Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Transportation Committee

HB 1860

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.

Background:

A public transportation benefit area (PTBA) is a special-purpose district authorized to provide public transportation service within all or a portion of a county or counties. Generally speaking, "public transportation service" means the transportation of packages, passengers, and their incidental baggage by means other than by chartered bus or sight-seeing bus, together with the terminals and parking facilities necessary for passenger and vehicular access to and from such systems. It also means passenger-only ferry service for those PTBAs eligible to provide passenger-only ferry service.

A PTBA may collect fares for service and, with approval of the majority of the voters within the area, impose up to a 0.9 percent sales and use tax within the area. A PTBA in a county with a population of 700,000 or more, which also contains a city with a population of 75,000 or more that operates a transit system, may impose a sales and use tax of up to 0.3 percent with the approval of the voters within the area, in addition to the up to 0.9 percent sales and use tax that all PTBAs are eligible to impose.

A PTBA is created or its boundaries modified through a conference process attended by elected representatives selected by the legislative body of each city within the boundaries of the PTBA as well as the county legislative authority or authorities. Within 60 days of establishment, the county legislative body or bodies and the elected representatives of each city within the PTBA must provide for the selection of a governing body of not more than nine elected officials (or, in the case of a multicounty PTBA, not more than 15 members) selected by and serving at the pleasure of the governments of the cities and counties in the PTBA. Cities within the PTBA that are excluded from direct membership on the authority are permitted to designate a member of the PTBA who is entitled to represent the interests of those cities.

After a PTBA has been in existence for four years, and every four years thereafter, the county legislative body or bodies and the elected representatives of each city within the PTBA must review the composition of the governing board and change it if appropriate.

Summary of Bill:

The members of the governing board of a PTBA that is located in a county with a population of more than 400,000 that does not also contain a city with a population of more than 75,000 that operates a transit system pursuant to chapter 35.95 RCW, are required to be selected, to the extent possible, to assure proportional representation of the cities and unincorporated sections of counties that are located within the PTBA boundaries. If necessary to insure proportional representation, a single elected representative from one of the cities within the PTBA may represent multiple cities.