SENATE BILL REPORT

                           EHB 1695

                     AS OF MARCH 30, 1993

Brief Description:  Changing provisions relating to port districts.

SPONSORS: Representatives G. Fisher, Heavey, Valle, Patterson and H. Myers

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT

SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

Staff:  Rod McAulay (786‑7754)

Hearing Dates: April 1, 1993

BACKGROUND:

Port districts are governed by a board of three or five elected port commissioners.  Port districts with a population of less than 500,000, are divided into three commissioner districts.  In such port districts, each commissioner must reside in and be nominated from one of the commissioner districts, but all commissioners are elected at-large.

The voters of a port district may petition for an election to increase the commission from three to five commissioners.  If a port district which is divided into three commissioner districts expands to five commissioners, the two additional commissioners are nominated and elected at-large and no new commissioner districts are created.

In less-than-county-wide port districts, there is no authority or procedure to eliminate commissioner districts.

When creating a less-than-county-wide port district with an assessed valuation of at least $75 million in a county bordering on salt water, commissioner districts are not used in the initial election.

When creating a county-wide port district there is no provision for establishing the boundaries of commissioner districts prior to the election of the first commission.

When a port district attains a population of 500,000, the question of enlarging the commission from three to five members is automatically submitted to the voters.

SUMMARY:

Every county-wide port district that has a population of less than 500,000 or more than one million shall be divided into three or five commissioner districts.  In county-wide port districts with a population over one million, the commissioners are elected by the voters of their respective commissioner district.

In a less than county-wide port district, the commissioners by adoption of a resolution or a majority of the voters may abolish the division of the district into commissioner districts.  The issue is placed on the ballot on the petition of 10 percent of the voters.

When creating a county-wide port district, the commissioner districts are described in the petition or resolution calling for the formation of the port district.

When creating a less-than-county-wide port district with an assessed valuation of at least $75 million in a county bordering on salt water, the petition initiating the creation of the district may describe commissioner districts, in which event, the initial commissioners shall be elected by district.

A ballot measure to increase a port district commission from three to five members may be initiated by a resolution of the commission.  When a port district increases from three to five members, the incumbent commissioners shall divide the district into five commissioner districts and the new members shall be elected to the two commissioner districts in which no current member resides.

A section of the port district laws which was both amended and repealed in the same bill enacted by the Legislature in 1992 is reenacted as amended.

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:  none

Fiscal Note:  none requested