BILL REQ. #:  H-0985.1 

Read first time 01/28/09.   Referred to Committee on Local Government & Housing.

     AN ACT Relating to real estate excise tax expenditures for parks and capital projects; and reenacting and amending RCW 82.46.035.

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

Sec. 1   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, park maintenance and operation expenditures, or both, 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)) these purposes.
     (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, at the option of the city or county, park maintenance and operation expenditures. Revenues from this tax may not be used by any county or city to supplant existing sources of funding for park maintenance and operation expenditures. 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)) parks, recreational facilities, law enforcement facilities, fire protection facilities, trails, libraries, administrative and/or judicial facilities, and river and water flood control facilities.
     (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.