ANALYSIS OF HB 1645

House Agriculture & Ecology Committee       February 10, 1997

BACKGROUND:

The Office of Financial Management (OFM) determines the population for each county.  At least once every 10 years the OFM is required to prepare a 20-year growth projection for each county that plans under the Growth Management Act (GMA).  The OFM reviews these projections with both cities and counties before adopting these projections.  Each projection is expressed in terms of a high, low, and middle range.  The middle range represents the OFM=s estimate of the most likely population for the county.  A city or county may petition the OFM to revise its projections if the city or county thinks the projections are not accurate. 

Each county that plans under the GMA is required to designate urban growth areas within which urban growth is to be encouraged.  The urban growth areas must include land areas and densities to accommodate the urban growth that will occur based upon the OFM 20-year population projections.

When the OFM develops its population projections, it considers a number of demographic factors, but does not consider whether there is adequate water supplies sufficient to sustain the population that is projected.  

SUMMARY:

Population projections prepared by the Office of Financial Management (OFM) for each county must be accompanied by a statement from the Director of the Department of Ecology that states that adequate water supplies exist or will be available to serve the projected population.