HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 SSB 5518

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                      Local Government

Title:  An act relating to community outdoor athletic facilities.

Brief Description:  Establishing a youth athletic facility account to help fund community outdoor athletic facilities.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Parks & Recreation (originally sponsored by Senators Jacobsen, Eide, Goings and Winsley).

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Local Government:  2/21/00, 2/24/00 [DPA].

           Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

            (As Amended by House Committee)

CAuthorizes no or low-interest loans (current authority is for grants) from the youth athletic facilities account for construction of community outdoor athletic facilities.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended.  Signed by 8 members:  Representatives Mulliken, Republican Co-Chair; Scott, Democratic Co-Chair; Doumit, Democratic Vice Chair; Mielke, Republican Vice Chair; Edwards; Ericksen; Fisher and Fortunato.

Staff:  Scott MacColl (786-7106).

Background:

Revenues from Referendum 48 authorized financing go into the youth athletic facilities grant account, to be used primarily for youth athletic facilities, both indoor and outdoor.  Expenditures from the account must be used for grants to cities, counties, and qualified non-profit organizations for acquiring, developing, equipping, maintaining, and improving youth or community athletic facilities.  Projects are funded based on criteria developed by the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation, to the extend that funds are available.

The Community Outdoor Athletic Fields Advisory Council was created in 1998 to advise and give community input on the grant program to the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation.

Summary of Amended Bill:

The Community Outdoor Athletic Fields Advisory Council is authorized to coordinate with the Washington State Interagency for Outdoor Recreation in developing terms and conditions of no or low-interest loans for youth athletic facilities.

Language is clarified to specifically designate the money for community outdoor athletic facilities, from designation as youth and community athletic facilities.

Amended Bill Compared to Substitute Bill:  Removes the requirement that cities that zone existing athletic fields for alternate uses replace those fields with twice the amount of space for athletic fields.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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

Testimony For:  None.

Testimony Against:  (Concerns) Section 3, what are the costs to local governments?  Whose land would it really affect?  The recommendation is to remove section 3 from the bill, and then the bill would be fine.  Interagency for Outdoor Recreation (IAC) does good work.   However IAC feels that section 3 is not necessary.

Testified:  (Concerns) Mike Ryherd, American Planning Association; Dave Williams, Association of Washington Cities; Shane Hope, Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development;  and Bill Clarke, Washington Association of Realtors.