BILL REQ. #:  S-0345.1 

Read first time 01/31/2003.   Referred to Committee on Highways & Transportation.

     AN ACT Relating to dissolution of regional transportation authorities; and adding a new section to chapter 81.112 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 81.112 RCW to read as follows:
     A regional transportation authority may be dissolved by a vote of the people residing within the boundaries of the authority. Any referendum petition to dissolve the authority must be filed with the legislative authority of each county that is within, in whole or in part, the boundaries of the authority. The referendum petition must contain provisions for dissolution of the authority. Within fourteen days of the filing of the petition, each affected county legislative authority will confer with the petitioner concerning the form and style of the petition, issue an identification number for the petition, and write a ballot title for the measure. The ballot title must be posed as a question so that an affirmative vote on the measure results in authority retention and a negative vote on the measure results in the authority's dissolution. The petitioner will be notified of the identification number and ballot title within this fourteen-day period.
     After this notification, the petitioner has ninety days in which to secure on petition forms, the signatures of not less than fifteen percent of the registered voters in the authority area and to file the signed petitions with the filing officer in each county. Each petition form must contain the ballot title and the full text of the measure to be referred. The filing officer will verify the sufficiency of the signatures on the petitions. If sufficient valid signatures are properly submitted, the filing officer shall submit the initiative to the authority area voters at a general or special election held on one of the dates provided in RCW 29.13.010 as determined by the county legislative authorities, which election may not take place later than one hundred twenty days after the signed petition has been filed.
     If an authority is dissolved under this process, the counties formerly within its boundaries shall, under an interlocal agreement, set forth means by which any contractual obligations incurred by the authority will be honored by the counties.