H-1158              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 1820

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1989 Regular Session

By Representatives Spanel, Sprenkle, Braddock, Haugen, Vekich, Baugher and Ferguson

Read first time 2/6/89 and referred to Committee on State Government. Referred 2/8/89 to Committee on Local Government.

AN ACT Relating to port districts; amending RCW 53.12.130; and adding a new section to chapter 53.12 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 53.12 RCW to read as follows:

          A ballot proposition shall be submitted to the voters of any port district authorizing an increase in the number of port commissioners to five whenever a petition requesting such an increase has been submitted to the county auditor of the county in which the port district is located.  Before submission to the county auditor, the petition shall be signed by port district voters at least equal in number to ten percent of the number of port district voters who voted at the last general election.  The ballot proposition shall be submitted at the next general election occurring sixty or more days after the petition was submitted.

          At the same election, candidates for the two additional port commissioner positions shall be voted on as provided in RCW 53.12.130.

        Sec. 2.  Section 11, chapter 17, Laws of 1959 as amended by section 8, chapter 51, Laws of 1965 and RCW 53.12.130 are each amended to read as follows:

          At the same general election the names of the candidates for the additional port commissioner positions numbered four and five shall be printed on the ballot and voted on, but the election of such additional commissioners shall be contingent upon the adoption of the proposition for a commission of five members.  The candidate for each additional numbered position receiving the highest number of votes shall be elected, and shall take office ((five days after the election)) immediately after election and qualification as defined under RCW 29.01.135.  The additional commissioner thus elected receiving the highest number of votes shall ((hold office for six years and the other shall hold office for four years from the date provided by law for port commissioners to next commence their terms of office)) be elected to a six-year term of office and the other additional commissioner thus elected shall be elected to a term of office of four years, if the election were held in an odd-numbered year, or the additional commissioner thus elected receiving the highest number of votes shall be elected to a term of office of five years and the other shall be elected to a term of office of three years, if the election were held in an even-number year, with the length of terms of office being computed from the first day of January in the year following this election.

          A successor to a commissioner holding position four or five whose term is about to expire, shall be elected at the general election next preceding such expiration, for a term of six years.