H-3865.1

HOUSE BILL 2891


State of Washington	64th Legislature	2016 Regular Session

By Representative Haler

Read first time 01/25/16. Referred to Committee on Appropriations.

AN ACT Relating to payments to counties in lieu of property taxes by the department of fish and wildlife; amending RCW 77.12.203; repealing RCW 77.12.201; and providing an effective date.

(1) ((Except as provided in subsection (5) of this section and)) Notwithstanding RCW 84.36.010 or other statutes to the contrary, the director must pay by April 30th of each year on game lands, regardless of acreage, in each county, ((if requested by an election under RCW 77.12.201,)) an amount in lieu of real property taxes equal to that amount paid on similar parcels of open space land taxable under chapter 84.34 RCW ((or the greater of seventy cents per acre per year or the amount paid in 1984)) except taxes levied for any state purpose, plus an additional amount for control of noxious weeds equal to that which would be paid if such lands were privately owned. This amount may not be assessed or paid on department buildings, structures, facilities, game farms, fish hatcheries, water access sites, tidelands, or public fishing areas.

(2) "Game lands," as used in this section ((and RCW 77.12.201)), means those tracts, regardless of acreage, owned in fee by the department and used for wildlife habitat and public recreational purposes. All lands purchased for wildlife habitat, public access, or recreation purposes with federal funds in the Snake River drainage basin are considered game lands regardless of acreage.

(4) The county must distribute the amount received under this section in lieu of real property taxes to all property taxing districts except the state in appropriate tax code areas the same way it would distribute local property taxes from private property. The county must distribute the amount received under this section for weed control to the appropriate weed district.

(((5) For the 2013-2015 and 2015-2017 fiscal biennia, the director must pay by April 30th of each year on game lands in each county, if requested by an election under RCW 77.12.201, an amount in lieu of real property taxes and must be distributed as follows:


	County

	Adams. . . .1,909
	Asotin. . . .36,123
	Chelan. . . .24,757
	Columbia. . . .7,795
	Ferry. . . .6,781
	Garfield. . . .4,840
	Grant. . . .37,443
	Kittitas. . . .143,974
	Klickitat. . . .21,906
	Lincoln. . . .13,535
	Okanogan. . . .151,402
	Pend Oreille. . . .3,309
	Yakima. . . .126,225

These amounts may not be assessed or paid on department buildings, structures, facilities, game farms, fish hatcheries, water access sites, tidelands, or public fishing areas.))

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. RCW 77.12.201 (Counties may elect to receive an amount in lieu of taxes—County to record collections for violations of law or rules—Deposit) and 2013 2nd sp.s. c 4 s 998, 2012 2nd sp.s. c 7 s 923, 2009 c 479 s 63, & 1987 c 506 s 29 are each repealed.