Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research	BILL ANALYSIS
Local Government & Housing Committee

HB 2495

Brief Description:  Updating outdated fire district statutes to increase efficiency.

Sponsors:  Representatives Mulliken, Dunshee, Edwards, Miloscia and Casada.

Brief Summary of Bill

$Authorizes a fire district that contracts with another district that has least one full‑time, paid employee to utilize the additional 50 cent per thousand property tax for fire districts.

$Authorizes other taxing districts to release dollar rates of their authorized levies to the fire districts.

Hearing Date:  1/30/02

Staff:  Scott MacColl (786‑7106).

Background:

Fire districts are authorized an additional property tax up to fifty cents per thousand above the general levy for fire districts, provided that it will not affect the rates of other taxing districts or cause the combined levies to exceed the constitutional limit.

The board of fire commissioners of any fire protection district may choose to levy the additional 50 cent property tax within a county where a township has never been formed or where there are one or more townships in existence making annual tax levies and the townships are disorganized as a result of a county‑wide disorganization procedure prescribed by statute and is no longer making any tax levy.

Summary of Bill:

Fire districts that contract with another fire district that has at least one full‑time, paid employee may choose to utilize the additional fifty cents per thousand property tax.

The fire district may utilize any part of the fifty cent levy if another taxing district agrees to release taxing units from their levies to the fire district.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not Requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.