H-1455              _______________________________________________

                                          SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL NO. 1278

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1989 Regular Session

By House Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Representatives G. Fisher, Wood, Cantwell, Winsley, Rector, Walk, Phillips, Hine and Sprenkle; by request of Governor Gardner)

Read first time 2/3/89.

AN ACT Relating to the membership of the transportation board; and amending RCW 47.26.121.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

        Sec. 1.  Section 1, chapter 167, Laws of 1988 and RCW 47.26.121 are each amended to read as follows:

          (1) There is hereby created a transportation improvement board of ((fifteen)) eighteen members, six of whom shall be county members and six of whom shall be city members.  The remaining members shall be: (a) The assistant secretary of the department of transportation whose primary responsibilities relate to planning and public transportation; (b) the assistant secretary for highways of the department of transportation; ((and)) (c) the state aid engineer of the department of transportation; (d) a representative of a public transit system; and (e) two private sector representatives.

          (2) Of the county members of the board, one member shall be a county engineer or planning director from a county of the first class or larger; one member shall be a county engineer or planning director from a county of the second class or smaller; one member shall be an engineer occupying the position of county road administration engineer, created by RCW 36.78.060;  two members shall be  county executives, council members, or commissioners from  counties of the first class or larger; one member shall be a county executive, council member, or commissioner from a county of the second class or smaller.  All county members of the board, except the county road administration engineer, shall be appointed.  Not more than one county member of the board shall be from any one county.  For the purposes of this subsection, the term "county engineer" ((shall)) means the director of public works in any county in which such a position exists.  The term "planning director" means the person with responsibility for transportation or land use planning activities, or both.

          (3) Of the city members of the board two shall be chief city engineers, public works directors, planning directors, or other city employees with responsibility for public works, transportation, or land use planning activities, of cities over twenty thousand population; one shall be a chief city engineer, public works director, planning director, or other city employee with responsibility for public works, transportation, or land use planning activities, of a city of less than twenty thousand population; two shall be mayors, commissioners, or city council members of cities of more than twenty thousand population; and one shall be a mayor, commissioner, or council member of a city of less than twenty thousand population.  All of the city members shall be appointed.  Not more than one city member of the board shall be from any one city.

          (4) The transit member shall be a general manager, executive director, or transit director of a city-owned transit system, county transportation authority, metropolitan municipal corporation, or public transportation benefit area.

(5) Appointments of county ((and)), city, transit, and private sector representatives shall be made by the ((secretary of the department of transportation, with initial appointments to be made by July 1, 1988)) governor.  Members serving on the effective date of this act shall serve the remainder of their terms.  Appointees shall be chosen from a list of two persons for each position nominated by the Washington state association of counties for county members and the association of Washington cities for city members.  ((Except as provided in subsection (5) of this section, terms of appointment are four years.))  The governor shall solicit nominations for the private sector positions from a state-wide organization or organizations dealing with multi-modal transportation issues of importance to the public whose membership represents diverse interests to include, but not limited to, agriculture, manufacturing, construction, and major business, environmental, and economic interests.  The governor shall solicit nominations for the transit position from a state-wide association or associations representing transit agencies.   In the case of a vacancy, the appointment shall be only for the remainder of the unexpired term in which the vacancy has occurred.  A vacancy shall be deemed to have occurred on the board when any member elected to public office completes that term of office or is removed therefrom for any reason or when any member employed by a political subdivision terminates such employment for whatsoever reason.

          (((5) The initial appointment to the board for three county representatives and three city representatives shall be for terms of two years and the remainder of the)) (6) Appointments shall be for terms of four years.  Terms of all appointed members shall expire on June 30th of even-numbered years.

          (((6))) (7) The board shall elect a chair from among its members for a two-year term.

          (((7))) (8) Expenses of the board, including administration of the transportation improvement program, shall be paid from the urban arterial account.