FINAL BILL REPORT

                     ESHB 2305

                            Synopsis as Enacted

                                 C 74 L 92

Brief Description:  Creating fire commissioner districts within merged fire protection districts.

By House Committee on Local Government (originally sponsored by Representatives Haugen, Ferguson, Dorn, Horn, Bray and Rasmussen).

House Committee on Local Government

Senate Committee on Governmental Operations

Background:  A fire protection district is governed by a board of commissioners consisting of either three or five members.  The commissioners are elected to staggered six-year terms of office on an at-large basis.

The laws for some other special districts permit or require the use of commissioner districts.  Some special districts, including fire protection districts, are not allowed to create commissioner districts.   Some special districts, such as sewer districts or water districts, may use commissioner districts.  Other special districts, such as public utility districts and most port districts, must use commissioner districts.

The purpose of commissioner districts varies among different special districts.  Many of the statutes are vague as to the specific purpose of commissioner districts. 

Summary:  A fire protection district may create commissioner districts if voters of the district approve a ballot proposition authorizing commissioner districts and the resolution submitting the ballot proposition to the voters is adopted by a unanimous vote of the fire commissioners.

If authorized, the fire commissioners divide the fire protection district into either three or five commissioner districts each with approximately equal population.  A candidate for commissioner, and a commissioner, must reside in the commissioner district.  Voters must reside in a commissioner district to vote at a primary to nominate candidates from the commissioner district.  However, voters throughout the entire fire protection district may vote at a general election to elect a commissioner from a commissioner district.

Provision is made for the option of eventually using commissioner districts in a fire protection district that results from the merging of two or more fire protection districts.

Whenever two or more fire protection districts merge, the resulting district may chose to be identified by the number associated with any of the districts that merged.

Votes on Final Passage:

House 94    0

Senate   40    0

Effective:     June 11, 1992