SSB 6051 -
By Senators Murray, King
ADOPTED 02/15/2010
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"Sec. 1 RCW 67.28.180 and 2007 c 189 s 1 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) Subject to the conditions set forth in subsections (2) and (3)
of this section, the legislative body of any county or any city, is
authorized to levy and collect a special excise tax of not to exceed
two percent on the sale of or charge made for the furnishing of lodging
that is subject to tax under chapter 82.08 RCW.
(2) Any levy authorized by this section ((shall be)) is subject to
the following:
(a) Any county ordinance or resolution adopted pursuant to this
section ((shall)) must contain, in addition to all other provisions
required to conform to this chapter, a provision allowing a credit
against the county tax for the full amount of any city tax imposed
pursuant to this section upon the same taxable event.
(b)(i) In the event that any county has levied the tax authorized
by this section and has, prior to June 26, 1975, either pledged the tax
revenues for payment of principal and interest on city revenue or
general obligation bonds authorized and issued pursuant to RCW
67.28.150 through 67.28.160 or has authorized and issued revenue or
general obligation bonds pursuant to the provisions of RCW 67.28.150
through 67.28.160, such county ((shall be)) is exempt from the
provisions of (a) of this subsection, to the extent that the tax
revenues are pledged for payment of principal and interest on bonds
issued at any time pursuant to the provisions of RCW 67.28.150 through
67.28.160((: PROVIDED, That)). However, so much of such pledged tax
revenues, together with any investment earnings thereon, not
immediately necessary for actual payment of principal and interest on
such bonds may be used: (((i))) (A) In any county with a population of
one million five hundred thousand or more, for repayment either of
limited tax levy general obligation bonds or of any county fund or
account from which a loan was made, the proceeds from the bonds or loan
being used to pay for constructing, installing, improving, and
equipping stadium capital improvement projects, and to pay for any
engineering, planning, financial, legal and professional services
incident to the development of such stadium capital improvement
projects, regardless of the date the debt for such capital improvement
projects was or may be incurred; (((ii))) (B) in any county with a
population of one million five hundred thousand or more, for repayment
or refinancing of bonded indebtedness incurred prior to January 1,
1997, for any purpose authorized by this section or relating to stadium
repairs or rehabilitation, including but not limited to the cost of
settling legal claims, reimbursing operating funds, interest payments
on short-term loans, and any other purpose for which such debt has been
incurred if the county has created a public stadium authority to
develop a stadium and exhibition center under RCW 36.102.030; or
(((iii))) (C) in other counties, for county-owned facilities for
agricultural promotion until January 1, 2009, and thereafter for any
purpose authorized in this chapter.
(ii) A county is exempt under this subsection with respect to city
revenue or general obligation bonds issued after April 1, 1991, only if
such bonds mature before January 1, 2013. If any county located east
of the crest of the Cascade mountains has levied the tax authorized by
this section and has, prior to June 26, 1975, pledged the tax revenue
for payment of principal and interest on city revenue or general
obligation bonds, the county is exempt under this subsection with
respect to revenue or general obligation bonds issued after January 1,
2007, only if the bonds mature before January 1, 2021. Such a county
may only use funds under this subsection (2)(b) for constructing or
improving facilities authorized under this chapter, including county-owned facilities for agricultural promotion, and must perform an annual
financial audit of organizations receiving funding on the use of the
funds.
(iii) As used in this subsection (2)(b), "capital improvement
projects" may include, but not be limited to a stadium restaurant
facility, restroom facilities, artificial turf system, seating
facilities, parking facilities and scoreboard and information system
adjacent to or within a county owned stadium, together with equipment,
utilities, accessories and appurtenances necessary thereto. The
stadium restaurant authorized by this subsection (2)(b) ((shall)) must
be operated by a private concessionaire under a contract with the
county.
(c)(i) No city within a county exempt under subsection (2)(b) of
this section may levy the tax authorized by this section so long as
said county is so exempt.
(ii) ((If bonds have been issued under RCW 43.99N.020 and any
necessary property transfers have been made under RCW 36.102.100,)) No
city within a county with a population of one million five hundred
thousand or more may levy the tax authorized by this section ((before
January 1, 2021)).
(iii) However, in the event that any city in a county described in
(i) or (ii) of this subsection (2)(c) has levied the tax authorized by
this section and has, prior to June 26, 1975, authorized and issued
revenue or general obligation bonds pursuant to the provisions of RCW
67.28.150 through 67.28.160, such city may levy the tax so long as the
tax revenues are pledged for payment of principal and interest on bonds
issued at any time pursuant to the provisions of RCW 67.28.150 through
67.28.160.
(3) Any levy authorized by this section by a county that has levied
the tax authorized by this section and has, prior to June 26, 1975,
either pledged the tax revenues for payment of principal and interest
on city revenue or general obligation bonds authorized and issued
pursuant to RCW 67.28.150 through 67.28.160 or has authorized and
issued revenue or general obligation bonds pursuant to the provisions
of RCW 67.28.150 through 67.28.160 ((shall be)) is subject to the
following:
(a) Taxes collected under this section in any calendar year before
2013 in excess of five million three hundred thousand dollars ((shall))
may only be used as follows:
(i) Seventy-five percent from January 1, 1992, through December 31,
2000, and seventy percent from January 1, 2001, through December 31,
2012, for art museums, cultural museums, heritage museums, a performing
arts center in a city with a population greater than eighty-five
thousand persons but less than one hundred thousand persons, heritage
and preservation programs, the arts, and the performing arts. Moneys
spent under this subsection (3)(a)(i) ((shall)) must be used for the
purposes of this subsection (3)(a)(i) in all parts of the county.
(ii) Twenty-five percent from January 1, 1992, through December 31,
2000, and thirty percent from January 1, 2001, through December 31,
2012, for the following purposes and in a manner reflecting the
following order of priority: Stadium purposes as authorized under
subsection (2)(b) of this section; acquisition of open space lands;
youth sports activities; and tourism promotion. If all or part of the
debt on the stadium is refinanced, all revenues under this subsection
(3)(a)(ii) ((shall)) must be used to retire the debt.
(b) From January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2015, in a county
with a population of one million five hundred thousand or more, all
revenues under this section ((shall)) must be used to retire the debt
on the stadium, ((or deposited in the stadium and exhibition center
account under RCW 43.99N.060 after)) until the debt on the stadium is
retired. On and after the date the debt on the stadium is retired, and
through December 31, 2015, all revenues under this section in a county
of one million five hundred thousand or more must be deposited in the
special account under (f) of this subsection.
(c) From January 1, 2016, through December 31, 2020, in a county
with a population of one million five hundred thousand or more, all
revenues under this section ((shall)) must be deposited in the stadium
and exhibition center account under RCW 43.99N.060.
(d) On and after January 1, 2021, at least thirty-seven and one-half percent of revenues under this section in a county of one million
five hundred thousand or more must be deposited in the special account
under (f) of this subsection.
(e) At least seventy percent of moneys spent under (a)(i) of this
subsection for the period January 1, 1992, through December 31, 2000,
((shall)) must be used only for the purchase, design, construction, and
remodeling of performing arts, visual arts, heritage, and cultural
facilities, and for the purchase of fixed assets that will benefit art,
heritage, and cultural organizations. For purposes of this subsection,
fixed assets are tangible objects such as machinery and other equipment
intended to be held or used for ten years or more. Moneys received
under this subsection (3)(((d))) (e) may be used for payment of
principal and interest on bonds issued for capital projects.
Qualifying organizations receiving moneys under this subsection
(3)(((d))) (e) must be financially stable and have at least the
following:
(i) A legally constituted and working board of directors;
(ii) A record of artistic, heritage, or cultural accomplishments;
(iii) Been in existence and operating for at least two years;
(iv) Demonstrated ability to maintain net current liabilities at
less than thirty percent of general operating expenses;
(v) Demonstrated ability to sustain operational capacity subsequent
to completion of projects or purchase of machinery and equipment; and
(vi) Evidence that there has been independent financial review of
the organization.
(((e))) (f) At least forty percent of the revenues distributed
pursuant to (a)(i) of this subsection for the period January 1, 2001,
through ((December 31, 2012, shall)) the effective date of this section
must be deposited in ((an)) a special account ((and shall be used to
establish an endowment. Principal in the account shall remain
permanent and irreducible)). The ((earnings from investments of
balances in the)) account may only be used for the purposes of (a)(i)
of this subsection.
(((f))) (g) School districts and schools ((shall)) may not receive
revenues distributed pursuant to (a)(i) of this subsection.
(((g))) (h) Moneys distributed to art museums, cultural museums,
heritage museums, heritage and preservation programs, the arts, and the
performing arts, and moneys distributed for tourism promotion ((shall))
must be in addition to and may not be used to replace or supplant any
other funding by the legislative body of the county.
(((h))) (i) As used in this section, "tourism promotion" includes
activities intended to attract visitors for overnight stays, arts,
heritage, and cultural events, and recreational, professional, and
amateur sports events. Moneys allocated to tourism promotion in a
class AA county ((shall)) must be allocated to nonprofit organizations
formed for the express purpose of tourism promotion in the county.
Such organizations ((shall)) must use moneys from the taxes to promote
events in all parts of the class AA county.
(((i))) (j) No taxes collected under this section may be used for
the operation or maintenance of a public stadium that is financed
directly or indirectly by bonds to which the tax is pledged.
Expenditures for operation or maintenance include all expenditures
other than expenditures that directly result in new fixed assets or
that directly increase the capacity, life span, or operating economy of
existing fixed assets.
(((j))) (k) No ad valorem property taxes may be used for debt
service on bonds issued for a public stadium that is financed by bonds
to which the tax is pledged, unless the taxes collected under this
section are or are projected to be insufficient to meet debt service
requirements on such bonds.
(((k))) (l) If a substantial part of the operation and management
of a public stadium that is financed directly or indirectly by bonds to
which the tax is pledged is performed by a nonpublic entity or if a
public stadium is sold that is financed directly or indirectly by bonds
to which the tax is pledged, any bonds to which the tax is pledged
((shall)) must be retired. This subsection (3)(((k))) (l) does not
apply in respect to a public stadium under chapter 36.102 RCW
transferred to, owned by, or constructed by a public facilities
district under chapter 36.100 RCW or a stadium and exhibition center.
(((l))) (m) The county ((shall)) may not lease a public stadium
that is financed directly or indirectly by bonds to which the tax is
pledged to, or authorize the use of the public stadium by, a
professional major league sports franchise unless the sports franchise
gives the right of first refusal to purchase the sports franchise, upon
its sale, to local government. This subsection (3)(((l))) (m) does not
apply to contracts in existence on April 1, 1986.
(4) If a court of competent jurisdiction declares any provision of
((this)) subsection (3) invalid, then that invalid provision ((shall
be)) is null and void and the remainder of this section is not
affected."
SSB 6051 -
By Senators Murray, King
ADOPTED 02/15/2010
On page 1, line 1 of the title, after "Relating to" strike the remainder of the title and insert "lodging taxes; and amending RCW 67.28.180."
EFFECT: Eliminates the endowment fund for arts and heritage programs. Allows King County hotel/motel tax funds to be deposited into an account for arts and heritage programs after the debt on the Kingdome is paid off from the years of 2013 through 2015. Beginning in 2021, 37.5 percent of hotel/motel taxes collected in King County shall be dedicated to arts and heritage programs. The money may be spent on a performing arts center in a city with a population greater than 85,000 and less than 100,000. Yakima County can continue to collect the hotel/motel tax within the city of Yakima until 2035.