Vancouver considers annexation that could make it Washington’s second-largest city

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The City of Vancouver’s population could grow significantly, but the change wouldn’t come without millions of dollars in expenses.

During a Vancouver City Council workshop on Monday, Chief Financial Officer Natasha Ramras presented leaders with four different options for annexation — some of which would give Vancouver the title of Washington’s second-most populous city.

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The first scenario would absorb Clark County’s Fire District 5 up to the city’s urban growth area, adding about 95,000 residents. This addition would increase revenue by $56 million with funds like sales, property and garbage taxes, but it would also require $98 million in expenditures like hiring additional police and maintaining more parks.

Under the second scenario, Vancouver would absorb its water service boundary and welcome about 76,000 new residents. This would lead to a $50 million deficit, the largest of all options, which Ramras noted is “largely” due to the loss of utility revenue and covering additional fire services.

The third scenario entails the largest population increase, with the potential for 171,000 more Vancouver residents if officials vote to absorb the metro’s full urban growth area. This annexation would accrue $145 million in revenue, with the biggest share coming from property taxes, and about $194 million in expenditures to potentially build another police precinct, maintain additional parks and more.

The final scenario, the least impactful of the four, would add another 1,700 residents from the area that currently spans from North State Route 500 to Padden Parkway. With an estimated $3 million in revenue and $2 million in expenditures, this option would supplement Vancouver’s general fund.

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Councilor Sarah J. Fox told Ramras she would prefer the proposals with the most potential to benefit from the annexation.

“I would be really looking at areas that actually have some growth potential versus [those] that are already considered to be fully developed,” Fox said. “Some of these areas are pretty developed with homes and houses already whereas some areas have larger parcels.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Vancouver’s population stood at about 196,000 residents as of July 2023, while Tacoma held nearly 223,000 residents and Spokane held more than 229,000 people.

Three of the four scenarios would make the city Washington’s second-biggest, after Seattle, with a population of about 755,000 residents.

But councilors advised Ramras to consider expanding the smallest annexation, while also assessing the potential deficit from the third growth scenario.

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Mayor Pro Tem Erik Paulsen noted that annexation would come with benefits like a “stronger voice” at Washington’s capitol, and a “stronger influence” in the metro area — but he said the decision is not “an opportunity to get bigger for the sake of getting bigger.”

“Those benefits would be knock-on benefits, but those are not reasons to do this kind of thing,” Paulsen added. “And we do have to be judicious about the financial aspect as well as the impact to the services of our existing residents.”

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