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HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 23
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Passed Legislature - 1985 Reg.
State of Washington 49th Legislature 1985 Regular Session
By Representative Tanner
Read first time 2/8/85 and referred to Committee on Local Government. Referred to Committee on Trade & Economic Development 2/13/85.
BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON, IN LEGISLATIVE SESSION ASSEMBLED:
THAT, At the next general election to be held in this state there shall be submitted to the qualified voters of the state for their approval and ratification, or rejection, an amendment to Article VII of the state Constitution by adding a new section to read as follows:
Article VII, section ..... Notwithstanding any provision of this Constitution, the legislature may by general law for the purpose of permitting special financing of public improvements authorize the legislative authority of any county, city, or town to create boundaries, within its jurisdiction, after such legislative authority conducts a public hearing, containing only that real property which the legislative authority determines will be increased in true and fair value by reason of specified public improvements within those boundaries. The legislature may further provide that all or a portion of the property taxes levied within those boundaries against increases in the true and fair value of such real property may be used to pay for the specified public improvements or to pay public obligations incurred to fund the specified public improvements. Any such public obligations payable solely from revenues from these public improvements, including such property taxes levied against the increases in real property value and other available nontax money shall not be the general obligation of or guaranteed by all or any part of the full faith and credit of the sponsor or any other state or local government, or any tax revenues other than tax allocation revenues, and shall not be considered a debt of the sponsor or other state or local government for general indebtedness limitation purposes.
For purposes of this section, "property taxes" means:
(1) Property taxes subject to the aggregate limitation on tax levies by the state and all taxing districts in section 2 of this Article; and
(2) Property taxes levied by port districts and public utility districts, except for property taxes levied specifically for the purpose of making required payments of principal and interest on general indebtedness.
For purposes of this section, "public improvements" means capital projects that benefit the public at large and do not discriminate against any citizen on the basis of race, national origin, color, sex, age, economic status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical handicap.
Nothing in this section authorizes the provision of public improvements which counties, cities, and towns may not otherwise provide.
Nothing in this section authorizes a county, city, or town to exercise powers of eminent domain contrary to the provisions of Article I, section 16.
Nothing in this section authorizes a county, city, or town to pledge all or part of its full faith and credit without complying with the laws relating to the incurring of general indebtedness, including Article VIII, section 1 and Article VIII, section 6, or to aggregate tax levies in excess of the limitation on levies in section 2 of this Article.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the secretary of state shall cause notice of the foregoing constitutional amendment to be published at least four times during the four weeks next preceding the election in every legal newspaper in the state.