An irrigation district that has the major portion of an inland navigable body of water within its exterior boundaries, and has filed and been granted a water right certificate from the Department of Ecology, may become an irrigation and rehabilitation district. An irrigation and rehabilitation district may be organized:
The directors of an irrigation and rehabilitation district may specially assess land located within the district for benefits received. The assessment may not exceed 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed value without voter approval at an election called for that purpose. Notice of the election must be given. The special assessment is due at times and in amounts designated by the district directors and must be provided to the county auditor in writing. The amount must be added to the general taxes.
Existing provisions for collecting assessments are removed. The directors of an irrigation and rehabilitation district must annually determine the amount of money necessary to carry on the rehabilitation efforts of the district, and must classify the property within the district in proportion to the benefits to be derived from the district's rehabilitation operations. The district must apportion and assess the lots, blocks, tracts, and parcels of land or other property, and the assessment must be collected with the county general taxes. The district budget for rehabilitation purposes must not exceed an amount equal to $1 per $1,000 of the assessed aggregate valuation of all property within the district unless authorized to exceed that amount by a proposition submitted to the electors of the district and voted on by a majority of those electors.
A district may use the assessed valuation of property as a component in determining the district assessment of any class of lots. Property designated as forestland, farm and agricultural land, or open space land must use the assessed value applicable to such land. The district must provide notice of the proposed assessments and hold an equalization hearing.
The substitute bill provides that the district budget for rehabilitation purposes must not exceed an amount equal to $1 per $1,000 of the assessed aggregate valuation of all property within the district unless authorized to exceed that amount by a proposition submitted to the electors of the district and voted on by a majority of those electors.
(In support) This is a very important bill. Moses Lake is a large shallow lake, and the Moses Lake Irrigation and Rehabilitation District (District) has been doing good things with the lake for many years. The District has made great headway in removing weeds and making the lake much cleaner. The District is the only one of its kind and this bill will only affect this District. The history is that Moses Lake has a really great Treasurer, and he noticed that the collections process seemed more like a tax than an assessment. Litigation ensued and the judge ruled in favor of the Treasurer that the collection was a tax. There will be an additional amendment that further aligns the language with mosquito control districts. The District has not collected fees during 2020, 2021, or 2022. This bill is necessary to put the District back to work and provide an income for the District to do its job. The authorization in the 1960s to allow an irrigation district to convert to an irrigation and rehabilitation district added the additional responsibility of the health and safety of residents. The bill is necessary to provide funding for those responsibilities. The District has been a critical partner in the Clean Lakes Project and has been a model for other regions. After a recent problem with algae blooms, the District studied the algae blooms and received funding to address the issue based on the studies. There is broad-based local support for this bill and it only affects the local area.
(Opposed) None.