Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Local Government Committee

HB 1052

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Summary of Bill

Authorizes counties and cities, in providing urban governmental services within urban growth areas, to choose, as the main source of sewage treatment for any location, any approved systems for sewage and solid waste handling systems, plants, sites, or facilities, including on-site sewage systems.

Background:

The Growth Management Act (GMA) is the comprehensive land use planning framework for counties and cities in Washington. The GMA establishes land use designation and environmental protection requirements for all Washington counties and cities, and a significantly wider array of planning duties for the 29 counties and the cities within that are obligated by mandate or choice to satisfy all requirements of the GMA.

Counties that fully plan under the GMA must designate urban growth areas, areas within which urban growth must be encouraged and outside of which growth can occur only if it is not urban in nature. These fully planning counties and each city within must include in their urban growth areas, areas and densities that are sufficient to permit the urban growth projected to occur in the county or city for the succeeding 20-year period. Additionally, although the GMA states that cities are generally the units of local government most appropriate to provide urban governmental services, the Growth Management Hearing Board, the quasi-judicial board established in the GMA, has found that counties have an obligation to provide adequate and available urban services to serve the anticipated urban densities in their urban growth areas within the 20-year planning period.

The GMA defines "urban governmental services" or "urban services" to include, in part, storm and sanitary sewer systems, domestic water systems, fire and police protection services, and other public utilities associated with urban areas and normally not associated with rural areas.

Summary of Bill:

Counties and cities, in providing urban governmental services within urban growth areas, are authorized to choose, as the main source of sewage treatment for any location, any approved systems for sewage and solid waste handling systems, plants, sites, or facilities, including on-site sewage systems.