HOUSE BILL REPORT

EHB 39

BYRepresentatives Haugen, Zellinsky and P. King 

Changing provisions related to special districts.

House Committe on Local Government

Majority Report:     Do pass with amendment.  (13)

     Signed by Representatives Haugen, Chair; Cooper, Vice Chair; Beck, Bumgarner, Ferguson, Hine, Madsen, Nealey, Nelson, Nutley, Rayburn, L. Smith and Zellinsky.

House Staff:Steve Lundin (786-7127)

AS PASSED HOUSE MARCH 2, 1987

BACKGROUND:

Various types of special districts can be created to provide diking, drainage and flood control improvements.  These special districts are characterized by:  (1) voting rights restricted to property owners; and (2) facilities and activities funded by the imposition of special assessments.

Most of the laws relating to these special districts were enacted in the 1890's and early 1900's.  Legislation to modernize and standardize statutes for these special districts was enacted in 1985 and 1986.

SUMMARY:

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

(1)  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.

(2)  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.

(3)  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.

(4)  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.

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

EFFECT OF SENATE AMENDMENT(S):  The Legislative Budget Committee, in cooperation with the Senate Governmental Operations Committee and the House Local Government Committee, shall review the laws relating to special purpose districts, and shall recommend the continuation, elimination, or modification of the special purpose districts.

Fiscal Note:    Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:     None Presented.

House Committee - Testified Against: None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:     This is the last in a series of modernizing diking and drainage district laws.  Most of the districts are very small.  One contracted with the county to install a pump that cost $75,000 and the district will give its 5,000 annual budget to the county for five years to pay for the pump.

House Committee - Testimony Against: None Presented.

VOTE ON FINAL PASSAGE:

     Yeas 95; Nays 0; Absent 0; Excused 3

Excused:   Representatives Fuhrman, Locke and Padden