BILL REQ. #:  H-4057.1 

READ FIRST TIME 02/05/14.   

     AN ACT Relating to including costs associated with preparing for new annexations within city sales and use tax authority; and amending RCW 82.14.415.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 82.14.415 and 2011 c 353 s 10 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The legislative authority of any city that is located in a county with a population greater than six hundred thousand that annexes an area consistent with its comprehensive plan required by chapter 36.70A RCW 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 is 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 city. The tax may only be imposed by a city if:
     (a) The city has commenced annexation of an area having a population of at least ten thousand people, or four thousand in the case of a city described under subsection (3)(a)(i) of this section, prior to January 1, ((2015)) 2017; and
     (b) The city legislative authority determines by resolution or ordinance that the projected cost to prepare for annexation and to provide municipal services to the annexation area exceeds the projected general revenue that the city would otherwise receive from the annexation area on an annual basis.
     (2) The tax authorized under this section is a credit against the state tax under chapter 82.08 or 82.12 RCW. The department of revenue must perform the collection of such taxes on behalf of the city at no cost to the city and must remit the tax to the city as provided in RCW 82.14.060.
     (3)(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, the maximum rate of tax any city may impose under this section is:
     (i) 0.1 percent for each annexed area in which the population is greater than ten thousand and less than twenty thousand. The ten thousand population threshold in this subsection (3)(a)(i) is four thousand for a city with a population between one hundred fifteen thousand and one hundred forty thousand and located within a county with a population over one million five hundred thousand; and
     (ii) 0.2 percent for an annexed area in which the population is greater than twenty thousand.
     (b) Beginning July 1, 2011, the maximum rate of tax imposed under this section is 0.85 percent for an annexed area in which the population is greater than sixteen thousand if the annexed area was, prior to November 1, 2008, officially designated as a potential annexation area by more than one city, one of which has a population greater than four hundred thousand.
     (4)(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, the maximum cumulative rate of tax a city may impose under subsection (3)(a) of this section is 0.2 percent for the total number of annexed areas the city may annex.
     (b) The maximum cumulative rate of tax a city may impose under subsection (3)(a) of this section is 0.3 percent, beginning July 1, 2011, if the city commenced annexation of an area, prior to January 1, 2010, that would have otherwise allowed the city to increase the rate of tax imposed under this section absent the rate limit imposed in (a) of this subsection.
     (c) The maximum cumulative rate of tax a city may impose under subsection (3)(b) of this section is 0.85 percent for the single annexed area the city may annex and the amount of tax distributed to a city under subsection (3)(b) of this section may not exceed five million dollars per fiscal year.
     (5) The tax imposed by this section may only be imposed at the beginning of a fiscal year and may continue for no more than ten years from the date that each increment of the tax is first imposed. To assist a city to prepare for annexation, the tax imposed under this section may be imposed as follows: If the annexation is proceeding under an election method authorized in chapter 35A.14 or 35.13 RCW, the imposition may occur after the annexation election if a majority of voters voting on the proposition has voted in favor of the annexation and the annexing city has set an effective date of two or fewer years following the election; or if the annexation is proceeding under a direct petition or interlocal method authorized in chapter 35A.14 or 35.13 RCW, the imposition may occur after the city has set an effective date for the annexation of two or fewer years after the date upon which the resolution or ordinance establishing the effective date for the annexation was adopted. Tax rate increases due to additional annexed areas are effective on July 1st of the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which the annexation occurred, provided that notice is given to the department as set forth in subsection (9) of this section.
     (6) All revenue collected under this section may be used solely to prepare for annexation and to provide, maintain, and operate municipal services for the annexation area.
     (7) The revenues from the tax authorized in this section may not exceed that which the city deems necessary to generate revenue equal to the difference between the city's cost to prepare for annexation and to provide, maintain, and operate municipal services for the annexation area and the general revenues that the cities would otherwise expect to receive from the annexation during a year. If the revenues from the tax authorized in this section and the revenues from the annexation area exceed the costs to the city to prepare for annexation and to provide, maintain, and operate municipal services for the annexation area during a given year, the city must notify the department and the tax distributions authorized in this section must be suspended for the remainder of the year.
     (8) No tax may be imposed under this section before July 1, 2007. Before imposing a tax under this section, the legislative authority of a city must adopt an ordinance that includes the following:
     (a) A certification that the amount needed to prepare for annexation and to provide municipal services to the annexed area reflects the city's true and actual costs;
     (b) The rate of tax under this section that is imposed within the city; and
     (c) The threshold amount for the first fiscal year following the annexation and passage of the ordinance.
     (9) The tax must cease to be distributed to the city for the remainder of the fiscal year once the threshold amount has been reached. No later than March 1st of each year, the city must provide the department with a certification of the city's true and actual costs to prepare for annexation and to provide municipal services to the annexed area, a new threshold amount for the next fiscal year, and notice of any applicable tax rate changes. Distributions of tax under this section must begin again on July 1st of the next fiscal year and continue until the new threshold amount has been reached or June 30th, whichever is sooner. Any revenue generated by the tax in excess of the threshold amount belongs to the state of Washington. Any amount resulting from the threshold amount less the total fiscal year distributions, as of June 30th, may not be carried forward to the next fiscal year.
     (10) The tax must cease to be distributed to a city imposing the tax under subsection (3)(b) of this section for the remainder of the fiscal year, if the total distributions to the city imposing the tax exceed five million dollars for the fiscal year.
     (11) The resident population of the annexation area must be determined in accordance with chapter 35.13 or 35A.14 RCW.
     (12) The following definitions apply throughout this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise:
     (a) "Annexation area" means an area that is being or has been annexed to a city under chapter 35.13 or 35A.14 RCW. "Annexation area" includes all territory described in the city resolution.
     (b) "Commenced annexation" means the initiation of annexation proceedings has taken place under the direct petition method or the election method under chapter 35.13 or 35A.14 RCW.
     (c) "Department" means the department of revenue.
     (d) "Municipal services" means those services customarily provided to the public by city government.
     (e) "Fiscal year" means the year beginning July 1st and ending the following June 30th.
     (f) "Potential annexation area" means one or more geographic areas that a city has officially designated for potential future annexation, as part of its comprehensive plan adoption process under the state growth management act, chapter 36.70A RCW.
     (g) "Threshold amount" means the maximum amount of tax distributions as determined by the city in accordance with subsection (7) of this section that the department must distribute to the city generated from the tax imposed under this section in a fiscal year.