Now property owners can breathe again. On Wednesday night, the Poulsbo City Council ended a nine-year ordeal. One that should have been laid to rest two years ago. With a unanimous vote, the council answered the lingering question — should the land dubbed the Gaines annexation become part of Poulsbo?

For those involved in the annexation, the nightmare of not knowing whether their future lies within the city limits is finally over. And it’s about time.

In 2008, the then-council paused the process to go on an educational campaign. At that point, it had been an ongoing issue for seven years. Pausing the process was the political equivalent of punting on fourth and one. When you’re that close, you go for it. But at least the city put that time to good use.

For property owners like Bud Hawkinson and Bob Bergum, both of whom were opposed to becoming part of the city, the last two years was a fact-finding mission. Now that their questions are answered, they’re much less nervous about their impending Poulsbo residency.

Truth be told, they’re probably just glad to see the discussion come to an end. We know we are.