General Local Government

Utility Liens (SB 5854)

This bill would prohibit cities and counties from collecting delinquent utility debt from property owners if the owner notifies the city or county in writing that their property is a rental and provides a complete and accurate mailing address for the tenant. Cities and counties vigorously opposed this bill in a hearing last week.

Losing the utility lien authority would shift unpaid debt to the rest of the utility customers, thereby raising rates for everyone. An unintended outcome of this proposal may be a decrease in the number of affordable rental units, because the proposal would force cities and counties to require larger deposits to offset the loss of payments. Please contact the members of the Senate Consumer Protection & Housing Committee and share your concerns.

Authorizing City Wards (HB 2151)

This bill would authorize "qualified electors" of non-charter code cities to divide the city into wards or change the boundaries of existing wards. There are approximately 22 cities already divided into wards. Only voters of the ward may vote in a primary to nominate candidates for a councilmember of the ward. In the general election, all voters of the city may vote to elect councilmembers of a ward.

At the hearing in the House Local Government Committee last week, AWC testified with concerns for several reasons:

1. There is no definition of "qualified elector" specified in the bill, and there are no procedures set out in the bill to put the matter before the voters.
2. The bill may be intended to impact one city in particular, but the bill actually impacts 183 code cities around the state.
3. The bill removes the current councilmanic authority to take up the issue in the current deliberative process of a city. As a ballot measure, the vote can only be pass or fail, whereas in the deliberative process, there are public hearings and it is possible to amend the proposal.

AWC will be working to keep this bill in committee. Bills that do not receive a Do Pass recommendation by February 28 are considered dead for the year.

Open Public Meetings Act (HB 2141)

This bill would clarify the definition of "meeting" in reference to the Open Public Meetings Act to include a gathering of a majority of the members of a governing body where they convene in person, by telephone, or by electronic means to hear, deliberate, or take action on the business or affairs of the agency or body. In addition, electronic or telephone meetings would subject to the notice requirements of the Act.

This bill is scheduled for public hearing in the House State Government & Tribal Affairs Committee on Tuesday, February 27 at 10 am.

Creating the Heritage Barn Preservation Program (SSB 5542/HB 2115)

This legislation would create a Washington State Heritage Barn Program within the Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation. The program will be guided by an advisory committee and will consist of the following components:

1. A study by the Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation of Washington state barns to include a determination of types, an assessment of the most unique and significant barns, and an assessment of conditions and needs.
2. A recognition program for heritage barns.
3. Establishment of the Heritage Barn Preservation Fund.

In addition, the advisory committee is to consult with the Department of Revenue to adapt existing state property tax incentives for historic properties to heritage barns, and make recommendations to the Legislature by December 1, 2007. Several cities are in support of this legislation.

Notification to Local Governments of Proposed Land Dispositions (HB 1940)

The bill would require state agencies disposing of state-owned land to notify local governments in which the land is located 60 days before a disposition of any such land is made. The intent is to allow local governments to acquire land for recreation or other purposes, if possible.

Health Care Agenda Advances (HB 2098, HB 1569)

There are two central bills in play that could affect the AWC Benefit Trust, which provides health benefits through an association plan to the employees of most of cities in Washington. Both bills, HB 2098 and HB 1569, are sponsored by Rep. Eileen Cody (D-Seattle).

HB 1569, in its current form, creates a Health Insurance Connector that combines employees of small employers and individuals receiving health coverage through association plans into a single pool. The Connector would establish the benefits to be provided and the rates that would be charged. It obviously has serious implications for the AWC Benefit Trust, and is expected to result in higher rates while offering lower benefit levels for active employees and retirees. We also believe it would act as a disincentive to our health and wellness activities.

We expect an amendment to be developed early next week to address these concerns by exempting association plans from the requirements of the Connector. We will continue to monitor this bill to ensure our concerns are accommodated.

HB 2098 is a request by the Governor to implement the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care. Currently, this bill initiates a number of studies to review various health plans offered by the state. The provision that affects cities most directly would have the Health Care Authority study the "Connector" to determine if savings may be achieved by pooling the small employer and individual markets. With the above-mentioned amendment pending, we believe this provision will be removed from the Governor’s bill.

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