BILL REQ. #:  H-0494.1 

Read first time 01/22/13.   Referred to Committee on Local Government.

     AN ACT Relating to partial fire district mergers; and amending RCW 52.06.090, 52.06.100, and 52.06.140.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 52.06.090 and 1989 c 63 s 16 are each amended to read as follows:
     A part of one district may be transferred and merged with an adjacent district if the area can be better served by the merged district. To effect such a merger, a petition, signed by a majority of the commissioners of the merging district or signed by not less than fifteen percent of the qualified electors residing in the area to be merged, shall be filed with the commissioners of the merging district, if signed by electors, or with the commissioners of the merger district if signed by commissioners of the merging district. If the commissioners of the merging district approve the petition, the petition shall be presented to the commissioners of the merger district. If the commissioners of the merger district approve the petition, an election shall be called in the area to be merged.
     In the event that either board of fire district commissioners does not approve the petition, the ((petition may be approved by the boundary review board of the county or the county legislative authority of the county in which the area to be merged is situated, and may approve the merger if it decides the area can be better served by a merger. If the part of the merging district that is proposed to merge with the merger district is located in more than one county, the approval must be by the boundary review board or county legislative authority of each county. If there is an affirmative decision, an election shall be called in the area to be merged)) partial merger must not proceed.
     A majority of the votes cast is necessary to approve the transfer.

Sec. 2   RCW 52.06.100 and 1989 c 63 s 17 are each amended to read as follows:
     If the partial merger petition has been approved by the commissioners of the merging district and the merger district and if three-fifths of the qualified electors in the area to be merged sign a petition to merge the districts, no election on the question of the merger is necessary, in which case the auditor or lead auditor shall return the petition, together with a certificate of sufficiency, to the board of the merger district. The board of the merger district shall then adopt a resolution declaring the portion of the district merged in the same manner and to the same effect as if the same had been authorized by an election.

Sec. 3   RCW 52.06.140 and 1989 c 63 s 18 are each amended to read as follows:
     A merger fire protection district located in a single county, that merged with a merging fire protection district located in another county or counties, shall be identified by the name of each county in which the fire protection district is located, listed alphabetically, followed by a number that is the next highest number available for a fire protection district in the one of these counties that has the greatest number of fire protection districts.
     This section does not apply to partial mergers under RCW 52.06.090.