HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1676

             As Reported By House Committee On:

               Transportation Policy & Budget

Title:  An act relating to the residency of the county road engineer.

Brief Description:  Removing residency requirements for county road engineers.

Sponsors:  Representatives O'Brien, Skinner, K. Schmidt, Fisher, Ogden and Gardner; by request of County Road Administration Board.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Transportation Policy & Budget:  2/27/97, 3/3/97 [DP].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION POLICY & BUDGET

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 24 members:  Representatives K. Schmidt, Chairman; Hankins, Vice Chairman; Mielke, Vice Chairman; Mitchell, Vice Chairman; Fisher, Ranking Minority Member; Blalock, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Cooper, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Backlund; Buck; Cairnes; Constantine; Gardner; Hatfield; Johnson; Murray; O'Brien; Ogden; Radcliff; Robertson; Scott; Skinner; Sterk; Wood and Zellinsky.

Staff:  Gary Lebow (786-7304).

Background:  The county legislative authority of each county with a population of 8,000 or more must employ a full-time county road engineer who resides in the county.  The county legislative authority of each county with a population of less than 8,000 (Ferry, Columbia, Wahkiakum, Garfield) must employ a county engineer on either a full-time or part-time basis who need not be a resident of the county, or may contract with another county for the services of a county road engineer.

Summary of Bill:  The requirement that the full-time county road engineer of each county with a population of  8,000 or more must reside in the county is eliminated.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  This gives counties the choice of whether they want the county road engineer to live within the county.  It also allows people to consider the job without having to make a decision about whether or not to uproot their family and move what may amount to a few miles into another county.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Peter Hahn, Snohomish County; and Eric Berger, County Road Administration Board.