FINAL BILL REPORT

                  SSB 5336

                         PARTIAL VETO

                          C 361 L 97

                      Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Clarifying and harmonizing provisions affecting cities and towns.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Government Operations (originally sponsored by Senators Horn and Haugen).

Senate Committee on Government Operations

House Committee on Government Administration

Background:  Several provisions in statutes affecting cities and towns require clarification.

Summary:  Municipalities may contract with licensed collection agencies to collect public debts.  The term "debt" is clarified to include fees, penalties, reasonable costs, and assessments, as well as fines and other debts.

Specific municipalities are prohibited from incurring a total indebtedness on a contract in excess of a certain value of the taxable property in the municipality.  If the contract is in excess of that amount, a proposition must be submitted to the voters as to whether the contract should be entered into by the municipality.

The cost of an insurance policy to a public agency is not considered as additional compensation to various elected officials.  Added to the list of officials are those elected under statutes pertaining to first and second class cities, towns, noncharter code cities and code cities with a mayor-council plan, and code cities with a council-manager plan.

In a town, all appointive officers and employees are subject to any relevant civil service law or regulation.

The council of a city or town may call an election on the proposition of disincorporation without regard to population limits.

Clarification is made about the appropriate statutes dealing with civil infractions committed by persons carrying a pistol without a concealed pistol license.

When a city with a population of under 2,500 is reclassifying as an optional municipal code city, it may choose to maintain a seven-member council.

A person must be a resident and registered voter in a second class city before he or she may hold an elective office in that city.

Cities and towns may annex territory beyond an urban growth area only if (a) the territory is annexed for municipal purposes and (b) the territory is owned by the city or town.

Unique requirements for a second class city to issue franchises are repealed.

The requirement is repealed for the discharge of an employee or appointed officer of a city with a commission form of government if the employee or officer is acting inappropriately with regard to the election of a candidate for the city commission.

A redundant statute dealing with a metropolitan park district is repealed.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate 48 0

House     94 3 (House amended)

Senate        (Senate refused to concur)

House         (House refused to recede)

Conference Committee

House     65 32

Senate    39 7

Effective:  July 27, 1997

Partial Veto Summary:  A number of sections were vetoed because they were covered in other bills.  The sections allowing a city to annex territory it owns outside of an urban growth area were vetoed because they go well beyond the changes to annexation laws recommended by the Land Use Study Commission.