SENATE BILL REPORT

ESSB 5020

BYSenate Committee on Governmental Operations (originally sponsored by Senators McCaslin, Lee, West and Stratton)

Authorizing creation of five-member board of county commissioners.

Senate Committee on Governmental Operations

Senate Hearing Date(s):January 22, 1987

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5020 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

      Signed by Senators Halsan, Chairman; Garrett, Vice Chairman; DeJarnatt, McCaslin, Talmadge, Zimmerman.

Senate Staff:Sam Thompson (786-7754); Eugene Green (786-7405)

                  February 9, 1987

AS PASSED SENATE, JANUARY 22, 1988

BACKGROUND:

Boards of county commissioners are comprised of three members, two of whom constitute a quorum to do business.  They are nominated in primary elections by voters within county commissioner districts, but must run in the county at large in a general election.  Each county commissioner district is represented by one commissioner.  Commissioners are elected to staggered four-year terms; no more than two positions are up for election at one time.

Under home rule charters, a number of counties have opted for county legislative authorities of more than three members.  It has been suggested that populous noncharter counties should be enabled to expand to a larger board of commissioners.

SUMMARY:

A noncharter county with a population greater than 210,000 (i.e., class A or AA counties) may expand to a five-member board of county commissioners.  The expansion will take place upon majority voter approval of a ballot proposition.  The proposition would appear on a general election ballot by resolution of the county commissioners or upon the petition of at least 10 percent of the voters voting at the last general election.

If the proposition receives majority voter approval, the two newly created positions are to be filled at elections held the next year.  Three members of the expanded board constitute a quorum to do business.

Once the five-member board of commissioners is approved, the existing board has three months to create the five new commissioner districts.  No two existing commissioners may reside in (represent) the same district.  If the district lines have not been created by the second Monday in March, the prosecuting attorney of the county is directed to petition the superior court to appoint a court official to designate the districts.  The court official will then draw the district lines by June 1.

The terms of the persons who are initially elected to positions four and five are two years and four years, respectively, if the election is in an even-numbered year.  If the election comes in an odd-numbered year, the terms are one year for the position four commissioner and three years for the position five commissioner.  Thereafter, commissioners for the new positions are to be elected for the usual four-year terms.

A vacancy-filling procedure paralleling the current provision for three-member boards is established.  If the five-member board has three or more vacancies, the Governor appoints members until there are three commissioners.  Whenever there are two vacancies, the three members fill one position.  The four commissioners fill the last vacancy.

Fiscal Note:      none requested

Senate Committee - Testified: Representative Mike Padden; Gary Lowe, Washington State Association of Counties