Orcas Village will have an election of its own come November.

On the Nov. 4 election ballot, village voters will be asked whether the activity center should be annexed into the Eastsound Water and Sewer District, which for more than two decades has provided sewer service to the village under contract.

If approved, the village would become part of the district and of its official service area, and customers which currently receive service by contract would have a voice in how the public utility operates. The district is supervised by three elected commissioners.

The stage was set for the election last week by the San Juan County Council, which unanimously approved a petition for annexation initiated by customers of the district several months ago. The council determined annexation into the district offers a public benefit to the village and its residents. Whether voters agree remains to be seen.

While the bulk of its operations are centered in Eastsound, the district also operates a treatment plant in the village, where it has roughly 25 customers and 63 so-called “residential equivalents.” In comparison, the district handles treatment for 770 ERU’S in Eastsound.

In the past 20 years, demand for sewer service in the village increased almost exclusively through expansion of local businesses, according to district Operations Manager Susan Kimple, who doubles as financial guru for the public utility. In fact, Kimple said, the district has added two customers in two decades.

For district Commissioner Ed Sutton, annexation is an issue of fairness. It allows village customers to have a voice in the utility’s operations and to weigh in on proposed rate increases.

Fifty percent of the village’s 38 locally-registered voters would need to vote “Yes” for annexation to be approved.