BILL REQ. #: H-0898.1
State of Washington | 62nd Legislature | 2011 Regular Session |
Read first time 01/21/11. Referred to Committee on Local Government.
AN ACT Relating to creation of the Puget Sound port authority; amending RCW 53.47.020; adding a new chapter to Title 53 RCW; and providing an effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 101
NEW SECTION. Sec. 201
NEW SECTION. Sec. 202
(2) Commissioners are elected and apportioned as follows:
(a) Six commissioners apportioned to six geographical districts and
elected on a nonpartisan basis. Each commissioner representing a
district must be a registered voter residing within that district.
Initial apportionment and establishment of district lines must be
determined by the county auditors located within the authority within
thirty days of the formation of the Puget Sound port authority
according to the requirements in (c) of this subsection. Subsequent
reapportionment and drawing of district lines must be conducted by the
county auditors located within the authority;
(b) Five commissioners appointed by the governor with the consent
of the senate. The governor's appointments shall include individuals
who have relevant expertise in international trade, marketing, freight
transportation design, construction, operation, and maintenance; and
(c) At least two districts must be located primarily in each
county. Each district must contain a population, excluding nonresident
military personnel, as equal as practicable to the population of any
other district. To a reasonable extent, each district must contain
contiguous territory, be compact, and be convenient.
(3) Commissioners, including those appointed by the governor, shall
serve six-year terms of office, except that two of the initially
elected commissioners representing a district shall serve a two-year
term of office and two of the initially elected commissioners
representing a district shall serve four-year terms. The governor
shall designate which districts have commissioners that serve two-year,
four-year, and six-year terms. The first election for commissioners
must be held at the general election following the formation of the
Puget Sound port authority, consistent with Title 29A RCW.
(4) The commissioners shall: Organize, by the election of its own
members, a president and secretary; by resolution, adopt rules
governing the transaction of its business; and adopt an official seal.
Only an elected commissioner may serve as president or secretary. All
proceedings of the Puget Sound port authority commission shall be by
motion or resolution recorded in a book or books kept for such purpose,
which shall be public records.
(5) Vacancies in positions appointed by the governor must be filled
by appointment of the governor. Vacancies in elected positions must be
filled by a person approved by a majority of the remaining
commissioners who shall serve until the vacancy is filled at the next
general election held more than one hundred eighty days after the date
the vacancy is filled on an interim basis. The person appointed to
fill a vacancy shall serve for the remainder of the unexpired term of
the office to which he or she was appointed.
(6) If a commissioner is appointed by the governor, the governor
may only reappoint a commissioner to one additional six-year term of
office.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 203
NEW SECTION. Sec. 204
Sec. 205 RCW 53.47.020 and 1971 ex.s. c 162 s 2 are each amended
to read as follows:
A port district shall be deemed inactive if, at the time of the
filing of the petition for dissolution with the clerk of the superior
court of the county in which such port district is situated, such port
has failed to comply with ((subdivision)) subsection (1), (2), ((or))
(3), or (4) of this section.
(1) The port district has failed to file its budget with the board
of county commissioners or, in the case of home rule charters, the
appropriate governing body for the two fiscal years immediately
preceding the date of filing such petition, and the port district,
having been in existence for two years or more, has failed to adopt its
comprehensive plan of harbor improvement and/or industrial development
as provided by statute, and does not presently own or has not leased
within two years prior to the filing of such petition, real property
for use for port purposes.
(2) The port district does not presently own or has not leased or
owned real property for use for port purposes within the four calendar
years prior to the filing of such petition.
(3) The port district has not filed its budget with the board of
county commissioners or, in the case of home rule charters, the
appropriate governing body for the two fiscal years immediately
preceding the filing of said petition has not adopted its comprehensive
plan of harbor improvement and/or industrial development as provided by
statute, and has not met with a legal quorum at least twice in the last
two calendar years prior to the filing of such petition.
(4) The port district is located within the boundaries of the Puget
Sound port authority established under section 201 of this act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 206
NEW SECTION. Sec. 207
NEW SECTION. Sec. 208
(1) An integrated and consolidated management and operations
reorganization plan to be implemented in a phased manner over five
years. The management and operations reorganization plan must include
specific actions and clearly measurable fiscal metrics;
(2) How the authority will maximize and expand freight
transportation capital facilities to significantly increase global
marine, air, and rail freight transportation infrastructure capacity,
including a fifty-year investment funding plan to support such
investments. The authority must include the evaluation and application
of environmental technologies and practices to mitigate potential
adverse impacts. The joint legislative audit and review committee and
the Puget Sound port authority shall jointly collaborate to develop
performance metrics to assess capital facilities utilization and
productivity;
(3) A strategic global marketing plan to increase global and
domestic market share for North American markets for both inbound and
outbound global freight transportation traffic volume and commodity
dollar value, including clearly identifiable targeted markets and
market penetration performance goals and metrics;
(4) The capital facilities investment plan and the strategic global
marketing plan shall identify and take into consideration existing
global freight transportation and marketing assets located in
Washington and located across the greater binational Pacific Northwest
economic region including, but not limited to, collaboration with the
port authorities of the Canadian province of British Columbia.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 301
(2) If the treasurer of the authority is also the treasurer of a
county, all authority funds must be deposited with a county depository
under the same restrictions, contracts, and security as provided for
county depositories. If the treasurer of the authority is not the
treasurer of a county, all funds must be deposited in a bank or banks
that are authorized to do business in this state and are qualified for
insured deposits under any federal deposit insurance act as the
authority, by resolution, designates, or funds shall be invested in
legal investments for counties.
(3) The authority may provide and require a reasonable bond of any
other person handling money or securities of the authority, but the
authority shall pay the premium on the bond.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 302
NEW SECTION. Sec. 303
NEW SECTION. Sec. 304
(2) With the assent of three-fifths of the voters voting thereon at
a general or special port authority election called for that purpose,
the Puget Sound port authority may contract indebtedness or borrow
money for authority purposes and may issue general obligation bonds
therefor provided the total indebtedness of the authority at any such
time shall not exceed three-fourths of one percent of the value of the
taxable property in the authority.
(3) Any port district may issue general district bonds evidencing
any indebtedness, payable at any time not exceeding fifty years from
the date of the bonds. Any contract for indebtedness or borrowed money
authorized by RCW 53.36.030(1)(b) shall not exceed twenty-five years.
The bonds shall be issued and sold in accordance with chapter 39.46
RCW.
(4) Elections required under this section shall be held as provided
in RCW 39.36.050.
(5) This section does not apply to a loan made under a loan
agreement under chapter 39.69 RCW, and a computation of indebtedness
under this chapter must exclude the amount of a loan under such a loan
agreement.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 305 (1) The Puget Sound port authority is
hereby authorized, prior to the receipt of taxes raised by levy, to
borrow money or issue the warrants of the authority in anticipation of
the revenues to be derived by such authority and such warrants shall be
redeemed from the first money available from such taxes when collected.
Such warrants may be in any form, including bearer warrants or
registered warrants as provided in RCW 39.46.030.
(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, such warrants
may be issued and sold in accordance with chapter 39.46 RCW.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 306 The designated treasurer acting as Puget
Sound port authority treasurer shall create a fund to be known as the
"Puget Sound port authority fund," into which shall be paid all money
received by him or her from the collection of taxes in behalf of such
port authority, and shall also maintain such other special funds as may
be created by the commission into which shall be placed such moneys as
the commission may by its resolution direct. All such port authority
funds shall be deposited with the county depositories under the same
restrictions, contracts, and security as is provided by statute for
county depositories and all interest collected on such port authority
funds shall belong to the Puget Sound port authority and shall be
deposited to its credit in the proper authority funds: PROVIDED, That
any portion of such authority moneys determined by the commission to be
in excess of the current needs of the authority may be invested by the
county treasurer in accordance with RCW 36.29.020 and 36.29.022 and
chapter 39.59 RCW, and all interest collected thereon shall likewise
belong to the authority and shall be deposited to its credit in the
proper authority funds.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 307 The commission of the Puget Sound port
authority may, by resolution, create an incidental expense fund in such
amount as the commission may direct. Such incidental expense fund may
be kept and maintained in a bank or banks designated in the resolution
creating the fund, and such depository shall be required to give bonds
or securities to the authority for the protection of such incidental
expense fund, in the full amount of the fund authorized by the
resolution. Vouchers shall be drawn to reimburse said incidental
expense fund and such vouchers shall be approved by the commission.
Transient labor, freight, express, cartage, postage, petty supplies,
and minor expenses of the authority may be paid from said incidental
expense fund and all such disbursements therefrom shall be by check of
the authority auditor or such other officer as the commission shall by
resolution direct. All expenditures from said incidental expense fund
shall be covered by vouchers drawn by the authority auditor and
approved by the manager or such other officer of the authority as the
commission may by resolution direct. The officer disbursing said fund
shall be required to give bond to the authority in the full authorized
amount of the incidental expense fund for the faithful performance of
his or her duties in connection with the disbursement of moneys from
such fund.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 401
NEW SECTION. Sec. 402 Sections 101, 201 through 204, 206 through
208, 301 through 307, 401 and 403 through 405 of this act constitute a
new chapter in Title
NEW SECTION. Sec. 403 If any provision of this act or its
application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the
remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other
persons or circumstances is not affected.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 404 This act shall be liberally construed to
effect the policies and purposes of this act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 405 This act takes effect August 1, 2011.