The City Council, rightly so, agonized Monday night over whether to move forward with letting West Hill vote on annexing to Renton.

For four years, annexation has not been a slam-dunk financially and the recession has dulled the pencils of those trying to figure out how to make it work.

But the city has time to make West Hill work, based on the word “shall.” State law doesn’t set a deadline to make an annexation effective, but it shall happen someday.

So that gives the city time to sharpen its pencils, preserve what revenue sources it has locked up now, including an important sales-tax credit, and hope that the recession’s bite eases.

All that is a tall order. The council’s 4-3 vote Monday night was, as council President Rich Zwicker described it, a leap of faith.

Renton has an obligation to let West Hill decide its future; it’s one of the city’s potential annexation areas. It is, as council member Greg Taylor said, “indigenous” to the city. And West Hill residents spend money (including sales tax) in Renton without getting any service benefit in return.

But the City Council also has an obligation to its constituents today to not do anything without great thought that might diminish their services. Three council members, Don Persson, Randy Corman and Marcie Palmer, wanted to give this more thought.

It’s one of those issues voters should remember at election time.

We’ve long spoken out about first letting West Hill vote on annexation and then moving forward with the process to make that work financially and operationally.

Now that sounds more practical, with it clear the city isn’t under a deadline to make annexation effective.

We would encourage West Hill to approve annexation, which seems a very strong likelihood. And we would also suggest that the vote is just the first step. These are not flush times for government. If they were, West Hill would not need millions of dollars in public improvements.

It’s asking too much of Renton residents to pick up that tab. So be patient, West Hill, as you have been for four years. It’s obvious through the efforts of such groups as Skyway Solutions and the West Hill Business Association that West Hill is already tending to its neighborhoods and its public spaces. That’s going to have to continue if annexation is to succeed.