Skyway/West Hill residents will get their chance in early 2012 to decide whether they want to annex to Renton.

The 5-2 decision to place the annexation on the ballot Monday night didn’t come easily for the Renton City Council, which has debated the issue in its last three meetings.

Mayor Denis Law opposed placing the annexation on the ballot because the city faces a $6 million shortfall in the first year after annexation to provide services to Skyway.

Two council members, Marcie Palmer and council president Don Persson, joined Law in arguing that the budget deficit would mean cuts in services to current Renton residents.

But five council members, while acknowledging the funding gap, wanted to continue the annexation process.

“I think we owe them the opportunity to vote,” said council member Terri Briere.

Briere was joined by council members Rich Zwicker, Greg Taylor, Randy Corman and King Parker in voting to place annexation on the ballot.

Their approval came with the understanding that Renton, King County and Skyway residents would continue to work together to find additional revenue and lower expenses to close that gap.

The gap includes $1.7 million a year to cover basic services in Skyway.

If the council had opted to stop the annexation process now, the city would have lost about $25 million, a credit against the state sales tax, over 10 years. The money is critical to providing services in Skyway.

The annexation process began in late 2008 when a petition with the signatures of 10 percent of Skyway’s registered voters was submitted to the City of Renton.

In June the Washington state Boundary Review Board for King County held a hearing on the annexation. In July it voted to approved the annexation, based on a set of state-mandated criteria.