S-4635.1
SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6575
State of Washington
65th Legislature
2018 Regular Session
By Senate Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks (originally sponsored by Senators Rolfes and Van De Wege)
READ FIRST TIME 02/02/18.
AN ACT Relating to protected lands not being assessed local fire district levies; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  (1) On September 13, 2017, the joint legislative audit and review committee distributed 17-06 final report: Fees assessed for forest fire protection. The report identified more than twenty thousand parcels of land that do not pay the forest fire protection assessment or a local fire district levy, but are likely still protected by the department of natural resources or a local fire district.
The legislature finds that fire protection services at the state and local level are vital to the preservation of public and personal property throughout the state. The legislature further finds that fire protection resources are very limited in carrying out the substantial duties that fire protection services are asked to perform. Therefore, properties that benefit from fire protection should be required to contribute to the operation and maintenance of such essential services.
(2) In coordination with county assessors, local fire districts must submit a list of any parcel or parcels of land within their county that are under the protection of the local fire district's jurisdiction but are not presently being assessed a local fire district levy.
(3) County assessors must submit a final list to the county legislative authority of any parcel or parcels of land within their county that are under the protection of a local fire district's jurisdiction but are not presently being assessed a local fire district levy.
(4) By resolution, the legislative authority of a county must approve the annexation of any parcel or parcels of land submitted under subsection (3) of this section into a respective local fire district.
(5) Annexations of a parcel or parcels of land under subsection (4) of this section must be completed by January 1, 2020.
(6) For the purposes of this section, "local fire district" means a fire district, regional fire protection service authority, city, town, port, district, or municipal airport.
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