BILL REQ. #:  S-0130.2 

Read first time 01/29/2007.   Referred to Committee on Government Operations & Elections.

     AN ACT Relating to water district commissioner candidates; and amending RCW 57.12.039.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 57.12.039 and 2001 c 63 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Notwithstanding RCW 57.12.020 and 57.12.030, the board of commissioners may provide by majority vote that subsequent commissioners be elected from commissioner districts within the district. If the board exercises this option, it shall divide the district into three, five, or seven if the number of commissioners has been increased under RCW 57.12.015, commissioner districts of approximately equal population following current precinct and district boundaries.
     (2) Commissioner districts shall be used as follows: (a) Only a registered voter who resides in a commissioner district may be a candidate for, or serve as, a commissioner of the commissioner district; and (b) only voters of a commissioner district may vote at a primary to nominate candidates for a commissioner of the commissioner district. If the commissioner district has fewer than one hundred residents, and if the filing period is reopened for a district commissioner under RCW 29A.24.171 or 29A.24.181, any registered voter who resides or holds title or evidence of title to land in the district may file as a district commissioner candidate. Voters of the entire district may vote at a general election to elect a person as a commissioner of the commissioner district. Commissioner districts shall be redrawn as provided in chapter ((29.70)) 29A.76 RCW.
     (3) In districts in which commissioners are nominated from commissioner districts, at the inception of a five-member or a seven-member board of commissioners, the new commissioner districts shall be numbered one through five or one through seven and the incumbent commissioners shall represent up to five commissioner districts depending on the amount of commissioners. If, as a result of redrawing the district boundaries two or three of the incumbent commissioners reside in one of the new commissioner districts, the commissioners who reside in the same commissioner district shall determine by lot which of the first three or five numbered commissioner districts they shall represent for the remainder of their respective terms. A primary shall be held to nominate candidates from the remaining districts where necessary and commissioners shall be elected at large at the general election. The persons elected as commissioners from the remaining commissioner districts shall take office immediately after qualification as defined under RCW ((29.01.135)) 29A.04.133.