BILL REQ. #: H-0249.1
State of Washington | 63rd Legislature | 2013 Regular Session |
Read first time 01/16/13. Referred to Committee on Finance.
AN ACT Relating to providing for increased funding for emergency medical services by adjusting the emergency medical services' levy cap; and amending RCW 84.52.069.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1 RCW 84.52.069 and 2012 c 115 s 1 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) As used in this section, "taxing district" means a county,
emergency medical service district, city or town, public hospital
district, urban emergency medical service district, regional fire
protection service authority, or fire protection district.
(2) Except as provided in subsection (10) of this section, a taxing
district may impose additional regular property tax levies in an amount
equal to ((fifty)) seventy-five cents or less per thousand dollars of
the assessed value of property in the taxing district. The tax is
imposed (a) each year for six consecutive years, (b) each year for ten
consecutive years, or (c) permanently. A permanent tax levy under this
section, or the initial imposition of a six-year or ten-year levy under
this section, must be specifically authorized by a majority of at least
three-fifths of the registered voters thereof approving a proposition
authorizing the levies submitted at a general or special election, at
which election the number of persons voting "yes" on the proposition
((shall)) constitutes three-fifths of a number equal to forty percent
of the total number of voters voting in such taxing district at the
last preceding general election when the number of registered voters
voting on the proposition does not exceed forty percent of the total
number of voters voting in such taxing district in the last preceding
general election; or by a majority of at least three-fifths of the
registered voters thereof voting on the proposition when the number of
registered voters voting on the proposition exceeds forty percent of
the total number of voters voting in such taxing district in the last
preceding general election. The uninterrupted continuation of a six-year or ten-year tax levy under this section must be specifically
authorized by a majority of the registered voters thereof approving a
proposition authorizing the levies submitted at a general or special
election. Ballot propositions must conform with RCW 29A.36.210. A
taxing district may not submit to the voters at the same election
multiple propositions to impose a levy under this section.
(3) A taxing district imposing a permanent levy under this section
((shall)) must provide for separate accounting of expenditures of the
revenues generated by the levy. The taxing district must maintain a
statement of the accounting which must be updated at least every two
years and must be available to the public upon request at no charge.
(4)(a) A taxing district imposing a permanent levy under this
section must provide for a referendum procedure to apply to the
ordinance or resolution imposing the tax. This referendum procedure
must specify that a referendum petition may be filed at any time with
a filing officer, as identified in the ordinance or resolution. Within
ten days, the filing officer must confer with the petitioner concerning
form and style of the petition, issue the petition an identification
number, and secure an accurate, concise, and positive ballot title from
the designated local official. The petitioner has thirty days in which
to secure the signatures of not less than fifteen percent of the
registered voters of the taxing district, as of the last general
election, upon petition forms which contain the ballot title and the
full text of the measure to be referred. The filing officer must
verify the sufficiency of the signatures on the petition and, if
sufficient valid signatures are properly submitted, must certify the
referendum measure to the next election within the taxing district if
one is to be held within one hundred eighty days from the date of
filing of the referendum petition, or at a special election to be
called for that purpose in accordance with RCW 29A.04.330.
(b) The referendum procedure provided in this subsection (4) is
exclusive in all instances for any taxing district imposing the tax
under this section and supersedes the procedures provided under all
other statutory or charter provisions for initiative or referendum
which might otherwise apply.
(5) Any tax imposed under this section may be used only for the
provision of emergency medical care or emergency medical services,
including related personnel costs, training for such personnel, and
related equipment, supplies, vehicles and structures needed for the
provision of emergency medical care or emergency medical services.
(6)(a) If a county levies a tax under this section, no taxing
district within the county may levy a tax under this section. If a
regional fire protection service authority imposes a tax under this
section, no other taxing district that is a participating fire
protection jurisdiction in the regional fire protection service
authority may levy a tax under this section. No other taxing district
may levy a tax under this section if another taxing district has levied
a tax under this section within its boundaries((: PROVIDED, That)),
except as provided otherwise in (b) of this subsection (6).
(b)(i) If a county levies less than ((fifty)) seventy-five cents
per thousand dollars of the assessed value of property, then any other
taxing district may levy a tax under this section equal to the
difference between the rate of the levy by the county and ((fifty))
seventy-five cents((: PROVIDED FURTHER, That)). However, if a taxing
district within a county levies this tax, and the voters of the county
subsequently approve a levying of this tax, then the amount of the
taxing district levy within the county must be reduced, when the
combined levies exceed ((fifty)) seventy-five cents. Whenever a tax is
levied countywide, the service must, insofar as is feasible, be
provided throughout the county((: PROVIDED FURTHER, That)).
(ii) No countywide levy proposal may be placed on the ballot
without the approval of the legislative authority of each city
exceeding fifty thousand population within the county((: AND PROVIDED
FURTHER, That)).
(iii) This section and RCW 36.32.480 ((shall)) do not prohibit any
city or town from levying an annual excess levy to fund emergency
medical services((: AND PROVIDED, FURTHER, That)).
(iv) If a county proposes to impose tax levies under this section,
no other ballot proposition authorizing tax levies under this section
by another taxing district in the county may be placed before the
voters at the same election at which the county ballot proposition is
placed((: AND PROVIDED FURTHER, That)).
(v) Any taxing district emergency medical service levy that is
limited in duration and that is authorized subsequent to a county
emergency medical service levy that is limited in duration, expires
concurrently with the county emergency medical service levy.
(vi) A fire protection district that has annexed an area described
in subsection (10) of this section may levy the maximum amount of tax
that would otherwise be allowed, notwithstanding any limitations in
this subsection (6).
(7) The limitations in RCW 84.52.043 do not apply to the tax levy
authorized in this section.
(8) If a ballot proposition approved under subsection (2) of this
section did not impose the maximum allowable levy amount authorized for
the taxing district under this section, any future increase up to the
maximum allowable levy amount must be specifically authorized by the
voters in accordance with subsection (2) of this section at a general
or special election.
(9) The limitation in RCW 84.55.010 does not apply to the first
levy imposed pursuant to this section following the approval of such
levy by the voters pursuant to subsection (2) of this section.
(10) For purposes of imposing the tax authorized under this
section, the boundary of a county with a population greater than one
million five hundred thousand does not include all of the area of the
county that is located within a city that has a boundary in two
counties, if the locally assessed value of all the property in the area
of the city within the county having a population greater than one
million five hundred thousand is less than two hundred fifty million
dollars.
(11) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
(a) "Fire protection jurisdiction" means a fire protection
district, city, town, Indian tribe, or port district; and
(b) "Participating fire protection jurisdiction" means a fire
protection district, city, town, Indian tribe, or port district that is
represented on the governing board of a regional fire protection
service authority.