Title: An act relating to mobile home park sewer-related charges.

Brief Description: Restricting mobile home park sewer-related charges.

Sponsors: Representatives Schindler, O'Brien, Dunn, McCune, Miloscia and Holmquist.

Brief History: Passed House: 2/11/06, 93-2.

Committee Activity: Government Operations & Elections: 2/22/06, 2/23/06 [DP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS & ELECTIONS

Majority Report: Do pass.Signed by Senators Kastama, Chair; Berkey, Vice Chair; Roach, Ranking Minority Member; Benton, Haugen, Kline, McCaslin and Mulliken.

Staff: Genevieve Pisarski (786-7488)

Background: In 1998, local governments were prohibited from requiring mobile home parks with functioning septic systems to hook up to local sewer systems. In 2003, local governments were prohibited from charging mobile home parks not connected to a sewer system any sewer service availability charges, standby charges, consumption charges, or any other similar charges for available but unused sewer service.

Summary of Bill: Local governments are prohibited from requiring existing mobile home parks not connected to a sewer to pay any charges related to sewer, not limited to the charges specified in statute.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

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

Testimony For: This bill is about affordable housing and fairness. The county is trying to get around existing law by giving these sewer-related charges a different name than the ones that are prohibited in law. Costs like these drive up rent, drive tenants away, and the land ends up getting turned over to higher intensity uses. This same subject has come before this committee twice in past years. There are Supreme Court cases that make it clear you can't charge a fee for a service that isn't being delivered, regardless of what you call it. Late-comer agreements are the proper way to recover these costs.

Testimony Against: None.

Who Testified: PRO: Walter Olsen, Pinecroft MHP; John Woodring, MHCW.