Oak Harbor is welcoming Goldie Road with open arms.

Tuesday, Oak Harbor City Council members gave the green light to a proposed annexation brought to the city by the majority of the owners on the east side of Goldie Road.

“These are family-wage jobs, they are not minimum wage jobs,” Councilwoman Sheilah Crider said, referring to the light-industrial types of businesses that are located, or may locate, in the area.

The decision means the formal annexation process will move forward another step, though no final decisions were made.

Now the hard work will begin. City staff and property owners have to negotiate over construction of sewer service, which is a major reason the property owners are in favor of annexation. They want to build the sewer lines and receive reimbursement for costs from the city, but it’s unknown at what level.

On Jan. 31, local contractor Ron Wallin started the ball rolling by submitting a letter of intent to annex to the city signed by owners of 85 percent of the 124 acres on the east side of Goldie Road, from Technical Drive to Ault Field Road.

City leaders have long wanted to annex the largely industrial area on the north end of the city in hopes of increasing sales and property tax revenues.

Wallin said that he’s been working with property owners for a long time on making the move.

“Basically we’re agree that it’s time to work together on this,” he said.

Wallin also addressed Councilman Paul Brewer’s earlier suggestion that the annexation be expanded by including property on the west side of Goldie Road. Wallin said this is a bad idea.

“If you try to force the west side in, the east side will fall apart,” Wallin said. “They are not going to be bad neighbors and force the west side in.”

An annexation requires either the agreement of owners of a majority of acreage and the majority of registered voters living in an area, or owners representing not less than 60 percent of the assessed valuation.

Obviously, a large group of property owners who want to annex could force unwilling owners in.

Brewer apparently gave up on the idea of bringing the west side in with the annexation. He didn’t mention the issue Tuesday, but thanked Wallin for bringing the annexation forward.

Brewer has long been a vocal proponent of annexing Goldie Road.

“This has been 11 years in coming,” he said.

The council unanimously approved a motion to proceed with the annexation.