The city of Bothell last week sponsored the first of several planned open houses on its efforts to annex unincorporated areas in Snohomish and King counties.

Bothell Mayor Mark Lamb said by his observation there doesn’t seem to be uniform support or opposition to annexation attempts by the city. He added a contention that Bothell is taking an entirely different approach from the failed effort last year.

“I think last year we were responding to citizen initiative,” Lamb said. “It wasn’t a city of Bothell effort.”

Last year, as many know, the city’s efforts were scuttled primarily by objections from Snohomish County fire districts 1 and 7. Officials from both successfully argued Bothell simply was not ready to take over fire service in the 5.6 square miles of the potential Snohomish County annexation areas, or MUGA (also known as the NEWBA).

Bothell also is looking to take over much smaller and more isolated unincorporated areas in King County (PAAs), several of which, while not part of the city and not receiving most city services, are completely surrounded by the city.

During a recent preview of the city’s annexation efforts, Bothell Community Development Director Bill Wiselogle spent plenty of time talking about the more technical aspects of the city’s annexation study. But he also spent time addressing human issues.

For one thing, in Wiselogle’s opinion, annexation is largely about local services, which he argues would increase greatly in both the MUGA and the PAAs should the city take over.

For example, according to Wiselogle, those small, isolated PAAs surrounded by Bothell, still receive safety services from King County. If you call 911 from one of those areas, the call goes to the county sheriff. Wiselogle believes service would be quicker and much more efficient if it came directly from Bothell.

Incidentally, how exactly did those small swathes, or islands, of unincorporated King County get set aside as Bothell expanded? Wiselogle said as the city grew in the 1930s and 1940s, officials apparently encountered small pockets of opposition here and there. For whatever reason, Bothell made the decision to leave those opposition areas alone and they remain outside the city today.

How many people are involved in the potential annexation areas?

In the MUGA, the population is roughly 22,000. The PAAs contain another 5,000. The city’s current population is about 33,000, meaning completion of annexations as contemplated would almost double the number of Bothell residents.

While Wiselogle argued service quality would increase for those in the annexations areas, he also said overall local taxes would drop. Annexed populations would begin to pay city taxes, but would not have to pay fire district fees or county road fees. Wiselogle said different people in different areas pay different amounts, but according to the city’s calculations in every scenario, the city’s taxes are less than the combination of county and fire-district fees.

Again according to Wiselogle, that difference can equal, for example, anywhere from $300 to $600 a year.

In addition to what he described as better services, Wiselogle further argued annexation would lead to more accountability in local government for those in both the MUGA and the PAAs. He said Bothell City Council simply is going to be closer to any situation than either the King or Snohomish county councils.

The city Planning Commission has begun taking up zoning and planning issues related to the annexations and will make recommendations to City Council on those issues. In the meantime, Wiselogle said one major step clearly needed by the city is a financial study of annexation areas. He said Bothell officials obviously need to understand the potential revenues and expenditures connected with bringing 27,000 people into the Bothell fold.

As indicated in the past, local officials are also initiating talks with county staffers in both King and Snohomish, as well as with the affected fire districts in both those counties.

Both Wiselogle and Lamb have indicated they anticipate the city’s study of its potential annexations to take at least the remainder of 2010. Wiselogle said formal annexation proceedings or public votes — if they occur — won’t happen until 2011. Basically, staffers and the Planning Commission will complete their work this year, make their reports to council early next year, at which time legislators can move forward or drop the idea all together.

For more information, including a full schedule of upcoming public annexation meetings, visit the city’s site.