FINAL BILL REPORT

                  SSB 5684

                           C 43 L 97

                      Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Prescribing procedures for decreasing fire protection district commissioners.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Government Operations (originally sponsored by Senators Horn, Haugen and Wood).

Senate Committee on Government Operations

House Committee on Government Administration

Background:  Unless it consists wholly of personnel employed on a full-time, fully-paid basis, a fire protection district must initially have a board of three fire commissioners.  Either by resolution of the commissioners or by a petition signed by 10 percent of the registered voters in the district who voted in the last general municipal election, a special election may be called to increase the number of commissioners from three to five.  If the proposition receives a majority approval at the election, the commission is increased to five commissioners.  A fire protection district consisting wholly of personnel employed on a full-time, fully-paid basis must have five commissioners.

There is no statutory authority allowing a five commissioner district to decrease to a three commissioner district.

Summary:  Either by resolution of the commissioners or by a petition signed by 10 percent of the registered voters who voted in the last general municipal election, a special election may be called to decrease the board of fire commissioners from five members to three members.  This procedure is not applicable to a fire protection district consisting wholly of personnel employed on a full-time, fully-paid basis.  If the fire protection district has commissioner districts, the board must pass a resolution to either redistrict from five commissioner districts to three commissioner districts or eliminate the commissioner districts, before submitting a proposition to the voters to decrease the board of fire commissioners.  If the proposition receives a majority approval at the election, the commission is decreased to three commissioners.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate 45 0

House     97 0

Effective:  July 27, 1997