BILL REQ. #:  H-2496.1 

READ FIRST TIME 02/27/07.   

     AN ACT Relating to growth management planning related to the development of population projections; and amending RCW 36.70A.210 and 43.62.035.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 36.70A.210 and 1998 c 171 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The legislature recognizes that counties are regional governments within their boundaries, and cities are primary providers of urban governmental services within urban growth areas. For the purposes of this section, a "countywide planning policy" is a written policy statement or statements used solely for establishing a countywide framework from which county and city comprehensive plans are developed and adopted pursuant to this chapter. This framework shall ensure that city and county comprehensive plans are consistent as required in RCW 36.70A.100. Nothing in this section shall be construed to alter the land-use powers of cities.
     (2) The legislative authority of a county that plans under RCW 36.70A.040 shall adopt a countywide planning policy in cooperation with the cities located in whole or in part within the county as follows:
     (a) No later than sixty calendar days from July 16, 1991, the legislative authority of each county that as of June 1, 1991, was required or chose to plan under RCW 36.70A.040 shall convene a meeting with representatives of each city located within the county for the purpose of establishing a collaborative process that will provide a framework for the adoption of a countywide planning policy. In other counties that are required or choose to plan under RCW 36.70A.040, this meeting shall be convened no later than sixty days after the date the county adopts its resolution of intention or was certified by the office of financial management.
     (b) The process and framework for adoption of a countywide planning policy specified in (a) of this subsection shall determine the manner in which the county and the cities agree to all procedures and provisions including but not limited to desired planning policies, deadlines, ratification of final agreements and demonstration thereof, and financing, if any, of all activities associated therewith.
     (c) If a county fails for any reason to convene a meeting with representatives of cities as required in (a) of this subsection, the governor may immediately impose any appropriate sanction or sanctions on the county from those specified under RCW 36.70A.340.
     (d) If there is no agreement by October 1, 1991, in a county that was required or chose to plan under RCW 36.70A.040 as of June 1, 1991, or if there is no agreement within one hundred twenty days of the date the county adopted its resolution of intention or was certified by the office of financial management in any other county that is required or chooses to plan under RCW 36.70A.040, the governor shall first inquire of the jurisdictions as to the reason or reasons for failure to reach an agreement. If the governor deems it appropriate, the governor may immediately request the assistance of the department of community, trade, and economic development to mediate any disputes that preclude agreement. If mediation is unsuccessful in resolving all disputes that will lead to agreement, the governor may impose appropriate sanctions from those specified under RCW 36.70A.340 on the county, city, or cities for failure to reach an agreement as provided in this section. The governor shall specify the reason or reasons for the imposition of any sanction.
     (e) No later than July 1, 1992, the legislative authority of each county that was required or chose to plan under RCW 36.70A.040 as of June 1, 1991, or no later than fourteen months after the date the county adopted its resolution of intention or was certified by the office of financial management the county legislative authority of any other county that is required or chooses to plan under RCW 36.70A.040, shall adopt a countywide planning policy according to the process provided under this section and that is consistent with the agreement pursuant to (b) of this subsection, and after holding a public hearing or hearings on the proposed countywide planning policy.
     (3) A countywide planning policy shall at a minimum, address the following:
     (a) Policies to implement RCW 36.70A.110;
     (b) Policies for promotion of contiguous and orderly development and provision of urban services to such development;
     (c) Policies for siting public capital facilities of a countywide or statewide nature, including transportation facilities of statewide significance as defined in RCW 47.06.140;
     (d) Policies for countywide transportation facilities and strategies;
     (e) Policies that consider the need for affordable housing, such as housing for all economic segments of the population and parameters for its distribution;
     (f) Policies for joint county and city planning within urban growth areas;
     (g) Policies for countywide economic development and employment; ((and))
     (h) Policies for providing a supply of housing sufficient to accommodate employment growth and demand for all types of residential living, including if applicable, part-time, retirement, and second homes; and
     (i) An analysis of the fiscal impact.
     (4) Federal agencies and Indian tribes may participate in and cooperate with the countywide planning policy adoption process. Adopted countywide planning policies shall be adhered to by state agencies.
     (5) Failure to adopt a countywide planning policy that meets the requirements of this section may result in the imposition of a sanction or sanctions on a county or city within the county, as specified in RCW 36.70A.340. In imposing a sanction or sanctions, the governor shall specify the reasons for failure to adopt a countywide planning policy in order that any imposed sanction or sanctions are fairly and equitably related to the failure to adopt a countywide planning policy.
     (6) Cities and the governor may appeal an adopted countywide planning policy to the growth management hearings board within sixty days of the adoption of the countywide planning policy.
     (7) Multicounty planning policies shall be adopted by two or more counties, each with a population of four hundred fifty thousand or more, with contiguous urban areas and may be adopted by other counties, according to the process established under this section or other processes agreed to among the counties and cities within the affected counties throughout the multicounty region.

Sec. 2   RCW 43.62.035 and 1997 c 429 s 26 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The office of financial management shall determine the population of each county of the state annually as of April 1st of each year and on or before July 1st of each year shall file a certificate with the secretary of state showing its determination of the population for each county. The office of financial management also shall determine the percentage increase in population for each county over the preceding ten-year period, as of April 1st, and shall file a certificate with the secretary of state by July 1st showing its determination. At least once every five years or upon the availability of decennial census data, whichever is ((later)) sooner, the office of financial management shall prepare twenty-year growth management planning population projections required by RCW 36.70A.110 for each county that adopts a comprehensive plan under RCW 36.70A.040 and shall review these projections with such counties and the cities in those counties before final adoption. The projections shall be based on a determination of the anticipated economic and job growth for these counties and shall consider relevant data concerning the critical components of the local economy and relevant market factors at the national, state, and local levels. The projections shall account for anticipated migrations within the state by retirees and telecommuters. In recognition of the typical length of planning cycles, and of the planning cycles for local governments, the office will publish annual comparisons of estimated job change with estimated housing unit change by county to ensure economic and job growth together with population growth are accommodated by the jurisdictions.
     (2) Population projections for each county shall consider:
     (a) Projected growth statewide and the share of state growth historically accommodated by the county;
     (b) Projected natural population changes caused by births and deaths within the county;
     (c) A determination of the anticipated economic and job growth within the county, using relevant data concerning the critical components of the local economy and relevant market factors at the national, state, and local levels;
     (d) Projected natural population increase, economic growth, and job growth in adjacent counties that may result in spillover housing demand;
     (e) Projected net migration into the county, including an assessment of the degree to which population growth will be affected by the county's popularity as a location for telecommuting, vacation homes, and retirement living; and
     (f) Other factors determined to be relevant and consistent with accepted demographic techniques.
     (3) The county and its cities, and other interested parties, may provide to the office such information as they deem relevant to the office's projection, and the office shall consider and comment on such information before adoption. Each projection shall be expressed as a reasonable range developed within the standard state high and low projection. The middle range shall represent the office's estimate of the most likely population projection for the county. If any city or county believes that a projection will not accurately reflect actual population growth in a county, it may petition the office to revise the projection accordingly. ((The office shall complete the first set of ranges for every county by December 31, 1995.))
     (4) A comprehensive plan adopted or amended before December 31, 1995, shall not be considered to be in noncompliance with the twenty-year growth management planning population projection if the projection used in the comprehensive plan is in compliance with the range later adopted under this section.