S-1790.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 5949

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      55th Legislature     1997 Regular Session

By Senators Benton, Bauer, Finkbeiner, Heavey, Sellar, Schow, Patterson, Brown and Goings

Read first time 02/21/97.  Referred to Committee on Government Operations.

Establishing per diem for cemetery district board members.

    AN ACT Relating to cemetery district commissioners; and amending RCW 68.52.220.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 68.52.220 and 1994 c 223 s 77 are each amended to read as follows:

    The affairs of the district shall be managed by a board of cemetery district commissioners composed of three members.  Members of the board shall receive ((no compensation for their services, but)) fifty dollars per day or portion thereof, not to exceed four thousand eight hundred dollars per year, for attendance at board meetings and for performance of other services in behalf of the district.  In addition, members of the board shall receive expenses necessarily incurred in attending meetings of the board or when otherwise engaged in district business.  The board shall fix the compensation to be paid the secretary and other employees of the district.  Cemetery district commissioners and candidates for cemetery district commissioner are exempt from the requirements of chapter 42.17 RCW. 

    The initial cemetery district commissioners shall assume office immediately upon their election and qualification.  Staggering of terms of office shall be accomplished as follows:  (1) The person elected receiving the greatest number of votes shall be elected to a six-year term of office if the election is held in an odd-numbered year or a five-year term of office if the election is held in an even-numbered year; (2) the person who is elected receiving the next greatest number of votes shall be elected to a four-year term of office if the election is held in an odd-numbered year or a three-year term of office if the election is held in an even-numbered year; and (3) the other person who is elected shall be elected to a two-year term of office if the election is held in an odd-numbered year or a one-year term of office if the election is held in an even-numbered year.  The initial commissioners shall assume office immediately after they are elected and qualified but their terms of office shall be calculated from the first day of January after the election.

    Thereafter, commissioners shall be elected to six-year terms of office.  Commissioners shall serve until their successors are elected and qualified and assume office as provided in RCW 29.04.170.

    The polling places for a cemetery district election may be located inside or outside the boundaries of the district, as determined by the auditor of the county in which the cemetery district is located, and no such election shall be held irregular or void on that account.

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