilteo.”
With the annexation now official, the city will begin the next steps of integrating the area into Mukilteo’s service structure and long-term planning efforts.
What does this mean for businesses and residents?
Those living within the newly annexed area, or operating businesses within, will now be required to turn over local sales and use taxes on January 1, 2026 per RCW 82.14.055.1. State shared revenues such as gasoline tax, liquor board profits, and the liquor excise tax will begin collection on October 1, 2025 per RCW 82.14.055. Property taxes will be transferred to the City starting in the tax year of 2026 per RCW 84.09.030.
There also could be a council order to remove the billboards within the newly annexed area but this will be a topic of conversation for a later date.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
