H-4395              _______________________________________________

                                          SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL NO. 1967

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1986 Regular Session

By House Committee on Local Government (originally sponsored by Representative McMullen)

Read first time 2/7/86 and passed to Committee on Rules.

AN ACT Relating to county fairs; adding new sections to chapter 36.37 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The legislature finds that county fairs provide unique educational opportunities to the people of this state and are a public purpose.  By helping counties acquire lands for county fairs, the legislature intends to preserve and enhance the educational opportunities of the people of this state.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 36.37 RCW to read as follows:

          If requested by a county legislative authority, the department of natural resources shall negotiate a lease for any requested portion of the state lands directly adjacent to buildings on the Northern State Hospital site that were transferred to the department under chapter 178, Laws of 1974 ex. sess., if not otherwise prohibited, to the county to use for the purpose of establishing county fairgrounds.  However, the portion to be leased shall be contiguous and compact and shall be segregated in such a manner that the remaining portion of these state lands can be efficiently managed by the department.  The lease shall be for as long as the county is actually using the land as the site of the county fairgrounds.  Notwithstanding chapter 178, Laws of 1974 ex. sess., the department  shall charge the county the sum of one thousand dollars per year for the lease of such lands and this sum may be periodically adjusted to compensate the department for any increased costs in administration of the lease.  The lease shall contain provisions directing payment of all assessments and authorizing the county to place any improvements on the leased lands if the improvements are consistent with the purposes of county fairs.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  A new section is added to chapter 36.37 RCW to read as follows:

          If requested by a county legislative authority, an agency of the state managing state-owned lands, other than state trust lands, shall consider leasing a requested portion of these lands that are not used for any significant purpose and if not otherwise prohibited, to the county to be used as county fairgrounds. If it is determined that such a lease shall be made, the agency in setting lease charges shall consider the fair market return for leasing the land, the public benefit for leasing the land to the county for county fair purposes at a level below the fair market return, and other appropriate factors.