Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Local Government Committee

HB 1682

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Summary of Bill

Requires the boundary review board (board) to direct all affected jurisdictions to enter into an agreement, prior to the board's ruling on an annexation proposal, to address conflicts with the board's factors and objections.
Requires the board, in reaching a decision on a proposal, to consider the nature of the annexation boundaries to ensure that they do not include unincorporated islands, peninsulas, or other jurisdictional irregularities.
Requires a board to attempt to achieve equity of impacts on jurisdictional revenues and expenses from the proposed annexation boundary as part of its decision.

Background:

Boundary review boards (boards) are authorized in statute to guide and control the creation and growth of municipalities in metropolitan areas. While statute provides for the establishment of boards in counties with at least 210,000 residents, a board may also be created and established in any other county. The Governor and local government officials from within the applicable county appoint board members.

Upon receiving a timely and sufficient request for review, and following an invocation of a board's jurisdiction, a board must review and approve, disapprove, or modify proposed actions, including actions pertaining to the creation, incorporation, or change in the boundary of any city, town, or special purpose district. When reviewing a proposal, the board may modify the proposal by adjusting boundaries to add or delete territory subject to statutory specifications; determine a division of assets and liabilities between two or more governmental units where relevant; and determine whether, or the extent to, which functions of a special purpose district are to be assumed by the incorporated area.

In reaching decisions, the board must consider various factors affecting the proposal. Such factors include but are not limited to the:

population and growth patterns, population density, land use and comprehensive planning, service agreements between local jurisdictions, per capita assessed valuation, and natural topography;
current and future need for municipal services and the effect on the finances, debt structure, and contractual obligations of all affected governmental units; and
the effect of the proposal on adjacent areas, on mutual economic and social interests, and on the local government structure of the county.

While reaching decisions on proposed actions, boards must satisfy public hearing requirements and must attempt to achieve objectives prescribed in statute, including the:

preservation of natural neighborhoods and communities;
use of physical boundaries;
dissolution of inactive special purpose districts;
prevention or adjustment of impractical boundaries;
incorporation as cities or towns or annexation to cities or towns of unincorporated areas which are urban in character; and
protection of agricultural and rural lands which are designated for long-term productive agriculture and resource use by a comprehensive plan adopted by the county.

Generally, decisions on proposed actions must be made within 120 days of the board receiving a valid request for review.

Summary of Bill:

Upon the review of a proposal to change the boundaries of a local jurisdiction, a boundary review board (board) must direct all affected local jurisdictions to enter into any agreement, as necessary, to address conflicts with the board's factors and objections prior to the board's ruling on the annexation proposal. In reaching a decision on a proposal, the board must consider the revenues and expenses of all affected governmental units involved and the logical and reasonable nature of the annexation boundaries to ensure that they do not include unincorporated islands, peninsulas, or other jurisdictional irregularities. A decision of the board must attempt to achieve equity of impacts on jurisdictional revenues and expenses from the proposed annexation boundary.