SENATE BILL REPORT

                                    HB 1607

             AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS,

                                 APRIL 4, 1991

Brief Description:  Providing for liens for delinquent service charges of storm water control facilities and city‑owned sewer systems.

SPONSORS:Representatives Horn, Roland and Haugen.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT

SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS

Majority Report:  Do pass.

      Signed by Senators McCaslin, Chairman; Roach, Vice Chairman; Madsen, and Sutherland. 

Staff:  Martin Lovinger (786‑7443)

Hearing Dates:April 3, 1991; April 4, 1991

BACKGROUND:

Local governments provide a variety of utility services and have liens for delinquent charges against the property on which the charges were imposed.  Details vary on how these liens are foreclosed. 

The process for cities and towns to enforce and foreclose sewerage liens includes a limitation that a lien on delinquent sewer service charges exists for only six months without filing a notice of the lien with the county auditor. 

Statutes relating to county storm water utilities reference the enforcement and foreclosure procedures that cities and towns use to enforce and foreclose delinquent sewerage liens.

SUMMARY:

Counties operating storm water utilities may use the procedures by which property taxes are foreclosed for their liens on delinquent storm service charges instead of using the procedures by which cities and towns foreclose delinquent sewer service charges.

Cities and towns may adopt a resolution providing that their liens on delinquent sewer service charges are effective for up to one year before recording a notice of the lien with the county auditor.

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:  none

Fiscal Note:  none requested

TESTIMONY FOR:

These charges are made one time each year in much the same way as property taxes.  The bill allows local government to use the same collection procedures as would be used for collecting delinquent property taxes.

TESTIMONY AGAINST:  None

TESTIFIED:  Representative Horn, prime sponsor