HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 SSB 5679

 

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                      Local Government

 

Title:  An act relating to grant and loan requirements.

 

Brief Description:  Changing grant and loan eligibility requirements for counties, cities, and towns planning under the growth management act.

 

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on State & Local Government (originally sponsored by Senators Morton, T. Sheldon, McCaslin and Hochstatter).

 

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Local Government:  4/1/99 [DPA].

 

           Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

            (As Amended by House Committee)

 

$Changes existing preference standard for state public facility grants and loans from county-wide planning policy participation to comprehensive plan and development regulations adoption.

 

$Applies preference only to competing requests from Growth Management Act jurisdictions.

 

 

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT

 

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended.  Signed by 6 members:  Representatives Mulliken, Republican Co-Chair; Doumit, Democratic Vice Chair; Mielke, Republican Vice Chair; Ericksen; Fisher and Fortunato.

 

Staff:  Caroleen Dineen (786-7156).

 

Background: 

 

The Growth Management Act (GMA) establishes certain requirements for all counties and imposes additional requirements for counties, and the cities in those counties, that are required or choose to plan under RCW 36.70A.040 (GMA jurisdictions).  The basic GMA planning requirements for GMA jurisdictions are:

 

$adoption of a county-wide planning policy, a framework from which comprehensive plans are developed which must address, among other items, the siting of public capital facilities of a county-wide or statewide nature;

$designation of urban growth areas;

$adoption of a comprehensive plan to include land use, housing, transportation, rural, utilities and capital facilities plan elements; and

$adoption of development regulations implementing the comprehensive plan.

 

Generally, a GMA jurisdiction is required to adopt a comprehensive plan and implementing development regulations consistent with GMA requirements within four years of the date the GMA jurisdiction became required or chose to plan under the GMA. 

 

A state agency considering awarding grants or loans to a county or city for financing public facilities must consider whether the county or city is a party to a county-wide planning policy under the GMA relating to the type of public facilities for which the grant or loan is sought.  The agency must give additional preference to the county or city if such a county-wide planning policy exists. When a state agency considers grants or loans to a special district for public facilities, it must also consider whether the county or city in whose planning jurisdiction the special district is located is a party to a county-wide planning policy under the GMA relating to the public facilities for which the grant or loan is sought.

 

Except when funding from the Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB), Centennial Clean Water Fund (CCWF) and Public Works Board (PWB) is necessary to address a public health need or substantial environmental degradation, a GMA jurisdiction is required to adopt a comprehensive plan and development regulations in conformance with the GMA after these are required to be adopted.

 

 

Summary of Amended Bill: 

 

The preference for state public facilities grants and loans based on participation in a county-wide planning policy is changed.  A state agency considering a request from a GMA jurisdiction must consider whether the GMA jurisdiction has adopted a comprehensive plan and implementing development regulations as required by the GMA.

 

State agencies considering competing requests from GMA jurisdictions must accord additional preference to the GMA jurisdiction(s) that have adopted a comprehensive plan and development regulations as required by RCW 36.70A.040.  For purposes of this section, a GMA jurisdiction is deemed to have satisfied these requirements if the GMA jurisdiction:

 

$adopted a comprehensive plan and development regulations within statutory time periods;


$did not meet statutory time periods but adopts a comprehensive plan and development regulations before submitting the grant or loan request; or

$demonstrates substantial progress toward adopting a comprehensive plan and development regulations within statutory time periods.

 

The preference provisions do not apply to requests from counties or cities not planning under RCW 36.70A.040 (non-GMA jurisdictions).  Requests for public facilities grants and loans from special districts  are treated in the same manner as requests from the jurisdictions in which they are located. 

 

Changes in the preference provisions do not apply to any existing rights, actions, obligations or proceedings.

 

Amended Bill Compared to Substitute Bill:  The amended bill changes the existing statutory preference rather than the existing requirements in CERB, PWB, and CCWF statutes.  The amended bill establishes a preference relating to competing grants from GMA jurisdictions that have adopted comprehensive plans and development regulations within statutory time periods as required by RCW 36.70A.040.  The amended bill also specifies the preference does not apply to requests from non-GMA jurisdictions. 

 

 

Appropriation:  None.

 

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

 

Effective Date of Amended Bill:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

 

Testimony For:  This is a much needed bill which allows counties to start the loan and grant process before completing their GMA processes.  This bill does not eliminate any requirements; it just speeds up the process. This bill and its companion bill go a long way to support communities that have invested their political capital and financial resources in adopting comprehensive plans and development regulations.

 

Testimony Against:  None.

 

Testified:  Senator Morton, prime sponsor; Jim Potts, Rural Counties; and Rich Thorster, 1000 Friends of Washington.