Title 53 — Title 53 PORT DISTRICTS

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.(1) "Commission" means the Washington utilities and transportation commission.(2) "Retail telecommunications services" means the sale, lease, license, or indivisible right …

A port district may acquire by purchase, for cash or on deferred payments for a period not exceeding twenty years, or by condemnation, or both, all lands, property, property rights, leases, or easements necessary for its purposes and may exercise the right of eminent domain in th…

A port district may construct, condemn, purchase, acquire, add to, maintain, conduct, and operate sea walls, jetties, piers, wharves, docks, boat landings, and other harbor improvements, warehouses, storehouses, elevators, grain-bins, cold storage plants, terminal icing plants, b…

A district may apply to the United States for permission to establish, operate, and maintain foreign trade zones: (1) Within the district; and (2) on property adjacent to but outside the district if the property is beyond the boundaries of any existing foreign trade zone grantee …

(1) A district may improve its lands by dredging, filling, bulkheading, providing waterways or otherwise developing such lands for industrial and commercial purposes. A district may also acquire, construct, install, improve, and operate sewer and water utilities to serve its own …

All actions heretofore taken by port districts in conformity with the provisions of this chapter, and the provisions of chapter 6, Laws of 1975 hereby made applicable thereto, relating to pollution control facilities or other industrial development, including, but not limited to,…

A port district may exercise all the powers relating to systems of sewerage authorized by RCW 35.67.010 and 35.67.020 for cities and towns.[ 1997 c 447 s 15.]Notes:Finding—Purpose—1997 c 447: See note following RCW 70.05.074.

Facilities constructed by a port district under authority of this chapter will be subject to taxation of leasehold interest pursuant to applicable laws as now or hereafter enacted.[ 1972 ex.s. c 54 s 3.]Notes:Severability—1972 ex.s. c 54: See note following RCW 53.08.040.

Neither this chapter nor anything herein contained shall be construed as a restriction or limitation upon any powers which a district might otherwise have under any laws of this state, but shall be construed as cumulative.[ 1972 ex.s. c 54 s 4.]Notes:Severability—1972 ex.s. c 54:…

In addition to other authority that a port district possesses, a port district may provide any public improvement as defined under RCW 39.89.020, but this additional authority is limited to participating in the financing of the public improvements as provided under RCW 39.89.050.…

(1) A district may establish local improvement districts within the district, and levy special assessments, in annual installments extending over a period not exceeding ten years on all property specially benefited by the local improvement, on the basis of special benefits, to pa…

Any notice given to the public or to the owners of specific lots, tracts, or parcels of land relating to the formation of a local improvement district shall contain a statement that actual assessments may vary from assessment estimates so long as they do not exceed a figure equal…

A district may improve navigable and nonnavigable waters of the United States and the state of Washington within the district; create and improve for harbor purposes new waterways within the district; and regulate and control all such waters and all natural or artificial waterway…

A district may fix, without right of appeal therefrom the rates of wharfage, dockage, warehousing, and port and terminal charges upon all improvements owned and operated by it, and the charges of ferries operated by it. It may fix, subject to state regulation, rates of wharfage, …

A district may lease all lands, wharves, docks and real and personal property owned and controlled by it, for such purposes and upon such terms as the port commission deems proper: PROVIDED, That no lease shall be for a period longer than fifty years with option for extensions fo…

Every lease of all lands, wharves, docks, and real and personal property of a port district for a term of more than one year shall have the rent secured by rental insurance, bond, or other security satisfactory to the port commission, in an amount equal to one-sixth the total ren…

(1) A port commission may, by resolution, authorize the managing official of a port district to sell and convey port district property having a value not exceeding the value limit in subsection (2) of this section. The authority must be in force for not more than one calendar yea…

Except in cases where the full purchase price is paid at the time of the purchase, every sale of real property or personal property under authority of RCW 53.08.090 or 53.25.110 shall be subject to the following terms and conditions:(1) The purchaser shall enter into a contract w…

A copy of all contract sales of port district property shall be filed with the county assessor within thirty days after the first payment is received by the port. The assessor shall place such property on the tax rolls of the county and the purchaser of such property shall become…

Port commissioners of any port district are hereby authorized to accept for and on behalf of said port district gifts of real and personal property and to expend in improvements and betterment such amount as may be necessary.[ 1921 c 39 s 4; RRS s 9705.]

(1) All material and work required by a port district not meeting the definition of public work in RCW 39.04.010 may be procured in the open market or by contract and all work ordered may be done by contract or day labor.(2)(a) All such contracts for work meeting the definition o…

The notice shall state generally the nature of the work to be done and require that bids be sealed and filed with the commission at a time specified therein. Each bid shall be accompanied by a bid proposal deposit in the form of a cashier's check, money order, or surety bid bond …

Port districts shall determine if any construction project over forty thousand dollars can be accomplished less expensively by contracting out. If contracting out is less expensive, the port district may contract out such project.[ 1982 c 92 s 2.]

Port districts may enter into leases and contracts of every kind and nature with the United States of America or any of its departments, the state of Washington or any of its departments, or its political subdivisions or with any municipal corporation or quasi municipal corporati…

Notices required in port districts in which no newspaper is published may be given by publication in any newspaper of general circulation in the county.[ 1921 c 39 s 3; RRS s 9704.]

All port districts organized under the provisions of this act shall be, and they are hereby, authorized and empowered to initiate and carry on the necessary studies, investigations and surveys required for the proper development, improvement and utilization of all port properties…

The port commission shall have authority to create and fill positions, to fix wages, salaries and bonds thereof, to pay costs and assessments involved in securing or arranging to secure employees, and to establish such benefits for employees, including holiday pay, vacations or v…

Employees, officers, and commissioners of port districts shall, when engaged in official business of the port district, be entitled to receive their necessary and reasonable travel and other business expenses incurred on behalf of the port district. Reimbursement of such expenses…

Each port district shall adopt a resolution (which may be amended from time to time) which shall establish the basic rules and regulations governing methods and amount of reimbursement payable to such port officials and employees for travel and other business expenses incurred on…

As used in RCW 53.08.180 through 53.08.200, the term "employees" shall be as defined in RCW 41.48.020 and no distinction shall be made for the purposes of coverage under the social security act, between persons employed by a port district on a casual or temporary basis, or on a r…

Each port district, which has not previously done so, shall within thirty days of June 8, 1955, submit for approval by the governor a plan for extending the benefits of Title II of the federal social security act, as amended, in conformity with applicable provisions of said act a…

All port districts are authorized to make contributions on employees' wages, and to impose upon their employees contributions with respect to their wages in accordance with RCW 41.48.030 through 41.48.050.[ 1955 c 219 s 3.]

The board of commissioners of each port district may purchase liability insurance with such limits as they may deem reasonable for the purpose of protecting their officials and employees against liability for personal or bodily injuries and property damage arising from their acts…

Whenever any action, claim, or proceeding is instituted against any person who is or was an officer, employee, or agent of a port district established under this title arising out of the performance or failure of performance of duties for, or employment with any such district, th…

(1) A port district may formulate all needful regulations for the use by tenants, agents, servants, licensees, invitees, suppliers, passengers, customers, shippers, business visitors, and members of the general public of any properties or facilities owned or operated by it, and r…

A port district may at its option file with the county auditor a plat of any of its properties or facilities, showing thereon such private streets, alleys, access roads, parking areas, parks and other places as the port district may wish to have treated as public for purposes of …

(1) Any two or more port districts shall have the power, by mutual agreement, to exercise jointly all powers granted to each individual district, and in the exercise of such powers shall have the right and power to acquire jointly all lands, property, property rights, leases, or …

(1) It shall be in the public purpose for all port districts to engage in economic development programs. In addition, port districts may contract with nonprofit corporations and private and public entities that provide training systems as defined in RCW 28C.18.010 and promote wor…

(1) Any port district in this state, acting through its commission, has power to expend moneys and conduct promotion of resources and facilities in the district or general area by advertising, publicizing, or otherwise distributing information to attract visitors and encourage to…

A port district may construct, improve, maintain, and operate public park and recreation facilities when such facilities are necessary to more fully utilize boat landings, harbors, wharves and piers, air, land, and water passenger and transfer terminals, waterways, and other port…

Before undertaking any such plan for the acquisition and operation of any park or recreational facility the proposed plan therefor shall be first submitted in writing to the director of the parks and recreation commission and to the governing body of any county or municipal park …

Any port district operating an airport with a police department as authorized by RCW 14.08.120 or designated as a port of entry by the federal government is authorized to appoint police officers with full police powers to enforce all applicable federal, state, or municipal statut…

In addition to the other powers under this chapter, a port district, in connection with the operation of facilities and improvements of the district, may perform all necessary activities related to the intermodal movement of interstate and foreign cargo: PROVIDED, That nothing co…

A port district may acquire, lease, construct, purchase, maintain, and operate passenger-carrying vessels on Puget Sound, interstate navigable rivers of the state, and intrastate waters of adjoining states. Service provided shall be under terms, conditions, and rates to be fixed …

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this section, RCW 53.08.480, and 53.08.320.(1) "Moorage facility" means any properties or facilities owned or operated by a moorage facility operator which are capable of use for the m…

A moorage facility operator may adopt all rules necessary for rental and use of moorage facilities and for the expeditious collection of port charges. The rules may also establish procedures for the enforcement of these rules by port district, city, county, metropolitan park dist…

Any port district in this state, acting through its commission, may expend port funds toward construction, upgrading, improvement, or repair of any street, road, or highway that serves port facilities.[ 1990 c 5 s 1.]

The funds authorized by RCW 53.08.330 may be expended by the port commission in conjunction with any plan of improvements undertaken by the state of Washington, an adjoining state, or a county or municipal government of either, in combination with any of said public entities, and…

(1) When a port district provides its own fire protection services with port district employees, and port district property is included as part of an annexation, incorporation, consolidation, or merger by a city, town, or fire protection district, and fire protection services for…

(1) A port district in existence on June 8, 2000, may construct, purchase, acquire, develop, finance, lease, license, handle, provide, add to, contract for, interconnect, alter, improve, repair, operate, and maintain any telecommunications facilities within or without the distric…