BILL REQ. #:  H-2357.1 

READ FIRST TIME 02/23/07.   

     AN ACT Relating to public facilities districts; and adding a new section to chapter 82.14 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 82.14 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) In a county with a population under three hundred thousand, the governing body of a public facilities district created before August 1, 2001, under chapter 35.57 RCW or before January 1, 2000, under chapter 36.100 RCW, in which the total population in the public facilities district is greater than ninety thousand and less than one hundred thousand, that commences improvement or rehabilitation of an existing regional center, to be used for community events, and artistic, musical, theatrical, or other cultural exhibitions, presentations, or performances, and having two thousand or fewer permanent seats, before January 1, 2009, may impose a sales and use tax in accordance with the terms of this chapter. The tax is in addition to other taxes authorized by law and shall be collected from those persons who are taxable by the state under chapters 82.08 and 82.12 RCW upon the occurrence of any taxable event within the public facilities district. The rate of tax shall not exceed 0.033 percent of the selling price in the case of a sales tax or value of the article used in the case of a use tax.
     (2) The tax imposed under subsection (1) of this section shall be deducted from the amount of tax otherwise required to be collected or paid over to the department of revenue under chapter 82.08 or 82.12 RCW. The department of revenue shall perform the collection of such taxes on behalf of the county at no cost to the public facilities district.
     (3) The tax imposed in this section shall expire when the bonds issued for the construction of the regional center and related parking facilities are retired, but not more than twenty-five years after the tax is first collected.
     (4) Moneys collected under this section shall only be used for the purposes set forth in RCW 35.57.020 and must be matched with an amount from other public or private sources equal to thirty-three percent of the amount collected under this section, provided that amounts generated from nonvoter approved taxes authorized under chapter 35.57 RCW shall not constitute a public or private source. For the purpose of this section, "public or private sources" includes, but is not limited to, cash or in-kind contributions used in all phases of the development or improvement of the regional center, land that is donated and used for the siting of the regional center, cash or in-kind contributions from public or private foundations, or amounts attributed to private sector partners as part of a public and private partnership agreement negotiated by the public facilities district.