Small Town News

BWD tables divisive annex issue

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Following a heated public hearing last week at the Mason County Commissioners Chambers in Shelton, the Belfair Water District allowed a controversial annexation issue to be tabled Tuesday until further notice.

The Clifton Ridge neighborhood and the Villas at Clifton Ridge filed for annexation into the water district during the December 21 regular meeting of the water district commissioners. At the time, Commission Chair John Phillips and then-commissioner Irene Werdall voted to annex the neighborhoods - all but one parcel of property belonging to Greg Waggett, Werdall's former political rival.

At a February 2 public hearing to approve or deny the request, the Board of Mason County Commissioners rejected the annexation with its exclusions, on the grounds that it would encourage uncoordinated development and that it was likely motivated by personal and not policy-driven issues.

Barbara Bellmont, president of the Clifton Ridge Homeowners Association, brought up the subject again at this week's regular water district meeting.

"In lieu of the county commissioners meeting in Shelton ... I was wondering if there's a time frame when those issues would be talked about so those involved could be here," she said.

Commission Chair John Phillips skirted the topic.

"We have many urgent matters on our plate," he said. "I recommend we table this for another time."

Commissioner Mike Pope, however, disagreed that any more time needed to be taken on a matter he thought the county commissioners had made "pretty cut and dry."

"I hereby make a motion that we accept Clifton Ridge and the Villas at Clifton Ridge in whole, no exceptions," he said. "Let's just get this done."

The motion died, however, when no one seconded it.

Phillips maintains that the water district wants nothing to do with Greg Waggett because he is a "serial harasser" who tries to "make himself out to be the victim."

Water manager Dave Tipton has an anti-harassment order out against Waggett; Waggett claims he's the subject of a "personal vendetta" and that he's only ever sought honest answers from the water district.

Phillips denies that leaving the Waggett lot off the annexation bid was politically motivated, even though without annexation the Waggetts can never run for political office within the water district.

"It's stale. There's no urgency to it," Phillips said at an earlier date, before this week's meeting. "We've done everything we can."



Copyright 2010 Shelton-Mason County Journal, Shelton, Washington. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2010 Shelton-Mason County Journal Shelton, Washington. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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