The debate is on for whether the Renton City Council should allow the Skyway annexation go to a vote in 2012.

For a council marked by general agreement, the decision to debate the topic at a regular Monday meeting will make an unusual site.

“It could be an interesting proposal debate,” said Larry Warren, Renton City Attorney, at an Aug. 2 meeting.

There are three or four different camps among the seven council members, which propose everything from not allowing the annexation to go to a vote to allowing an annexation even with a cost to Renton residents.

At best for the first two years of annexation, there’s an about $5.7 million budget gap for offering city services, such as police, on West Hill (Skyway), said Mayor Denis Law.

After years of lobbying the state and federal governments for funding, Law made one last attempt to fill the gap by going to King County, he said.

The county responded with “good faith” effort, but at the end of the day it has no money to offer, Law says.

If the city doesn’t put the annexation on the ballot it will lose eligibility for an about $2.5 million annual state tax credit for 10 years.

“This may be a once in a lifetime chance to get assistance,” said council member Randy Corman at the Aug. 2 Committee of the Whole meeting.

King County Executive Dow Constantine’s office supports putting annexation on the ballot in 2012 while the county and city continue to look for more money, said Sung Yang, director of government relations.

If Skyway votes to annex, the council can still reject the annexation.

“I don’t see anything in the crystal ball that may change the picture in the next year,” Law said about finding more money.

If the county citizens vote to accept the criminal justice sales tax in November, Renton would receive roughly $1.8 million portion of that money annually, Yang said.

That money is contingent on the new tax, not annexation, but it could cover the operating cost gap, he said.

“Our answer here is we just made some pretty big reductions to our budget that we’d like to restore,” said Marty Wine, the city’s assistant chief administrative officer.

If the tax passes and stabilizes the county’s budget, the county executive’s office also offered to share some of its cost savings from a Skyway annexation with Renton, Yang said.

It’s likely that offer won’t fill in the funding gap, Wine said.

Uncertainty weighed on the minds of the council members as they questioned whether Skyway’s economy would recover and even if the state would hold true to its $25 million promise.

Mayor Law was strongly opposed to allowing the annexation to be placed on the ballot, because the money isn’t there, he said. “We’re not pitted against each other at all that West Hill deserves a higher level of services.”

Skyway is an urban neighborhood between Seattle, Tukwila and Renton that’s known as a haven for criminals.

“That area is costing the City of Renton money, and it will only get worse as it continues to get neglected by the county,” said council member Rich Zwicker, who favored annexation even without more money.

“I’ve really anguished over this,” said council member King Parker, who agreed to annexing even at a cost to Renton. My constituents “would understand that we’re doing something for our neighbors.”

On the flip side council’s Marcie Palmer stood against the annexation altogether, she said. “I’m getting a big back lash that Renton residents should get to vote on this.”

Council’s Greg Taylor proposed putting the annexation on the ballot and working toward finding more money, he said. “I think hope is a powerful thing.”

Renton City Council will decide Monday, Aug. 9 whether to put annexation on the ballot. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at Renton City Hall.