Appeal rejected, voting time is near.

On Sept. 7, attorneys dismissed an appeal from unincorporated Snohomish County resident Jeff Berg to try and block Bothell’s annexation plans.

Voters will have their say in the Nov. 8 general election on whether the NEWBA (North, East and West Bothell Annexation) area — which consists of 5.6 square miles of unincorporated Snohomish County territory with a population of 22,283 — will become part of Bothell.

“I’m glad that the people in that area will have the chance to decide their own destiny,” said Bothell Mayor Mark Lamb.

Berg filed his appeal Aug. 12 in Snohomish County Superior Court — on the final day of the 30-day appeal period — that challenged the Boundary Review Board’s unanimous decision that Bothell’s annexation proposal met all factors, objectives and planning goals required by Washington State law. The June 27 decision — followed by the board’s final written decision July 13 — cleared the way for citizens to vote in November.

In one part of Berg’s appeal, according to court documents, he noted that the proposed annexation area’s boundary line dissects neighborhood institutions and communities, including the Lockwood Elementary School boundary in the Northshore School District and the Country Club Senior Mobile Home Park.

Later, the appeal notes that the area severs a wetland area of Blueberry Creek near Country Club Senior Mobile Home Park.

At the time he filed the appeal, Berg wasn’t available for comment.

Lamb and Bothell Community Development Director Bill Wiselogle noted that the city’s attorney filed a motion to dismiss because Berg didn’t participate in any of the Boundary Review Board’s annexation deliberations.

Wiselogle added that city leaders felt confident that Bothell would prevail in getting a dismissal or if it had to go to trial.

“We knew it was a good annexation and we made a strong case for it. We felt we had been very, very deliberate throughout the annexation procedure. We had crossed all our T’s and dotted all our I’s,” said Wiselogle, noting that Bothell worked with the nearby city of Brier and fire districts 1 and 10 in establishing the appropriate boundaries that Berg disagreed upon.

Attorneys for Bothell, the Boundary Review Board and Berg all agreed to dismiss the appeal.

The city of Bothell has scheduled informational open houses on the following Wednesday evenings:

Sept. 14, 6-8 p.m., at Northlake Christian Church, 19029 North Road

Sept. 21, 6-8 p.m., at Park Ridge Community Church, 3805 Maltby Road

Oct. 5, 6-8 p.m., at Northlake Christian Church

Oct. 19, 6-8 p.m., at Lockwood Elementary School, 24118 Lockwood Road

Nov. 2, 6-8 p.m., at Northlake Christian Church

According to a city press release, the election culminates a multi-year process to explore the feasibility of, and public support for, annexation to Bothell. This process started with a citizen petition to annex and has included public outreach, planning and zoning, fiscal analysis and negotiation of service transition agreements with Snohomish County and Fire Districts 1, 7 and 10. The Snohomish County Boundary Review Board examined the proposed annexation and found it to meet all requirements under state law.