SENATE BILL REPORT

                   SB 5684

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

             Government Operations, March 4, 1997

Title:  An act relating to prescribing procedures for decreasing fire protection district commissioners.

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

Sponsors:  Senators Horn, Haugen and Wood.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Government Operations:  2/18/97, 3/4/97 [DPS].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5684 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

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

Staff:  Eugene Green (786-7405)

Background:  Initially, unless it consists wholly of personnel employed on a full-time, fully-paid basis, a fire protection district must 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 of Substitute Bill:  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, before submission of a proposition to the voters to decrease the board of fire commissioners, the board must pass a resolution to either redistrict from five commissioner districts to three commissioner districts or eliminate the commissioner districts.  If the proposition receives a majority approval at the election, the commission is decreased to three commissioners.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  The substitute bill exempts full-time, fully-paid departments and provides a procedure to reduce in size when the district has formed commissioner districts.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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

Testimony For:  Due to incorporation and annexations, some fire protection districts have been reduced in size and should be allowed to decrease from five to three commissioners.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Roger Ferris, Washington Fire Commissioner Association (pro); Jim Rudd, WSCFF (pro).