Sunset Valley City Council unanimously voted at their June 18 meeting to cease actively considering the annexation of the Stearns Lane extraterritorial jurisdiction. The potential annexation has been removed from the council’s official list of priorities.

Discussion of the annexation of Stearns Lane ETJ began in September 2018, when residents of the 13-acre Stearns Lane plot first presented petitions for annexation to the city. According to the city’s agenda documents, these petitions came after an August Planning and Environmental Committee discussion about releasing the Stearns Lane area from the city’s ETJ.

The council’s most recent vote affirms the retention of Stearns Lane in the city’s ETJ, as well as continued water service to the area by the city of Austin for the time being.

“Our focus is on negotiations with the city [of Austin]. We are focused on maintaining our existing relationship of keeping Stearns in the ETJ,” said Councilmember Melissa Gonzales.

Austin currently provides Sunset Valley with water and wastewater service per the terms of a 30-year contract signed in 2007. However, the original conditions of the contract stipulated that Sunset Valley would provide utility services to its ETJ by 2022. Current negotiations with the city of Austin could push the deadline to extend utility services with Stearns Lane and the total ETJ back to 2037.

Should the pursued amendment with the city of Austin be approved, Sunset Valley city staff indicated they would push financial consideration of extending utility service to Stearns Lane ETJ until 2035.