S-1823.1 _______________________________________________
SENATE BILL 5913
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State of Washington 53rd Legislature 1993 Regular Session
By Senator Sellar
Read first time 02/24/93. Referred to Committee on Government Operations.
AN ACT Relating to annexation procedures for public hospital districts; and amending RCW 70.44.200.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. RCW 70.44.200 and 1979 ex.s. c 143 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) A public hospital district may annex territory outside the existing boundaries of such district and contiguous thereto, whether the territory lies in one or more counties, in accordance with this section.
(2) A petition for annexation of territory contiguous to a public hospital district may be filed with the commission of the district to which annexation is proposed. The petition must be signed by the owners, as prescribed by RCW 35A.01.040(9) (a) through (e), of not less than sixty percent of the area of land within the territory proposed to be annexed. Such petition shall describe the boundaries of the territory proposed to be annexed and shall be accompanied by a map which outlines the boundaries of such territory.
(3) Whenever such a petition for annexation is filed with the commission of a public hospital district, the commission may entertain the same, fix a date for public hearing thereon, and cause notice of the hearing to be published once a week for at least two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation within the territory proposed to be annexed. The notice shall also be posted in three public places within the territory proposed to be annexed, shall contain a description of the boundaries of such territory, and shall specify the time and place of hearing and invite interested persons to appear and voice approval or disapproval of the annexation.
(4) Following the hearing, if the commission of the district determines to accomplish the annexation, it shall do so by resolution. The resolution may annex all or any portion of the proposed territory but may not include in the annexation any property not described in the petition. Upon passage of the annexation resolution, the territory annexed shall become part of the district and a certified copy of such resolution shall be filed with the legislative authority of the county or counties in which the annexed property is located.
(5) If the petition for annexation and the annexation resolution so provide, as the commission may require, and such petition has been signed by the owners of all the land within the boundaries of the territory being annexed, the annexed property shall assume and be assessed and taxed to pay for all or any portion of the outstanding indebtedness of the district to which it is annexed at the same rates as other property within such district. Unless so provided in the petition and resolution, property within the boundaries of the territory annexed shall not be assessed or taxed to pay for all or any portion of the indebtedness of the district to which it is annexed that was contracted prior to or which existed at the date of annexation. In no event shall any such annexed property be released from any assessments or taxes previously levied against it or from its existing liability for the payment of outstanding bonds or warrants issued prior to such annexation.
(6) The annexation procedure provided for in
RCW 70.44.200 shall be an alternative method applicable only when ((at))
the ((time a)) petition ((is)) filed pursuant to ((RCW
70.44.200 there are no)) subsection (2) of this section is signed by a
majority of the qualified electors residing in the territory to be annexed at
the time the petition is filed.
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