SENATE BILL REPORT

SHB 929

BYHouse Committee on Local Government (originally sponsored by Representatives Haugen, L. Smith, Allen and Nutley)

Providing for sewer connections by residents of cities, towns, counties, public utility districts, and sewer districts.

House Committe on Local Government

Senate Committee on Governmental Operations

Senate Hearing Date(s):April 1, 1987; April 2, 1987; February 18, 1988

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

AS OF FEBRUARY 15, 1988

BACKGROUND:

A number of local governments have been authorized to provide sanitary sewer systems and may require persons to pay connection charges to hook up to a sewer line.  Sewer districts are authorized to permit persons to make installment payments on these connection charges, with interest, over a ten-year period.  No other local government is authorized to allow installment payments for these connection charges.

Sewer districts are authorized to require property owners within an area served by sewers to connect their private sewer systems to the district sewer line.  By reference, a water district may provide sewer systems under sewer district laws.  No other local governments have been granted this authority expressly to require connection to their sewer systems.  However, under general public health authority, a county or city can abate a public nuisance by stopping raw sewage from flowing down a culvert or requiring persons to vacate a house that is an extreme health hazard.

SUMMARY:

A city, town, county, or public utility district may compel property that is in an area served by its sewer system to connect to the system after giving the property owners a reasonable period to connect to the system if the public sewer system line is located within 200 feet of the building to be served and the legislative body determines that the private drain or sewer system is inadequate.  The cost of the connection shall be charged against the property owner and shall be a lien against the property served.  Sewer district law is amended to require that property owners be given a reasonable period of time to connect to a sewer system before a sewer district itself makes the connection, and restrict the ability of a sewer district to compel a connection to situations where the public sewer system line is within 200 feet of the building to be served.

A city, town, county, or public utility district may permit persons to make installment payments on connection charges, with interest, over a fifteen year period.  The term of installment payments that a sewer district is authorized to permit is increased from 10 years to 15 years.

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:   none

Fiscal Note:    none requested