Pacific residents had a message for their city council Monday night: They want to be Pacific, not Auburn.
The council listened to public comment about the possibility of Auburn annexing Pacific, one of several contingency plans in case Pacific loses its insurance at the end of the year.
Don Blackwell has lived in Pacific for 22 years and wants that to continue. He said many residents moved there for the small-town atmosphere.
“You know your police force, you know the guys by name,” he said after the meeting, which filled the community gym. “It feels good.”
Pacific’s insurance carrier has said it will stop coverage at the end of the year unless the situation in the city stabilizes.
Mayor Cy Sun was arrested trying to enter the city clerk’s office in July, and was ordered by a judge in September to replace employees that he fired or who resigned under his tenure. A campaign to recall him is in the works.
Sun did not stay for the public comment section of Monday’s meeting, council president Leanne Guier said.
At the same time the Pacific council was hearing from residents Monday, the Auburn City Council was meeting 10 minutes away to discuss the pros and cons of absorbing Pacific.
Auburn council members passed a motion to send letters of intent to annex to state and county agencies, which allows them to get more information about the process, Auburn spokeswoman Glenda Carino said. The letters are nonbinding, she added.
Pacific’s council is set to vote next Monday on a measure expressing its desire to annex.
But that’s still a plan B.
Guier told residents Monday she’s “hoping and praying” that they will find a way to keep insurance. The provider is reviewing their request for a three- to six-month extension, she said.
There are other options too. The city has taken steps to prepare itself for disincorporation, though that’s the last resort, Guier has said.
The City of Sumner passed a resolution Monday saying that it would be open to absorbing the Pierce County portion of Pacific should it lose insurance. The city lies on the King-Pierce county line.
That’s not an option the council is considering, as far as Guier knows.
“We need to take care of all the residents of Pacific,” she said.
Alexis Krell: 253-597-8268
alexis.krell@thenewstribune.com
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