SENATE BILL REPORT

                   SB 5336

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

             Government Operations, March 4, 1997

Title:  An act relating to clarifying and harmonizing provisions affecting cities and towns.

Brief Description:  Clarifying and harmonizing provisions affecting cities and towns.

Sponsors:  Senators Horn and Haugen.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Government Operations:  2/14/97, 3/4/97 [DPS].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5336 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

  Signed by Senators McCaslin, Chair; Hale, Vice Chair; Anderson, Haugen, Horn and Patterson.

Staff:  Kathleen Healy (786-7403)

Background:  Several provisions in statutes affecting cities and towns require clarification.

Summary of Substitute Bill:  Municipalities may contract with licensed collection agencies to collect public debts.  The term "debt" is clarified to include fees, penalties, reasonable costs, and assessments, as well as fines and other debts.

Specific municipalities are prohibited from incurring a total indebtedness on a contract in excess of certain value of the taxable property in the municipality.  If the contract is in excess of that amount, a proposition must be submitted to the voters as to whether the contract should be entered into by the municipality.

The cost of an insurance policy to a public agency is not considered as additional compensation to various elected officials.  Added to the list of officials are those elected under statutes pertaining to first and second class cities, towns, noncharter code cities and code cities with a mayor-council plan, and code cities with a council-manager plan.

In a town, all appointive officers and employees hold office at the pleasure of the town mayor, and subject to any relevant civil service law or regulation.

The council of a city or town may call an election on the proposition of disincorporation without regard to population limits.

Clarification is made about the appropriate statutes dealing with civil infractions committed by persons carrying a pistol without a concealed pistol license.

When a city with a population of under 2,500 is reclassifying as an optional municipal code city, it may choose to maintain a seven-member council.

A person must be a resident and registered voter in a second class city before he or she may hold an elective office in that city.

Technical changes are made.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  Correction is made to the amount of indebtedness specific municipalities may incur.  The term Aelector@ is changed to Aregistered voter,@ so that a person must be a resident and registered voter of a second class city to be eligible for office there.  Costs collected by a collection agency for a municipality must be reasonable.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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

Testimony For:  This bill clarifies archaic and ambiguous provisions in statutes affecting cities and towns.  Technical inconsistencies are eliminated.  This is a good little bill.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Jim Justin, AWC (pro).