BILL ANALYSIS

BILL ANALYSIS

HB 1368

TITLE OF THE BILL: Prescribing the use of revenues under the county conservation futures levy.

WHAT THIS BILL DOES: Authorizes additional uses of revenues from the county conservation futures levy.

SPONSORS: Representatives Alexander and Wolfe

HEARING DATE: Thursday, February 4, 1999

FISCAL NOTE: Not requested.

ANALYSIS PREPARED BY: Caroleen Dineen (786-7156).

BACKGROUND:

Local governments and certain public and private entities are authorized to acquire the title to or other interests in land for the purposes of protecting, improving, restoring, maintaining or conserving certain open space, farm or agricultural, and timber land for public use or enjoyment. The entities authorized to make these acquisitions include counties, cities, towns, metropolitan park districts, metropolitan municipal corporations, nonprofit historic preservation corporations, and nonprofit nature conservancy corporations or associations. These entities are specifically authorized to acquire development rights in certain open space, farm or agricultural, and timber land ("conservation futures") for conservation purposes. The statutes authorizing these acquisitions include some general provisions on future uses of property acquired for these purposes.

To fund these acquisitions, counties may impose a property tax levy against the assessed valuation of all taxable property in the county. Twelve counties imposed the conservation futures levy in 1998: Clark, Ferry, Island, King, Kitsap, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston and Whatcom. The property tax levy amount may be no greater than $0.0625 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The levy revenues may be placed in a "conservation futures fund," which may only be used to acquire rights and interests in real property.