wa-law.org > bill > 2023-24 > HB 1425 > Passed Legislature
The legislative body of a county, city, or town planning under chapter 36.70A RCW and subject to the requirements of RCW 36.70A.215 may initiate an annexation process for unincorporated territory by adopting a resolution commencing negotiations for an interlocal agreement as provided in chapter 39.34 RCW between a county and any city or town within the county. The territory proposed for annexation must meet the following criteria: (a) Be within the city or town urban growth area designated under RCW 36.70A.110, and (b) at least 60 percent of the boundaries of the territory proposed for annexation must be contiguous to the annexing city or town or one or more cities or towns.
If the territory proposed for annexation has been designated in an adopted county comprehensive plan as part of an urban growth area, urban service area, or potential annexation area for a specific city or town, or if the urban growth area territory proposed for annexation has been designated in a written agreement between a city or town and a county for annexation to a specific city or town, the designation or designations shall receive full consideration before a city or county may initiate the annexation process provided for in RCW 35.13.480.
The agreement shall describe the boundaries of the territory to be annexed. A public hearing shall be held by each legislative body, separately or jointly, before the agreement is executed. Each legislative body holding a public hearing shall, separately or jointly, publish the agreement at least once a week for two weeks before the date of the hearing in one or more newspapers of general circulation within the territory proposed for annexation.
If an interlocal agreement under this section is used for a sales and use tax under RCW 82.14.415, the agreement under this section must address the following:
Balancing of annexations of commercial, industrial, and residential properties so that any potential loss or gain is considered and distributed fairly as determined by tax revenue;
Development, ownership, and maintenance of infrastructure; and
The potential for revenue-sharing agreements.
Following adoption and execution of the agreement by both legislative bodies, the city or town legislative body shall adopt an ordinance providing for the annexation of the territory described in the agreement. The legislative body shall cause notice of the proposed effective date of the annexation, together with a description of the property to be annexed, to be published at least once each week for two weeks subsequent to passage of the ordinance, in one or more newspapers of general circulation within the city and in one or more newspapers of general circulation within the territory to be annexed. If the annexation ordinance provides for assumption of indebtedness or adoption of a proposed zoning regulation, the notice shall include a statement of the requirements. Any territory to be annexed through an ordinance adopted under this section is annexed and becomes a part of the city or town upon the date fixed in the ordinance of annexation, which date may not be fewer than 45 days after adoption of the ordinance.
The legislative authority of any city 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 legislative authority determines by resolution or ordinance that the projected cost 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; and
b. The city, as provided in RCW 35A.14.472, 35A.14.296, or 35.13.470, has entered into an interlocal agreement with the county regarding the proposed annexation area.
3.The maximum rate of tax any city may impose under this section is:
a. 0.1 percent for each annexed area in which the population is greater than 2,000 and less than 10,000; and
b. 0.2 percent for an annexed area in which the population is greater than 10,000.
4.The maximum cumulative rate of tax a city may impose under subsection (3) of this section is 0.2 percent for the total number of annexed areas the city may annex.
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 10 years from the date that each increment of the tax is first imposed. 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.
All revenue collected under this section may be used solely to provide, maintain, and operate municipal services for the annexation area.
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 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 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.
No tax may be imposed under this section before July 1, 2023. Before imposing a tax under this section, the legislative authority of a city must adopt an ordinance that includes the following:
A certification that the amount needed to provide municipal services to the annexed area reflects the city's true and actual costs;
The rate of tax under this section that is imposed within the city; and
The threshold amount for the first fiscal year following the annexation and passage of the ordinance.
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 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 resident population of the annexation area must be determined in accordance with chapter 35.13 or 35A.14 RCW.
A city may not begin to impose the tax authorized by this section after July 1, 2028.
The following definitions apply throughout this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise:
"Annexation area" means an area that has been annexed to a city under chapter 35.13 or 35A.14 RCW. "Annexation area" includes all territory described in the city resolution.
"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.
"Department" means the department of revenue.
"Municipal services" means those services customarily provided to the public by city government.
"Fiscal year" means the year beginning July 1st and ending the following June 30th.
"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.
"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.