Bothell annexation voting may soon be a reality after the four-member Snohomish County Boundary Review Board voted unanimously June 27 to put the issue on the Nov. 8 general-election ballot. The board will submit its formal written decision July 13 on allowing residents to vote on whether or not they want to be annexed into Bothell.
The proposed annexation area covers 5.6 square miles of unincorporated Snohomish County territory with a population of 22,283.
Commenting that the city of Bothell has been thorough in its research and preparation of the annexation proposal and that it is well-positioned to provide needed services to the annexation area, the board agreed that, without exception, all factors, objectives and planning goals required by Washington state law had been met. As board member Dennis Kendall stated, “This is what the Growth Management Act is all about: to bring these (unincorporated) areas into our cities.”
“This annexation has been two years in the making and we are ready and prepared to deliver exemplary municipal services to citizens within the annexation area,” said City Manager Bob Stowe. “We are delighted with the Boundary Review Board’s decision and that now the citizens of the area will have their voice heard in the November election.”
The process of annexation in Snohomish County was originally initiated in 2009 by citizens who submitted more than 1,000 signatures petitioning for annexation election. The Bothell City Council has since made exploring annexation of all of Bothell’s designated potential annexation areas one of the council’s top goals. The city embarked on a two-year program that looked into potential annexation of 11 unincorporated areas within both Snohomish and King counties through five activity tracks. Depending on election results in Snohomish County and the boundary review decision in King County, the effective date for annexation is proposed for December 31, 2012.
Bothell has been recognized as a well-managed, fiscally responsible organization. This year alone, Bothell has received both the Association of Washington Cities Municipal Excellence Award and the Governor’s Smart Communities Award. Over its 102-year history, the city of Bothell has grown in size through the process of annexation from 450 acres with less than 500 people at its 1909 incorporation, to 7,735 acres today with a population of 33,505. Adding approximately 28,000 people through annexation would make Bothell the 15th largest city in the state in terms of population. Currently, it is ranked at number 32.
