HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1760

             As Reported By House Committee on:

                      Local Government

Title:  An act relating to community councils in cities and towns.

Brief Description:  Providing a procedure for consolidating cities or towns.

Sponsor(s):  Representatives Van Luven, Haugen, Edmondson, Nelson, Wynne, Nealey, Zellinsky and Franklin.

Brief History:

  Reported by House Committee on:

Local Government, March 6, 1991, DP.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Majority Report: Do pass.  Signed by 15 members:  Representatives Haugen, Chair; Cooper, Vice Chair; Ferguson, Ranking Minority Member; Mitchell, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Bray; Edmondson; Franklin; Horn; Nealey; Nelson; Rayburn; Roland; Wood; Wynne; and Zellinsky.

Staff:  Steve Lundin (786-7127).

Background:  Cities and towns may permit a community municipal corporation to be created in an area that annexes to the city or town if, either the petition election or resolution election method of annexation is used to authorize the annexation, and the voters residing in the area that is proposed to be annexed approve a ballot proposition authorizing the community municipal corporation.  A community municipal corporation exists for five years, but may be continued for successive five-year periods, if authorized by the voters of the community municipal corporation.

A community municipal corporation has an elected five-member community council that, within 60 days of adoption, may disapprove the following actions taken by the city or town council relating to the community municipal corporation:

oA comprehensive plan;

oA zoning ordinance;

oA conditional use permit, special exception or variance;

oA subdivision ordinance;

oA subdivision plat; and

oA planned unit development.

Community municipal corporations have been created in Bellevue, Kirkland, and Des Moines, each of which are code cities.

Summary of Bill:  It is clarified that community municipal corporations may be formed in code cities or whenever two or more cities or towns consolidate.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  This is a technical bill clarifying that the existing community councils in code cities are legal.

Testimony Against:  None.

Witnesses:  Chuck Mize, City of Bellevue; and Representative Steve Van Luven, Prime Sponsor.