BILL REQ. #: H-1054.2
State of Washington | 62nd Legislature | 2011 Regular Session |
Read first time 02/08/11. Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.
BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
STATE OF WASHINGTON, IN LEGISLATIVE SESSION ASSEMBLED:
THAT, At the next general election to be held in this state the
secretary of state shall submit to the qualified voters of the state
for their approval and ratification, or rejection, an amendment to
Article VII of the Constitution of the state of Washington by adding a
new section to read as follows:
Article VII, section . . .. Notwithstanding any provision of this
Constitution, the legislature may by general law authorize the
legislative authority of any county, city, town, or port district to
designate boundaries within its jurisdiction containing only that
property which that legislative authority determines will be increased
in value by reason of public improvements within those designated
boundaries, and may provide that all or a portion of regular or special
ad valorem taxes levied within those boundaries against the value of
property may be used to pay for the specified public improvements or to
pay obligations issued or incurred to fund the specified public
improvements. The levying, collection, allocation, or use of all or a
portion of regular or special ad valorem taxes within those boundaries
to provide for the specified public improvements or obligations issued
or incurred therefor does not constitute a lack of uniformity of
taxation on a class of property under section 1 of this article, but
special ad valorem taxes must be uniform upon the same class of
property within the designated boundaries. Special ad valorem taxes
levied within those boundaries are not subject to the limitations
imposed by section 2 of this article, and the rate of special taxation
is not included in the computation of the aggregate of all taxes levied
by any taxing district upon property within those boundaries for
purposes of section 2 of this article. The allocation and use of all
or a portion of regular or special ad valorem taxes levied and
collected within those boundaries to provide for specified public
improvements or obligations issued or incurred therefor does not
violate the requirements of Article IX, section 2 of this Constitution.
A pledge of special ad valorem tax revenues or apportioned regular ad
valorem tax revenues from within those boundaries to secure obligations
issued or incurred for the specified public improvements does not cause
those obligations to constitute "debt" or "indebtedness" of the state,
a county, city, town, school district, or other municipal corporation
under Article VIII of this Constitution. Regular ad valorem tax
revenues of the state apportioned pursuant to this section are not
included as "general state revenues" under Article VIII, section 1(c)
of this Constitution and are not subject to appropriation under Article
VIII, section 4 of this Constitution.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the secretary of state shall cause
notice of this constitutional amendment to be published at least four
times during the four weeks next preceding the election in every legal
newspaper in the state.