FINAL BILL REPORT

HB 39

                                  C 298 L 87

BYRepresentatives Haugen, Zellinsky and P. King 

Changing provisions related to special districts and requiring a study of special districts.

House Committe on Local Government

Senate Committee on Governmental Operations

SYNOPSIS AS ENACTED

BACKGROUND:

Various types of special districts can be created to provide diking, drainage and flood control improvements.  These special districts are characterized by voting rights restricted to property owners, and facilities and activities funded by the imposition of special assessments.  Most of the laws relating to these special districts were enacted in the 1890s and early 1900s.  Legislation to modernize and standardize statutes for these special districts was enacted in 1985 and 1986.

Over 60 different types of special districts have been authorized to be created to provide a variety of public facilities and services.

SUMMARY:

The general laws relating to those special districts that provide diking and drainage-type facilities and services are altered:

Territory may be transferred between two of these special districts, upon the concurrence of the governing bodies of both districts and following the procedure by which a district annexes territory.

The process to fill vacancies on a governing body of one of these special districts is altered so that an appointee by the county legislative authority only serves until a person is elected at the next special district general election occurring 60 or more days after the date of the vacancy.

An incomplete sentence in the 1986 laws is corrected to clarify that bonds may be issued by one of these special districts only if the bonds are payable from special assessments derived by using the new procedure to calculate a system of special assessments that is prepared by the county legislative authority for the special district.

Performance bonds by members of a governing body are required to be filed with the county clerk, instead of the county treasurer, of the county within which all or the greatest portion of the special district is located.

The requirement is deleted that construction contracts over $10,000 in value must be awarded by competitive bidding.

The Legislative Budget Committee, in cooperation with the Senate Governmental Operations Committee and the House Local Government Committee, will review the laws relating to all types of special purpose districts, and will recommend the continuation, elimination, or modification of each type of special purpose district.  By January 1, 1988, a schedule must be established for this review, with the review completed by January 15, 1993.

VOTES ON FINAL PASSAGE:

      House 95   0

      Senate    45     0(Senate amended)

      House 98   0(House concurred)

EFFECTIVE:July 26, 1987