BILL REQ. #:  S-0518.1 

Read first time 01/13/2003.   Referred to Committee on Parks, Fish & Wildlife.

     AN ACT Relating to providing funding for parks and recreational facilities; amending RCW 82.46.010; reenacting and amending RCW 82.46.035; and adding a new section to chapter 82.46 RCW.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 82.46.010 and 1994 c 272 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The legislative authority of any county or city shall identify in the adopted budget the capital projects and maintenance and operations of parks and recreational facilities funded in whole or in part from the proceeds of the tax authorized in this section, and shall indicate that such tax is intended to be in addition to other funds that may be reasonably available for such capital projects and maintenance and operations of parks and recreational facilities.
     (2) The legislative authority of any county or any city may impose an excise tax on each sale of real property in the unincorporated areas of the county for the county tax and in the corporate limits of the city for the city tax at a rate not exceeding one-quarter of one percent of the selling price. The revenues from this tax shall be used by any city or county with a population of five thousand or less and any city or county that does not plan under RCW 36.70A.040 for any capital purpose identified in a capital improvements plan and local capital improvements, including those listed in RCW 35.43.040, and for maintenance and operations of parks and recreational facilities acquired or developed with revenues from this tax after December 31, 2002. The amount of revenues used for maintenance or operations of parks and recreational facilities by a county or city shall not exceed twenty-five percent of the total amount collected from this tax by that county or city in the preceding calendar year. Revenues from this tax shall not be used by any county or city to supplant existing funding for maintenance and operations of parks and recreational facilities.
     After April 30, 1992, revenues generated from the tax imposed under this subsection in counties over five thousand population and cities over five thousand population that are required or choose to plan under RCW 36.70A.040 shall be used ((solely)) for financing capital projects specified in a capital facilities plan element of a comprehensive plan and housing relocation assistance under RCW 59.18.440 and 59.18.450, and for maintenance and operations of parks and recreational facilities acquired or developed with revenues from this tax after December 31, 2002. The amount of revenues used for maintenance or operations of parks and recreational facilities by a county or city shall not exceed twenty-five percent of the total amount collected from this tax by that county or city in the preceding calendar year. Revenues from this tax shall not be used by any county or city to supplant existing funding for maintenance and operations of parks and recreational facilities. However, revenues (a) pledged by such counties and cities to debt retirement prior to April 30, 1992, may continue to be used for that purpose until the original debt for which the revenues were pledged is retired, or (b) committed prior to April 30, 1992, by such counties or cities to a project may continue to be used for that purpose until the project is completed.
     (3) In lieu of imposing the tax authorized in RCW 82.14.030(2), the legislative authority of any county or any city may impose an additional excise tax on each sale of real property in the unincorporated areas of the county for the county tax and in the corporate limits of the city for the city tax at a rate not exceeding one-half of one percent of the selling price.
     (4) Taxes imposed under this section shall be collected from persons who are taxable by the state under chapter 82.45 RCW upon the occurrence of any taxable event within the unincorporated areas of the county or within the corporate limits of the city, as the case may be.
     (5) Taxes imposed under this section shall comply with all applicable rules, regulations, laws, and court decisions regarding real estate excise taxes as imposed by the state under chapter 82.45 RCW.
     (6) As used in this section, "city" means any city or town and "capital project" means those public works projects of a local government for planning, acquisition, construction, reconstruction, repair, replacement, rehabilitation, or improvement of streets; roads; highways; sidewalks; street and road lighting systems; traffic signals; bridges; domestic water systems; storm and sanitary sewer systems; parks; recreational facilities; law enforcement facilities; fire protection facilities; trails; libraries; administrative and/or judicial facilities; river and/or waterway flood control projects by those jurisdictions that, prior to June 11, 1992, have expended funds derived from the tax authorized by this section for such purposes; and, until December 31, 1995, housing projects for those jurisdictions that, prior to June 11, 1992, have expended or committed to expend funds derived from the tax authorized by this section or the tax authorized by RCW 82.46.035 for such purposes.

Sec. 2   RCW 82.46.035 and 1992 c 221 s 3 and 1991 sp.s. c 32 s 33 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
     (1) The legislative authority of any county or city shall identify in the adopted budget the capital projects funded in whole or in part from the proceeds of the tax authorized in this section, and shall indicate that such tax is intended to be in addition to other funds that may be reasonably available for ((such)) capital projects and maintenance and operations of park facilities.
     (2) The legislative authority of any county or any city that plans under RCW 36.70A.040(1) may impose an additional excise tax on each sale of real property in the unincorporated areas of the county for the county tax and in the corporate limits of the city for the city tax at a rate not exceeding one-quarter of one percent of the selling price. Any county choosing to plan under RCW 36.70A.040(2) and any city within such a county may only adopt an ordinance imposing the excise tax authorized by this section if the ordinance is first authorized by a proposition approved by a majority of the voters of the taxing district voting on the proposition at a general election held within the district or at a special election within the taxing district called by the district for the purpose of submitting such proposition to the voters.
     (3) Revenues generated from the tax imposed under subsection (2) of this section shall be used by such counties and cities ((solely)) for financing capital projects specified in a capital facilities plan element of a comprehensive plan, and for maintenance and operations of park facilities acquired or developed with revenues from the tax imposed under subsection (2) of this section after December 31, 2002. The amount of revenues used for maintenance or operations of park facilities by a county or city shall not exceed twenty-five percent of the total amount collected from this tax by that county or city in the preceding calendar year. Revenues from this tax shall not be used by any county or city to supplant existing funding for maintenance and operations of park facilities. However, revenues (a) pledged by such counties and cities to debt retirement prior to March 1, 1992, may continue to be used for that purpose until the original debt for which the revenues were pledged is retired, or (b) committed prior to March 1, 1992, by such counties or cities to a project may continue to be used for that purpose until the project is completed.
     (4) Revenues generated by the tax imposed by this section shall be deposited in a separate account.
     (5) As used in this section, "city" means any city or town and "capital project" means those public works projects of a local government for planning, acquisition, construction, reconstruction, repair, replacement, rehabilitation, or improvement of streets, roads, highways, sidewalks, street and road lighting systems, traffic signals, bridges, domestic water systems, storm and sanitary sewer systems, and planning, construction, reconstruction, repair, rehabilitation, or improvement of parks.
     (6) When the governor files a notice of noncompliance under RCW 36.70A.340 with the secretary of state and the appropriate county or city, the county or city's authority to impose the additional excise tax under this section shall be temporarily rescinded until the governor files a subsequent notice rescinding the notice of noncompliance.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 82.46 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The legislative authority of any county or any city that has imposed both the excise taxes on the sale of real property authorized in RCW 82.46.010 and 82.46.035 may impose an additional excise tax on each sale of real property in the unincorporated areas of the county for the county tax and in the corporate limits of the city for the city tax at a rate not exceeding one-eighth of one percent of the selling price. The legislative authority of any county or any city may only adopt an ordinance imposing the excise tax authorized by this section if the ordinance is first authorized by a proposition approved by a majority of the voters of the taxing district voting on the proposition at a general election held within the district or at a special election within the taxing district called by the district for the purpose of submitting such a proposition to the voters.
     (2) Revenues generated from the tax imposed under subsection (1) of this section must be used by the counties and cities solely for the maintenance and operation of park and recreation facilities acquired or developed with revenues from the taxes imposed under RCW 82.46.010 or 82.46.035 after December 31, 2002. Revenues from this tax may not be used by any county or city to supplant existing funding for maintenance and operation of park and recreation facilities.
     (3) As used in this section, "city" means any city or town.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.