wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > HB 1529 > Original Bill
The legislature finds that most counties have road construction crews that have the equipment and skills to construct and maintain roads. It is the intent of the legislature to make it easier for counties, through agreements with cities and towns, to provide repairs, striping, maintenance, and construction work on roads throughout the county in order to keep the highway system in a state of good repair. The legislature finds counties can be a particularly important resource in rural communities where otherwise obtaining such services is challenging.
(1) As used in this section, the term "public works" means as defined in RCW 39.04.010.
(1) Any secondclass city or any town may construct any public works, as defined in RCW 39.04.010, by contract or day labor without calling for bids therefor whenever the estimated cost of the work or improvement, including cost of materials, supplies and equipment will not exceed the sum of $150,000 if more than one craft or trade is involved with the public works, or $75,500 if a single craft or trade is involved with the public works or the public works project is street signalization or street lighting. A public works project means a complete project. The restrictions in this subsection do not permit the division of the project into units of work or classes of work to avoid the restriction on work that may be performed by day labor on a single project. However, a second-class city or any town may have its own regularly employed personnel perform work which is an accepted industry practice under prudent utility management without a contract. For purposes of this section, "prudent utility management" means performing work with regularly employed personnel utilizing material of a worth not exceeding $300,000 in value without a contract. This limit on value of material being utilized in work being performed by regularly employed personnel shall not include the value of individual items of equipment. For purposes of this section, "equipment" includes, but is not limited to, conductor, cabling, wire, pipe, or lines used for electrical, water, fiber optic, or telecommunications.
Pursuant to an agreement authorized by RCW 35.77.020, the board of county commissioners may expend funds from the county road fund for the construction, repair, and maintenance of the streets of such city or town and for engineering and administrative services. Payments by a city or town under such an agreement shall be made to the county treasurer and by him or her deposited in the county road fund. Such construction, repair, maintenance, and engineering service shall be ordered by resolution and proceedings conducted in respect thereto in the same manner as provided for the construction, repair, and maintenance of county roads by counties, and for the preparation of maps, plans and specifications, advertising and award of contracts therefor: PROVIDED, That except in case of emergency all construction work performed by a county on city streets pursuant to RCW 35.77.020 through 35.77.040, which exceeds ten thousand dollars, shall be done by contract, unless after advertisement and solicitation of competitive bids it appears that bids are unobtainable or that the lowest bid exceeds the amount for which such construction can be done by means other than contract, including by utilizing regularly employed county personnel. No street construction project shall be divided into lesser component parts for the purpose of avoiding the requirements for competitive bidding.