BILL REQ. #:  H-2330.1 

READ FIRST TIME 01/27/06.   

     AN ACT Relating to land acquired from a commercial waterway district; creating a new section; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that commercial waterway districts were created for the purpose of constructing waterways for industrial and commercial development. Subsequently, the property and functions of waterway districts were transferred to port districts, the districts were dissolved, and their governing statutes were repealed. The legislature further finds that private use of former waterway district lands without administrative oversight authority by the public owner is not in the best interest of the public or of taxpayers. Management under port district authority of former commercial waterway district property must be conducted in a manner that maintains the area's economic vitality, protects the environment, and responsibly preserves the public interest in public property.
     By December 1, 2005, a port district to which the property of a former commercial waterway district was transferred shall report to the chairs of the legislative committees with jurisdiction regarding port property formerly owned by the waterway district. The report shall, to the extent practicable, include the following information: (1) Existing uses of the port property by those using former waterway district property; (2) a general outline of potential future uses of the public property owned by the port district; (3) the status of the environmental mitigation and cleanup of the waterway that is required by federal and state law; (4) the status of the port district's communication to, and work with, those using former waterway district property as of January 1, 2005; and (5) general terms and conditions of leases the port believes are necessary to give the port adequate control over its property and the general terms and conditions that the port believes will give the current users of the public property continued access to the waterway.
     This section expires December 31, 2005.