SENATE BILL REPORT

                                    HB 1195

          AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE & WATER RESOURCES,

                                MARCH 21, 1991

Brief Description:  Authorizing irrigation districts to establish consolidated local improvement districts.

SPONSORS:Representatives Bray, Ferguson, Nealey, Rayburn, Haugen, Ludwig, Grant, Neher and Wynne.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT

SENATE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE & WATER RESOURCES

Majority Report:  Do pass.

      Signed by Senators Barr, Chairman; Anderson, Vice Chairman; Bailey, Conner, Gaspard, Hansen, and Newhouse. 

Staff:  Steve Nelsen (786‑7535)

Hearing Dates:March 21, 1991

BACKGROUND:

Local improvement districts (LIDs) are financing devices that many units of local government have been authorized to establish for financing the costs of public improvements.

The use of an LID involves drawing boundaries around a proposed public improvement to include property which benefits from the improvement, and imposing assessments on the benefited property to finance the improvement.  Property owners are given an opportunity to pay the assessments in one lump sum or through the redemption of LID bonds.

Irrigation districts are currently authorized to create LIDs but may not finance more than one improvement by a single consolidated LID.  Cities and towns are authorized to create consolidated LIDs, for the purpose of issuing LID bonds only, to finance public improvements that need not be adjoining, vicinal, or neighboring.

SUMMARY:

Irrigation districts are authorized to create consolidated LIDs, for the purpose of issuing LID bonds only, to finance improvements that need not be adjoining, vicinal, or neighboring.

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:  none

Fiscal Note:  none requested

TESTIMONY FOR:

Municipalities have the power to consolidate LIDs for the purpose of issuing bonds and it saves them a substantial amount of money in decreased administrative costs.

TESTIMONY AGAINST:  None

TESTIFIED:  Paul Chasco, Kennewick Irrigation District (pro)