BILL REQ. #:  H-0530.3 



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HOUSE BILL 1231
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State of Washington58th Legislature2003 Regular Session

By Representatives Romero, Schindler, Upthegrove, Jarrett, Clibborn, Armstrong, Hatfield, Clements, Moeller, Mielke, Morris, Ericksen, Berkey, Roach, Simpson, Linville, Fromhold, Dunshee, Kirby, Ruderman, Hunt, Nixon, McDermott, Holmquist, Anderson, Chase and Condotta

Read first time 01/21/2003.   Referred to Committee on Local Government.



     AN ACT Relating to providing a new direct petition annexation method; amending RCW 35.21.005 and 35A.01.040; adding new sections to chapter 35.13 RCW; adding new sections to chapter 35A.14 RCW; creating new sections; and declaring an emergency.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature recognizes that on March 14, 2002, the Washington state supreme court decided in Grant County Fire Protection District No. 5 v. City of Moses Lake, 145 Wn.2d 702 (2002), that the petition method of annexation authorized by RCW 35.13.125 through 35.13.160 and 35A.14.120 through 35A.14.150 is unconstitutional. The legislature also recognizes that on October 11, 2002, the Washington state supreme court granted a motion for reconsideration of this decision. The legislature intends to provide a new method of direct petition annexation that enables property owners and registered voters to participate in an annexation process without the constitutional defect identified by the court.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 35.13 RCW to read as follows:
     Proceedings for the annexation of territory pursuant to this section and section 3 of this act shall be commenced as provided in this section. Before the circulation of a petition for annexation, the initiating party or parties who, except as provided in RCW 28A.335.110, shall be either not less than ten percent of the residents of the area to be annexed or the owners of not less than ten percent of the property for which annexation is petitioned, shall notify the legislative body of the city or town in writing of their intention to commence annexation proceedings. The legislative body shall set a date, not later than sixty days after the filing of the request, for a meeting with the initiating parties to determine whether the city or town will accept, reject, or geographically modify the proposed annexation, whether it shall require the simultaneous adoption of the comprehensive plan if such plan has been prepared and filed for the area to be annexed as provided for in RCW 35.13.177 and 35.13.178, and whether it shall require the assumption of all or any portion of existing city or town indebtedness by the area to be annexed. If the legislative body requires the assumption of all or any portion of indebtedness and/or the adoption of a comprehensive plan, it shall record this action in its minutes and the petition for annexation shall be so drawn as to clearly indicate this fact. There shall be no appeal from the decision of the legislative body.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 35.13 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) A petition for annexation of an area contiguous to a city or town may be made in writing addressed to and filed with the legislative body of the municipality to which annexation is desired. Except where all the property sought to be annexed is property of a school district, and the school directors thereof file the petition for annexation as in RCW 28A.335.110, the petition must be signed by the owners of a majority of the acreage for which annexation is petitioned and a majority of the registered voters of the property for which annexation is petitioned.
     (2) If no residents exist within the area proposed for annexation, the petition must be signed by the owners of a majority of the acreage for which annexation is petitioned.
     (3) The petition shall set forth a description of the property according to government legal subdivisions or legal plats which is in compliance with RCW 35.02.170, and shall be accompanied by a plat that outlines the boundaries of the property sought to be annexed. If the legislative body has required the assumption of all or any portion of city or town indebtedness by the area annexed, and/or the adoption of a comprehensive plan for the area to be annexed, these facts, together with a quotation of the minute entry of such requirement or requirements, shall be set forth in the petition.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   A new section is added to chapter 35.13 RCW to read as follows:
     When a petition for annexation is filed with the city or town council, or commission in those cities having a commission form of government, that meets the requirements of sections 2 and 3 of this act and RCW 35.21.005, of which fact satisfactory proof may be required by the council or commission, the council or commission may entertain the same, fix a date for a public hearing thereon and cause notice of the hearing to be published in one issue of a newspaper of general circulation in the city or town. The notice shall also be posted in three public places within the territory proposed for annexation, and shall specify the time and place of hearing and invite interested persons to appear and voice approval or disapproval of the annexation. The expense of publication and posting of the notice shall be borne by the signers of the petition.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   A new section is added to chapter 35.13 RCW to read as follows:
     Following the hearing, the council or commission shall determine by ordinance whether annexation shall be made. Subject to the provisions of sections 2 through 7 of this act and RCW 35.21.005, they may annex all or any portion of the proposed area but may not include in the annexation any property not described in the petition. Upon passage of the ordinance a certified copy shall be filed with the board of county commissioners of the county in which the annexed property is located.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6   A new section is added to chapter 35.13 RCW to read as follows:
     Upon the date fixed in the ordinance of annexation, the area annexed shall become part of the city or town. All property within the annexed territory shall, if the annexation petition so provided, be assessed and taxed at the same rate and on the same basis as the property of such annexing city or town is assessed and taxed to pay for all or of any portion of the then outstanding indebtedness of the city or town to which the area is annexed, approved by the voters, contracted, or incurred before, or existing at, the date of annexation. If the annexation petition so provided, all property in the annexed area is subject to and is a part of the comprehensive plan as prepared and filed as provided for in RCW 35.13.177 and 35.13.178.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 7   A new section is added to chapter 35.13 RCW to read as follows:
     The method of annexation provided for in sections 2 through 6 of this act is an alternative method, and does not supersede any other method.

Sec. 8   RCW 35.21.005 and 1996 c 286 s 6 are each amended to read as follows:
     Wherever in this title petitions are required to be signed and filed, the following rules shall govern the sufficiency thereof:
     (1) A petition may include any page or group of pages containing an identical text or prayer intended by the circulators, signers or sponsors to be presented and considered as one petition and containing the following essential elements when applicable, except that the elements referred to in (d) and (e) of this subsection are essential for petitions referring or initiating legislative matters to the voters, but are directory as to other petitions:
     (a) The text or prayer of the petition which shall be a concise statement of the action or relief sought by petitioners and shall include a reference to the applicable state statute or city ordinance, if any;
     (b) If the petition initiates or refers an ordinance, a true copy thereof;
     (c) If the petition seeks the annexation, incorporation, withdrawal, or reduction of an area for any purpose, an accurate legal description of the area proposed for such action and if practical, a map of the area;
     (d) Numbered lines for signatures with space provided beside each signature for the name and address of the signer and the date of signing;
     (e) The warning statement prescribed in subsection (2) of this section.
     (2) Petitions shall be printed or typed on single sheets of white paper of good quality and each sheet of petition paper having a space thereon for signatures shall contain the text or prayer of the petition and the following warning:


     WARNING


Every person who signs this petition with any other than his or her true name, or who knowingly signs more than one of these petitions, or signs a petition seeking an election when he or she is not a legal voter, or signs a petition when he or she is otherwise not qualified to sign, or who makes herein any false statement, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.


     Each signature shall be executed in ink or indelible pencil and shall be followed by the name and address of the signer and the date of signing.
     (3) The term "signer" means any person who signs his or her own name to the petition.
     (4) To be sufficient a petition must contain valid signatures of qualified registered voters or property owners, as the case may be, in the number required by the applicable statute or ordinance. Within three working days after the filing of a petition, the officer with whom the petition is filed shall transmit the petition to the county auditor for petitions signed by registered voters, or to the county assessor for petitions signed by property owners for determination of sufficiency. The officer or officers whose duty it is to determine the sufficiency of the petition shall proceed to make such a determination with reasonable promptness and shall file with the officer receiving the petition for filing a certificate stating the date upon which such determination was begun, which date shall be referred to as the terminal date. Additional pages of one or more signatures may be added to the petition by filing the same with the appropriate filing officer prior to such terminal date. Any signer of a filed petition may withdraw his or her signature by a written request for withdrawal filed with the receiving officer prior to such terminal date. Such written request shall so sufficiently describe the petition as to make identification of the person and the petition certain. The name of any person seeking to withdraw shall be signed exactly the same as contained on the petition and, after the filing of such request for withdrawal, prior to the terminal date, the signature of any person seeking such withdrawal shall be deemed withdrawn.
     (5) Petitions containing the required number of signatures shall be accepted as prima facie valid until their invalidity has been proved.
     (6) A variation on petitions between the signatures on the petition and that on the voter's permanent registration caused by the substitution of initials instead of the first or middle names, or both, shall not invalidate the signature on the petition if the surname and handwriting are the same.
     (7) Signatures, including the original, of any person who has signed a petition two or more times shall be stricken.
     (8) Signatures followed by a date of signing which is more than six months prior to the date of filing of the petition shall be stricken.
     (9) When petitions are required to be signed by the owners of property, the determination shall be made by the county assessor. Where validation of signatures to the petition is required, the following shall apply:
     (a) The signature of a record owner, as determined by the records of the county auditor, shall be sufficient without the signature of his or her spouse;
     (b) In the case of mortgaged property, the signature of the mortgagor shall be sufficient, without the signature of his or her spouse;
     (c) In the case of property purchased on contract, the signature of the contract purchaser, as shown by the records of the county auditor, shall be deemed sufficient, without the signature of his or her spouse;
     (d) Any officer of a corporation owning land within the area involved who is duly authorized to execute deeds or encumbrances on behalf of the corporation, may sign on behalf of such corporation, and shall attach to the petition a certified excerpt from the bylaws of such corporation showing such authority;
     (e) When property stands in the name of a deceased person or any person for whom a guardian has been appointed, the signature of the executor, administrator, or guardian, as the case may be, shall be equivalent to the signature of the owner of the property; and
     (f) When a parcel of property is owned by multiple owners, the signature of an owner designated by the multiple owners is sufficient.
     (10) The officer ((who is)) or officers responsible for determining the sufficiency of the petition shall do so in writing and transmit the written certificate to the officer with whom the petition was originally filed.

Sec. 9   RCW 35A.01.040 and 1996 c 286 s 7 are each amended to read as follows:
     Wherever in this title petitions are required to be signed and filed, the following rules shall govern the sufficiency thereof:
     (1) A petition may include any page or group of pages containing an identical text or prayer intended by the circulators, signers or sponsors to be presented and considered as one petition and containing the following essential elements when applicable, except that the elements referred to in (d) and (e) of this subsection are essential for petitions referring or initiating legislative matters to the voters, but are directory as to other petitions:
     (a) The text or prayer of the petition which shall be a concise statement of the action or relief sought by petitioners and shall include a reference to the applicable state statute or city ordinance, if any;
     (b) If the petition initiates or refers an ordinance, a true copy thereof;
     (c) If the petition seeks the annexation, incorporation, withdrawal, or reduction of an area for any purpose, an accurate legal description of the area proposed for such action and if practical, a map of the area;
     (d) Numbered lines for signatures with space provided beside each signature for the name and address of the signer and the date of signing;
     (e) The warning statement prescribed in subsection (2) of this section.
     (2) Petitions shall be printed or typed on single sheets of white paper of good quality and each sheet of petition paper having a space thereon for signatures shall contain the text or prayer of the petition and the following warning:


     WARNING


Every person who signs this petition with any other than his or her true name, or who knowingly signs more than one of these petitions, or signs a petition seeking an election when he or she is not a legal voter, or signs a petition when he or she is otherwise not qualified to sign, or who makes herein any false statement, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.


     Each signature shall be executed in ink or indelible pencil and shall be followed by the name and address of the signer and the date of signing.
     (3) The term "signer" means any person who signs his or her own name to the petition.
     (4) To be sufficient a petition must contain valid signatures of qualified registered voters or property owners, as the case may be, in the number required by the applicable statute or ordinance. Within three working days after the filing of a petition, the officer with whom the petition is filed shall transmit the petition to the county auditor for petitions signed by registered voters, or to the county assessor for petitions signed by property owners for determination of sufficiency. The officer or officers whose duty it is to determine the sufficiency of the petition shall proceed to make such a determination with reasonable promptness and shall file with the officer receiving the petition for filing a certificate stating the date upon which such determination was begun, which date shall be referred to as the terminal date. Additional pages of one or more signatures may be added to the petition by filing the same with the appropriate filing officer prior to such terminal date. Any signer of a filed petition may withdraw his or her signature by a written request for withdrawal filed with the receiving officer prior to such terminal date. Such written request shall so sufficiently describe the petition as to make identification of the person and the petition certain. The name of any person seeking to withdraw shall be signed exactly the same as contained on the petition and, after the filing of such request for withdrawal, prior to the terminal date, the signature of any person seeking such withdrawal shall be deemed withdrawn.
     (5) Petitions containing the required number of signatures shall be accepted as prima facie valid until their invalidity has been proved.
     (6) A variation on petitions between the signatures on the petition and that on the voter's permanent registration caused by the substitution of initials instead of the first or middle names, or both, shall not invalidate the signature on the petition if the surname and handwriting are the same.
     (7) Signatures, including the original, of any person who has signed a petition two or more times shall be stricken.
     (8) Signatures followed by a date of signing which is more than six months prior to the date of filing of the petition shall be stricken.
     (9) When petitions are required to be signed by the owners of property, the determination shall be made by the county assessor. Where validation of signatures to the petition is required, the following shall apply:
     (a) The signature of a record owner, as determined by the records of the county auditor, shall be sufficient without the signature of his or her spouse;
     (b) In the case of mortgaged property, the signature of the mortgagor shall be sufficient, without the signature of his or her spouse;
     (c) In the case of property purchased on contract, the signature of the contract purchaser, as shown by the records of the county auditor, shall be deemed sufficient, without the signature of his or her spouse;
     (d) Any officer of a corporation owning land within the area involved who is duly authorized to execute deeds or encumbrances on behalf of the corporation, may sign on behalf of such corporation, and shall attach to the petition a certified excerpt from the bylaws of such corporation showing such authority;
     (e) When property stands in the name of a deceased person or any person for whom a guardian has been appointed, the signature of the executor, administrator, or guardian, as the case may be, shall be equivalent to the signature of the owner of the property; and
     (f) When a parcel of property is owned by multiple owners, the signature of an owner designated by the multiple owners is sufficient.
     (10) The officer ((who is)) or officers responsible for determining the sufficiency of the petition shall do so in writing and transmit the written certificate to the officer with whom the petition was originally filed.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 10   A new section is added to chapter 35A.14 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) Proceedings for initiating annexation of unincorporated territory to a charter code city or noncharter code city may be commenced by the filing of a petition of property owners of the territory proposed to be annexed, in the following manner which is alternative to other methods provided in this chapter:
     (a) Before the circulation of a petition for annexation, the initiating party or parties, who shall be the owners of not less than ten percent of the property for which annexation is sought, shall notify the legislative body of the code city in writing of their intention to commence annexation proceedings;
     (b) The legislative body shall set a date, not later than sixty days after the filing of the request, for a meeting with the initiating parties to determine whether the code city will accept, reject, or geographically modify the proposed annexation, whether it shall require the simultaneous adoption of a proposed zoning regulation, if such a proposal has been prepared and filed for the area to be annexed as provided for in RCW 35A.14.330 and 35A.14.340, and whether it shall require the assumption of all or any portion of existing city indebtedness by the area to be annexed;
     (c) If the legislative body requires the assumption of all or any portion of indebtedness and/or the adoption of a proposed zoning regulation, it shall record this action in its minutes and the petition for annexation shall be so drawn as to clearly indicate these facts;
     (d) Approval by the legislative body shall be a condition precedent to circulation of the petition; and
     (e) There shall be no appeal from the decision of the legislative body.
     (2) A petition for annexation of an area contiguous to a code city may be filed with the legislative body of the municipality to which annexation is desired. The petition for annexation must be signed by the owners of a majority of the acreage for which annexation is petitioned and a majority of the registered voters of the property for which annexation is petitioned.
     (3) If no residents exist within the area proposed for annexation, the petition must be signed by the owners of a majority of the acreage for which annexation is petitioned.
     (4) The petition shall set forth a description of the property according to government legal subdivisions or legal plats which is in compliance with RCW 35A.14.410, and shall be accompanied by a plat that outlines the boundaries of the property sought to be annexed. If the legislative body has required the assumption of all or any portion of city indebtedness by the area annexed or the adoption of a proposed zoning regulation, these facts, together with a quotation of the minute entry of such requirement, or requirements, shall also be set forth in the petition.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 11   A new section is added to chapter 35A.14 RCW to read as follows:
     When a petition for annexation is filed with the legislative body of a code city, that meets the requirements of RCW 35A.01.040 and section 10 of this act and is sufficient according to the rules set forth in RCW 35A.01.040, the legislative body may entertain the same, fix a date for a public hearing thereon and cause notice of the hearing to be published in one or more issues of a newspaper of general circulation in the city. The notice shall also be posted in three public places within the territory proposed for annexation, and shall specify the time and place of hearing and invite interested persons to appear and voice approval or disapproval of the annexation.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 12   A new section is added to chapter 35A.14 RCW to read as follows:
     Following the hearing, if the legislative body determines to effect the annexation, they shall do so by ordinance. Subject to RCW 35A.14.410, the ordinance may annex all or any portion of the proposed area but may not include in the annexation any property not described in the petition. Upon passage of the annexation ordinance, a certified copy shall be filed with the board of county commissioners of the county in which the annexed property is located.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 13   A new section is added to chapter 35A.14 RCW to read as follows:
     Upon the date fixed in the ordinance of annexation, the area annexed shall become part of the city. All property within the annexed territory shall, if the annexation petition so provided, be assessed and taxed at the same rate and on the same basis as the property of the annexing code city is assessed and taxed to pay for the portion of any then-outstanding indebtedness of the city to which the area is annexed, which indebtedness has been approved by the voters, contracted for, or incurred before, or existing at, the date of annexation and that the city has required to be assumed. If the annexation petition so provided, all property in the annexed area shall be subject to and a part of the proposed zoning regulation as prepared and filed as provided for in RCW 35A.14.330 and 35A.14.340.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 14   If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 15   This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect immediately.

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