HOUSE BILL REPORT

ESHB 1726

BYHouse Committee on Local Government (originally sponsored by Representatives Hine, Ferguson, Nelson, Brough, H. Sommers, Valle, Holland, Rust, Appelwick, Locke, Heavey, Miller, May, Lux, Brekke, Todd, O'Brien, Patrick, Wineberry, Crane, Cantwell, Anderson, Jacobsen, J. Williams, Leonard, Armstrong, P. King, Barnes, Betrozoff, Cole, Haugen, Fisher, Nutley and Unsoeld)

Revising membership on metropolitan councils.

House Committe on Local Government

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (12)

      Signed by Representatives Haugen, Chair; Cooper, Vice Chair; Beck, Bumgarner, Butterfield, Hine, Jones, Nealey, Nelson, Nutley, Rayburn and Zellinsky.

Minority Report:  Do not pass.  (1)

      Signed by Representative Ferguson.

House Staff:Steve Lundin (786-7127)

AS PASSED HOUSE FEBRUARY 10, 1988

BACKGROUND:

Metropolitan municipal corporations (metros) are units of local government that can be created to provide one or more of the following facilities and services: (1) water pollution abatement; (2) water supply; (3) public transportation; (4) garbage disposal; (5) parks and parkways; (6) comprehensive planning.  Each class of function must be authorized by the voters of the metro approving a ballot proposition authorizing the function.

Two metros have been created, the Metropolitan Municipal Corporation of Seattle and SnoMet in Snohomish County.  SnoMet is inactive.  The Metropolitan Municipal Corporation of Seattle has been authorized to engage in water pollution abatement and public transportation activities.

A metro is a federated-type of government governed by a metropolitan council.  Membership on the council is determined by a statutory scheme that includes ex-officio members a well as members who are appointed to the council.  No members of a metro council are elected directly to the council by the voters of a metro.

The metro council of the Metropolitan Municipal Corporation of Seattle consists of 38 members for its public transportation function and 40 members for its water pollution abatement function.

Compensation for members of a metro council is as follows:

(1)  Full time, elected officials receive no salary and no per diem compensation, but are reimbursed for expenses;

(2)  The chair receives a salary established by the council the amount of which is not limited by statute, and is also reimbursed for expenses;

(3)  Committee chairs receive a salary established by the council that cannot exceed one-third of the salary of the county council salary, and are also reimbursed for expenses; and

(4)  Other members do not receive a salary, but receive a per diem rate of compensation, in addition to any compensation that might be received from being a part-time official for another local government, of not to exceed $50 per day for metro work, with an annual ceiling of $4800 per year, and are also reimbursed for expenses.

SUMMARY:

The composition of a metro council is altered from a statutory scheme that could result in differing total and individual membership for different metros, all of whom are ex-officio or appointed members, to a twenty-one member body, nine of whom are elected directly to the council and twelve of whom serve on an ex-officio basis by virtue of being county, city or town elected officials.

The directly elected members are elected from county council districts if the boundaries of a metro are coterminous with the boundaries of a county that has nine county legislative authority districts, as is the case with King County.  Otherwise, the metro council divides the metro into nine districts with approximately the same population for such election purposes.

The twelve ex officio members are elected officials of the central county, central city, and other component cities within the metro.  The ex officio members are distributed among these governments in direct proportion to the populations of these governments, with the population of the unincorporated area of the metro being ascribed to the central county.  The distribution of these ex officio positions is subject to potential revision in proportion to their respective populations every five years and whenever the proportionate share of the populations of these three entities is altered by ten percent or more.

The ex officio members on the metro council for Seattle Metro includes five members from the central county, four members from the central city, and three members from the other component cities.  However, the existing metro council could alter this distribution if such action is taken on or before December 1, 1988, by a simple majority vote of the entire existing metro council.  The new metro council assumes jurisdiction over Seattle Metro on January 1, 1989.

Ex officio members from the central county consist of the county executive, if one exists, and the remainder shall be those members of the county legislative authority who are elected from districts having the greatest number of unincorporated area residents.  If such districts do not exist, the county council selects the officials.  Ex officio members of the central city include the mayor and the remainder shall be selected by the central city council.  Ex officio members from the other component cities include the mayor of the largest other component city, and the remainder shall be selected by the mayors of these other component cities.

Compensation for metro council members consists of both a salary and per diem compensation.  The salary for each council member varies with the extent of the metro's expenditures in the previous year as follows:  (1) $500 per month, if expenditures in the previous year were in excess of $15 million; (2) $350 per month, if expenditures in the previous year were from $2 million to $15 million; and (3) none in other metros, unless the council establishes a salary that cannot exceed $200 per month.  The council can reduce the salary level.  Each metro council member also receives per diem compensation of $50 for attending metro meetings or for performing other work for the metro, not to exceed $7,000 in any year.  Metro council members who are full- time elected officials for another local government receive the salary but do not receive per diem compensation, with the other local government for which such a council member is an elected official receiving his or her per diem compensation.  All metro council members are reimbursed for expenses.

The chair of the metro council is chosen by the council from among its directly elected members.

Fiscal Note:      Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Lois North, member, King County Council; Charles Royer, Mayor of Seattle;  Debra Ertel and Rick Sturgeon, Federal Way Community Council; Phyllis Lamphere, King County 2,000; Sunny Speidel, citizen; Richard Morrill, Department of Geography, Univ. of Washington; Jeannette Williams, member, Seattle City Council; and Steven Benn, Transit Alliance.

House Committee - Testified Against:      Bruce Laing, King County Council/Metro Council; Nan Campbell, Mayor of Bellevue; and Doreen Marchione, Mayor of Redmond.

House Committee - Testimony For:    This provides better representation.  Some directly elected people are authorized to be on the council, but some federated people remain.  The size of the council is reduced.  Many people are asking for change.  This conforms with the King County 2,000 study.  Metro was asked to study this issue last year and report back, but nothing was done.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      What is the rush?  If it is not broken don't fix it.  Sewer districts should be represented.  Let Metro study the issue and come back next year.  Hold more hearings in the area.