5110-S

AN ACT Relating to water and sewer districts; amending RCW 56.08.070 and 57.08.050; adding a new chapter to Title 56 RCW; and adding a new chapter to Title 57 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A sewer district may include along with, or as part of its regular customer billings, a request for voluntary contributions to assist qualified low-income residential customers of the district in paying their sewer district bills. All funds received by the district in response to such requests shall be transmitted to the grantee of the department of community development which administers federally funded energy assistance programs for the state in the district's service area or to a charitable organization within the district's service area. All such funds shall be used solely to supplement assistance to low-income residential customers of the district in paying their sewer district bills. The grantee or charitable organization shall be responsible to determine which of the district's customers are qualified for low-income assistance and the amount of assistance to be provided to those who are qualified.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. All assistance provided under this chapter shall be disbursed by the grantee or charitable organization. Where possible the sewer district will be paid on behalf of the customer by the grantee or the charitable organization. When direct vendor payment is not feasible, a check will be issued jointly payable to the customer and the sewer district. The availability of funds for assistance to a district's low-income customers as a result of voluntary contributions shall not reduce the amount of assistance for which the district's customers are eligible under the federally funded energy assistance programs administered by the grantee of the department of community development within the district's service area. The grantee or charitable organization shall provide the district with a quarterly report on January 15th, April 15th, July 15th, and October 15th which includes information concerning the total amount of funds received from the district, the names of all recipients of assistance from these funds, the amount received by each recipient, and the amount of funds received from the district currently on hand and available for future low-income assistance.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. Contributions received under a program implemented by a sewer district in compliance with this chapter shall not be considered a commingling of funds.

Sec. 4. RCW 56.08.070 and 1989 c 105 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) All materials purchased and work ordered, the estimated cost of which is in excess of five thousand dollars shall be let by contract. All contract projects, the estimated cost of which is less than fifty thousand dollars, may be awarded to a contractor on the small works roster. The small works roster shall be comprised of all responsible contractors who have requested to be on the list. The board of sewer commissioners may set up uniform procedures to prequalify contractors for inclusion on the small works roster. The board of sewer commissioners shall authorize by resolution a procedure for securing telephone and/or written quotations from the contractors on the small works roster to assure establishment of a competitive price and for awarding contracts to the lowest responsible bidder. Such procedure shall require that a good faith effort be made to request quotations from all contractors on the small works roster. Immediately after an award is made, the bid quotations obtained shall be recorded, open to public inspection, and available by telephone inquiry. The small works roster shall be revised once a year. All contract projects equal to or in excess of fifty thousand dollars shall be let by competitive bidding. Before awarding any competitive contract the board of sewer commissioners shall cause a notice to be published in a newspaper in general circulation where the district is located at least once, ten days before the letting of such contract, inviting sealed proposals for such work, plans and specifications which must at the time of publication of such notice be on file in the office of the board of sewer commissioners subject to public inspection. Such notice shall state generally the work to be done and shall call for proposals for doing the same to be sealed and filed with the board of sewer commissioners on or before the day and hour named therein.

(2) Each bid shall be accompanied by a bid proposal deposit in the form of a certified check, cashier's check, postal money order, or surety bond payable to the order of the county treasurer for a sum not less than five percent of the amount of the bid and no bid shall be considered unless accompanied by such bid proposal deposit. At the time and place named such bids shall be publicly opened and read and the board of sewer commissioners shall proceed to canvass the bids and may let such contract to the lowest responsible bidder upon plans and specifications: PROVIDED, That no contract shall be let in excess of the cost of ((~~said~~)) the materials or work((~~, or if in the opinion of~~)). The board of sewer commissioners ((~~all bids are unsatisfactory they~~)) may reject all ((~~of them~~)) bids for good cause and readvertise and in such case all checks, cash or bid bonds shall be returned to the bidders. If such contract be let, then all checks, cash or bid bonds shall be returned to the bidders, except that of the successful bidder, which shall be retained until a contract shall be entered into for the purchase of such materials or doing such work, and a bond to perform such work furnished with sureties satisfactory to the board of sewer commissioners in the full amount of the contract price between the bidder and the commission in accordance with bid. If ((~~said~~)) the bidder fails to enter into ((~~said~~)) the contract in accordance with ((~~said~~)) the bid and furnish such bond within ten days from the date at which he or she is notified that he or she is the successful bidder, the ((~~said~~)) check, cash or bid bonds and the amount thereof shall be forfeited to the sewer district.

(3) In the event of an emergency when the public interest or property of the sewer district would suffer material injury or damage by delay, upon resolution of the board of sewer commissioners, or proclamation of an official designated by the board to act for the board during such emergencies, declaring the existence of such emergency and reciting the facts constituting the same, the board, or the official acting for the board, may waive the requirements of this chapter with reference to any purchase or contract. In addition, these requirements may be waived for purchases which are clearly and legitimately limited to a single source of supply and purchases involving special facilities, services, or market conditions, in which instances the purchase price may be best established by direct negotiation.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. A water district may include along with, or as part of its regular customer billings, a request for voluntary contributions to assist qualified low-income residential customers of the district in paying their water district bills. All funds received by the district in response to such requests shall be transmitted to the grantee of the department of community development which administers federally funded energy assistance programs for the state in the district's service area or to a charitable organization within the district's service area. All such funds shall be used solely to supplement assistance to low-income residential customers of the district in paying their water district bills. The grantee or charitable organization shall be responsible to determine which of the district's customers are qualified for low-income assistance and the amount of assistance to be provided to those who are qualified.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. All assistance provided under this chapter shall be disbursed by the grantee or charitable organization. Where possible the water district will be paid on behalf of the customer by the grantee or the charitable organization. When direct vendor payment is not feasible, a check will be issued jointly payable to the customer and the water district. The availability of funds for assistance to a district's low-income customers as a result of voluntary contributions shall not reduce the amount of assistance for which the district's customers are eligible under the federally funded energy assistance programs administered by the grantee of the department of community development within the district's service area. The grantee or charitable organization shall provide the district with a quarterly report on January 15th, April 15th, July 15th, and October 15th which includes information concerning the total amount of funds received from the district, the names of all recipients of assistance from these funds, the amount received by each recipient, and the amount of funds received from the district currently on hand and available for future low-income assistance.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. Contributions received under a program implemented by a water district in compliance with this chapter shall not be considered a commingling of funds.

Sec. 8. RCW 57.08.050 and 1989 c 105 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The board of water commissioners shall have authority to create and fill such positions and fix salaries and bonds thereof as it may by resolution provide.

(2) All materials purchased and work ordered, the estimated cost of which is in excess of five thousand dollars shall be let by contract. All contract projects, the estimated cost of which is less than fifty thousand dollars, may be awarded to a contractor on the small works roster. The small works roster shall be comprised of all responsible contractors who have requested to be on the list. The board of water commissioners may set up uniform procedures to prequalify contractors for inclusion on the small works roster. The board of water commissioners shall authorize by resolution a procedure for securing telephone and/or written quotations from the contractors on the small works roster to assure establishment of a competitive price and for awarding contracts to the lowest responsible bidder. Such procedure shall require that a good faith effort be made to request quotations from all contractors on the small works roster. Immediately after an award is made, the bid quotations obtained shall be recorded, open to public inspection, and available by telephone inquiry. The small works roster shall be revised once a year. All contract projects equal to or in excess of fifty thousand dollars shall be let by competitive bidding. Before awarding any such contract the board of water commissioners shall cause a notice to be published in a newspaper in general circulation where the district is located at least once ten days before the letting of such contract, inviting sealed proposals for such work, plans and specifications which must at the time of publication of such notice be on file in the office of the board of water commissioners subject to public inspection. Such notice shall state generally the work to be done and shall call for proposals for doing the same to be sealed and filed with the board of water commissioners on or before the day and hour named therein.

(3) Each bid shall be accompanied by a certified or cashier's check or postal money order payable to the order of the county treasurer for a sum not less than five percent of the amount of the bid, or accompanied by a bid bond in an amount not less than five percent of the bid with a corporate surety licensed to do business in the state, conditioned that the bidder will pay the district as liquidated damages the amount specified in the bond, unless ((he)) the bidder enters into a contract in accordance with his or her bid, and no bid shall be considered unless accompanied by such check, cash or bid bond. At the time and place named such bids shall be publicly opened and read and the board of water commissioners shall proceed to canvass the bids and may let such contract to the lowest responsible bidder upon plans and specifications on file or to the best bidder submitting his or her own plans and specifications: PROVIDED, That no contract shall be let in excess of the cost of ((~~said~~)) the materials or work((~~, or if in the opinion of~~)). The board of water commissioners ((~~all bids are unsatisfactory they~~)) may reject all ((~~of them~~)) bids for good cause and readvertise and in such case all checks, cash or bid bonds shall be returned to the bidders. If such contract be let, then all checks, cash or bid bonds shall be returned to the bidders, except that of the successful bidder, which shall be retained until a contract shall be entered into for the purchase of such materials or doing such work, and a bond to perform such work furnished with sureties satisfactory to the board of water commissioners in the full amount of the contract price between the bidder and the commission in accordance with the bid. If ((~~said~~)) the bidder fails to enter into ((~~said~~)) the contract in accordance with ((~~said~~)) the bid and furnish such bond within ten days from the date at which he or she is notified that he or she is the successful bidder, the ((~~said~~)) check, cash or bid bonds and the amount thereof shall be forfeited to the water district: PROVIDED, That if the bidder fails to enter into a contract in accordance with ((~~his~~)) the bid, and the board of water commissioners deems it necessary to take legal action to collect on any bid bond required herein, then the water district shall be entitled to collect from ((~~said~~)) the bidder any legal expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees occasioned thereby.

(4) In the event of an emergency when the public interest or property of the water district would suffer material injury or damage by delay, upon resolution of the board of water commissioners, or proclamation of an official designated by the board to act for the board during such emergencies, declaring the existence of such emergency and reciting the facts constituting the same, the board, or official acting for the board, may waive the requirements of this chapter with reference to any purchase or contract. In addition, these requirements may be waived for purchases which are clearly and legitimately limited to a single source of supply and purchases involving special facilities, services, or market conditions, in which instances the purchase price may be best established by direct negotiation.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. (1) Sections 1 through 3 of this act shall constitute a new chapter in Title 56 RCW.

(2) Sections 5 through 7 of this act shall constitute a new chapter in Title 57 RCW.