The Portland region's history of growth and change during the last 40 years can be told through the expansion and contraction of its city and service district boundaries.
Until recently, the first 30 years of that story lived in the pages of annexation records, stored in aging binders on a shelf in a corner of the Metro Regional Center. The last 10 years of boundary change records were maintained as PDF files, available for download from the Metro website.
Starting in March, the region's entire 40-year annexation history is accessible online using a search tool developed by Metro's Data Resource Center. Records for each annexed area have been scanned and saved as digital files. These files are integrated with a geographic information system map layer of the region to create a searchable database that eases access to decades of public records.
Using the new tool, staff reports, legal descriptions and boundary maps are searchable by jurisdiction, proposal, ordinance, Secretary of State effective date, and annexation or Department of Revenue numbers.
Projecting service district growth
For Chris Roberts, web specialist and GIS administrator with the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District, the ability to search the database of boundary change documents means he can compare proposed service district boundaries to existing annexation areas.
"Now I'm able to see which neighborhoods aren't currently in the district but might be in the future," says Roberts. "It makes for a much richer map." For the public, park service district boundaries can determine membership status in a community softball league or the amount of property taxes paid, depending on whether a household is inside or outside the district.
Maps of proposed annexation areas illustrate how a city will change.
Tracking boundary changes
Proposals for annexation can be initiated by a city or by property owners. Areas are typically incorporated into city boundaries to extend municipal services to residents such as public sewer and water. The area proposed for annexation can be either connected to the city's boundaries or separated by a public right of way or body of water.
Prior to the launch of the search tool, anyone seeking boundary change information from 1969 to 1999 had to make the trip to the Metro Regional Center and ask staff to find the binder and search for the records they needed.
Records from after 1999 have been available online but were organized simply by county and year in packets of often up to 100 pages. The annexation database provides eight search options for finding information, making it faster and easier to access the thousands of pages of public records.
Lowering barriers to access
This adds a new level of efficiency for Ken Martin, private consultant providing annexation services for cities and service districts. Martin has used annexation records for 40 years, having worked for the Portland Metropolitan Area Local Government Boundary Commission for more than 25 years. He's responsible for creating most of the paper files that are now digitized and searchable on the Metro website.
"It's a matter of convenience," says Martin. "I used to have to go to Metro and go through their files." It's also a matter of public awareness. "I often had people ask me where they can find boundary records. Now I can just direct them to the website. More people know this resource exists."
For real estate agents, developers, history buffs and researchers that count on access to public records for both professional and scholarly work, that level of convenience is no small thing. And the implications of increased access go beyond just saving time.
"Through my research, I have gained experience with many kinds of databases and search tools, some of which are much easier to use than others," says James V. Hillegas, professional historian. "(Metro's Annexation Search Tool) saves time and energy while helping make the democratic process more visible and accessible."