Preliminary discussions by the city focused on an area that excluded part of McCormick Woods’ UGA, but Mayor Kim Abel said subsequently it was decided to include the entire area, known as ULID#6, in the cost/benefit analysis.

“As we move forward, we’ll present information on all of them (McCormick Woods sections). When folks get together to draw the lines, they should have all the information,” she said. It’s up to the residents for which area to pursue annexation, she said.

McCormick Woods was nearly annexed to Port Orchard several years ago at the request of local residents, but an intentional change to the UGA boundaries at the insistence of then south-end Commissioner Charlotte Garrido, created a rural buffer between the area and the city, putting an end to those plans. Now that the UGA abuts the city again, council members say the city is still interested in the possibility.

“The annexation issue has been on the discussion page for a long time,” said Councilwoman Carolyn Powers. “It’s certainly open for the discussion to move forward. If they (property owners) want to do it, the city will seriously consider it.”

Property owners can petition Port Orchard for annexation by collecting signatures from landowners who own properties equaling 70 percent of assessed property values. The city could also choose to place the issue on the ballot for all its citizens to vote on, but several elected city officials who were interviewed didn’t speculate whether the city would take that step.

“If this is what the residents would like to do, they can come to the city… We cannot go out and say, ‘We want you…’ It’s my understanding the property owners prefer to be part of Port Orchard,” said Councilman Rick Wyatt.

McCormick Land Co., which owns and has developed a large part of the UGA, is among the stakeholders. “We’re not leading the charge by any means but we’re not going to stand in the way,” said President Doug Skrobut. “We have a longtime relationship with both the county and the city. I think it’s the residents’ decision to make and they have a lot of things to think about… At this point, I don’t see why we would oppose it.”

Jeff Davison, a McCormick Woods resident and owner of Yee Construction Corp., which has built numerous homes in McCormick Woods, says the annexation almost looks like an administrative step, especially since the area is already being urbanized. “I don’t see a reason for us to stay rural Kitsap because we’re not,” he said. “I moved out here because I wanted to be in the country, but that’s not realistic with what’s happened in the area… The flavor of the community changed… Probably the biggest difference is the property tax, so we’ll have to take a close look.”

According to data provided by the city, a comparison in taxes for a real home valued at $382,900 in McCormick Woods shows the property owner is paying $3,601.72 per year in taxes to the county; that property owner would pay $3,639.39 within city limits. McCormick Woods residents also pay a 50 percent surcharge to the city for sewer and water services. An annexation would eliminate that surcharge, as well as place the area under the service of Port Orchard’s police department.

“Kitsap County Sheriff’s Department is excellent but the number of officers for Kitsap County to cover is very low, where the city of Port Orchard has one officer for approximately every 500 heads of population. If an annexation is successful, we would of course hire more police officers to maintain that ratio,” Wyatt said. “…Does it make sense for Port Orchard? Absolutely.”

But similar feelings have been expressed by city of Bremerton officials. Bremerton, too, has courted the idea of annexing a portion of McCormick Woods, at the south end of what’s known as McCormick Woods North.

“We have the right to annex that UGA south of our borders,” said Will Maupin, Bremerton City Council President. “We’ve considered the possibility… We’re trying to make a fact-based analysis.”

A state grant is being used by the Kitsap Regional Coordinating Council (KRCC), which consists of all Kitsap jurisdictions, to create a unified process for studying annexations. Maupin said once this “template” is approved by the county and the cities, both Port Orchard and Bremerton should do an analysis to see with whose UGA McCormick should affiliate. Even so, “once it’s approved, it doesn’t mean the McCormick UGA will be analyzed any time soon,” he said.

If residents petitioned either city in the meantime, officials would have to consider the petition regardless. Ray McGovern, vice president of the McCormick Woods Homeowners Association, said people have been talking about annexation for years and he thinks residents prefer to be annexed to Port Orchard rather than Bremerton. “There is no way we can stay independent but Bremerton seems to be moving faster. The only thing between us and Bremerton is a two-lane highway,” he said. “Not everyone wants annexation but if it were to happen, Port Orchard is preferred.”

Kitsap County Commissioner Jan Angel said the county doesn’t get any say into which city should move ahead. “If they both go after that area (through a public vote), it’s going to be between the two of them,” she said. “The people will vote in favor, or not.”

The county stands to lose taxes, but a so-called “soft landing” process under an interlocal agreement would cut the funding from the county in steps over three years. The first year, the city would reimburse the county 75 percent of lost sales and road taxes, then 50 percent the second year and 25 percent the third. Abel said initially, Port Orchard would benefit financially but over time that income would “wash out” due to additional infrastructure and services to be added. She said the city would have to hire new employees, but it would “not cost existing citizens a lot of money. It would be a reasonable thing to do,” she said.