H-3593              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 2434

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1990 Regular Session

By Representatives R. Meyers, Walker, Kremen, Winsley and Spanel

Read first time 1/12/90 and referred to Committee on Transportation.

AN ACT Relating to deficit reimbursements for certain county ferries; and amending RCW 47.56.725.

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

        Sec. 1.  Section 1, chapter 21, Laws of 1975 1st ex. sess. as last amended by section 286, chapter 7, Laws of 1984 and RCW 47.56.725 are each amended to read as follows:

          (1)  The department is hereby authorized to enter into a continuing agreement with Pierce, Skagit, and Whatcom counties pursuant to which the department shall, from time to time, direct the distribution to each of the counties the amounts authorized in subsection (2) of this section in accordance with RCW 46.68.100.

          (2)  The department is authorized to include in  each such continuing agreement a provision for the distribution to each such county funds to reimburse the county for ((fifty)) eighty percent of the deficit incurred during each previous fiscal year in the operation and maintenance of the ferry system owned and operated by the  county, commencing with the fiscal year ending June 30, ((1976)) 1991.  ((The total amount to be reimbursed to Pierce, Skagit, and Whatcom counties collectively shall not exceed five hundred thousand dollars in any biennium.  Each county agreement shall contain a requirement that the county shall maintain tolls on its ferries at levels sufficient to produce aggregate annual revenues at least equal to the annual revenue of the county's ferry system in calendar year 1975.))

          (3)  The annual fiscal year deficit, if any, shall be determined by Pierce, Skagit, and Whatcom counties subject to review and approval of the department.  ((The annual fiscal year deficit is defined as the total of operations and maintenance expenditures less the sum of ferry toll revenues and that portion of fuel tax revenue distributions which are attributable to the county ferry as determined by the department.  Distribution of the amounts authorized by subsection (2) of this section by the state treasurer shall be directed)) If eighty percent of the deficit for the preceding fiscal year exceeds the total amount paid to a county for that year, the additional amount shall be paid to that county by the department upon the receipt of a properly executed voucher((s)) from ((each)) the county.  The total of all payments to a county in any biennium shall not exceed the amount appropriated for that biennium.  The fares established by each county shall be comparable to those used for similar runs on the state ferry system.