H-3961              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 2811

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1990 Regular Session

By Representatives Kirby, Fuhrman, Basich, Moyer, Dellwo, Baugher, Rayburn, Winsley, Rector, Beck, Haugen, Bowman, Inslee, Brumsickle, Jesernig, Heavey, Zellinsky, Hargrove, Day, Dorn, Doty and Kremen

Read first time 1/22/90 and referred to Committee on Local Government.

AN ACT Relating to counties; adding a new section to chapter 36.32 RCW; creating a new section; and declaring an emergency.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 36.32 RCW to read as follows:

          There is created in the state treasury a special account to be known as the "county property tax equalization account."  On the first day of the months of January, April, July, and October of each year an amount of money from the general fund shall be transferred into this account that is sufficient for the distributions made to eligible counties on that day.

          Any county is eligible for four quarterly distributions from the county property tax equalization account, if that county imposed a per capita amount of general property taxes that were less than the average per capita amount of general property taxes that would be raised at the one dollar and eighty cents per one thousand rate by the five counties in the state receiving the greatest amount of total general property taxes at the one dollar and eighty cents per one thousand rate.  Each eligible county shall receive an amount over a one-year period equal to its population multiplied by an amount equal to the difference between that county's per capita general property taxes at the one dollar and eighty cents per one thousand rate subtracted from the average per capita general property taxes at the one dollar and eighty cents per one thousand rate of the five counties in the state imposing the greatest amount of county general property taxes at the one dollar and eighty cents per one thousand rate, times the ratio of the county's actual tax rate, divided by .0018, but not to exceed a ratio of one.  One quarter of the annual distributions shall be made on the first day of the months of April, July, and October in the year after the property taxes were imposed, and the first day of the month of January two years following the year in which the property taxes were imposed.  The per capita rates shall be calculated using the latest population figures for each county in the year in which the taxes were imposed, as certified by the office of financial management, and the property taxes that each county imposed, as reported to the department of revenue.

          No distributions shall be made unless the moneys are appropriated by the legislature for such purposes.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     The amount that otherwise would have been distributed on the first day of April 1990, shall not be made, but the following three distributions shall be made based on property taxes imposed in 1989.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.