S-2020.2  _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5684

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State of Washington      55th Legislature     1997 Regular Session

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

Read first time 03/05/97.

Prescribing procedures for decreasing fire protection district commissioners.

    AN ACT Relating to prescribing procedures for decreasing fire protection district commissioners; and adding a new section to chapter 52.14 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 52.14 RCW to read as follows:

    Except as provided in RCW 52.14.020, in the event a five-member board of commissioners of any fire protection district determines by resolution that it would be in the best interest of the fire district to decrease the number of commissioners from five to three, or in the event the board is presented with a petition signed by ten percent of the registered voters resident within the district who voted in the last general municipal election calling for such a decrease in the number of commissioners of the district, the board shall submit a resolution to the county legislative authority or authorities of the county or counties in which the district is located requesting that an election be held.  Upon receipt of the resolution, the legislative authority or authorities of the county or counties shall call a special election to be held within the fire protection district at which election the following proposition shall be submitted to the voters substantially as follows:

    Shall the board of commissioners of . . . . . . county fire protection district no. . . . be decreased from five members to three members?

                         Yes . . .

                         No . . .

    If the fire protection district has commissioner districts, the commissioners of the district must pass a resolution, before the submission of the proposition to the voters, to either redistrict from five commissioner districts to three commissioner districts or eliminate the commissioner districts.  The resolution takes effect upon approval of the proposition by the voters.

    If the fire protection district is located in more than a single county, this proposition shall indicate the name of the district.

    If the proposition receives a majority approval at the election, the board of commissioners of the fire protection district shall be decreased to three members.  The two members shall be decreased in accordance with RCW 52.06.085.

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