AN ACT Relating to removing areas from a regional transit authority; adding a new section to chapter 81.112 RCW; and providing an effective date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 81.112 RCW to read as follows:

(1) The county legislative authority of every member county in a regional transit authority may, as often as it deems necessary and upon thirty days prior written notice addressed to the legislative body of each city and county within the regional transit authority and with thirty days public notice, convene a regional transit authority improvement conference to be attended by an elected representative selected by the legislative body of each city, within each such county, and by each county legislative authority. The conference must be for the purpose of evaluating the need for and the desirability of the regional transit authority in its then current configuration. In addition, conferences may be convened by resolution of the legislative bodies of two or more cities within the regional transit authority, not to exceed one in any twelve-month period, or a petition signed by at least ten percent of the registered voters in the last general election within the regional transit authority. The chair of the conference must be elected from the members at large.

(2)(a) Any conference that finds it desirable to change the boundaries of any existing regional transit authority must fix a date for a public hearing thereon. The legislative bodies of any two or more component cities or a county legislative body by resolution may require the regional transit authority improvement conference to fix a date for a public hearing thereon.

(b) Prior to the convening of the public hearing, a county governing body must delineate the area of the county proposed to be excluded from the regional transit authority, and must furnish a copy of the delineation to each incorporated city and county within the regional transit authority. Each city must advise its county governing body, on a preliminary basis, of its desire to be excluded from the regional transit authority by means of an ordinance adopted by the legislative body of that city. The county governing body must cause the delineations to be revised to reflect the wishes of the incorporated cities. This delineation must be considered by the conference at the public hearing for exclusion from the regional transit authority.

(c) Notice of the hearing must be published once a week for at least four consecutive weeks in one or more newspapers of general circulation within the area. The notice must contain a description and map of the boundaries of the proposed exclusion from the regional transit authority and must state the time and place of the hearing and the fact that any changes in the boundaries of the regional transit authority will be considered at such time and place. At the hearing or any continuation thereof, any interested person may appear and be heard on all matters relating to the effect of the exclusion from the regional transit authority.

(d) The conference may make changes in the boundaries of the regional transit authority as they deem reasonable and proper, but may not exclude any portion of the regional transit authority that will create an island of included or excluded lands, and may not exclude a portion of any city. If the conference determines that any additional territory should be excluded from the regional transit authority, a second hearing will be held and notice given in the same manner as for the original hearing. The conference may adjourn the hearing on the exclusion of land from the regional transit authority from time to time not exceeding thirty days in all.

(e) Following the conclusion of the hearing, the conference must adopt a resolution fixing the new boundaries of the regional transit authority, declaring that the new boundaries of the regional transit authority will be conducive to the welfare and benefit of the persons and property therein.

(f) Within thirty days of the adoption of the conference resolution, the county legislative authority of each county wherein the conference has established proposed new boundaries of a regional transit authority may by resolution, upon making a legislative finding that the new boundaries of the regional transit authority excludes portions of the county that could be reasonably expected to benefit from inclusion in the regional transit authority, disapprove the new boundaries of the regional transit authority.

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