Title 53, PORT DISTRICTS

(1)(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, a port district may at any time contract indebtedness or borrow money for district purposes and may issue general obligation bonds therefor not exceeding an amount, together with any existing indebtedness of the district not au…

(1) Any port commission is hereby authorized, prior to the receipt of taxes raised by levy, to borrow money or issue the warrants of the district in anticipation of the revenues to be derived by such district and such warrants shall be redeemed from the first money available from…

The county treasurer acting as port treasurer shall create a fund to be known as the "Port of . . . . . . Fund," into which shall be paid all money received by him or her from the collection of taxes in behalf of such port district, and shall also maintain such other special fund…

The port commission of any port district may, by resolution, create an incidental expense fund in such amount as the port commission may direct. Such incidental expense fund may be kept and maintained in a bank or banks designated in the resolution creating the fund, and such dep…

Any port district organized under the laws of this state shall, in addition to the powers otherwise provided by law, have the power to raise revenue by the levy and collection of an annual tax on all taxable property within such port district of not to exceed forty-five cents per…

Whenever such additional levy for dredging, canal construction, or land leveling or filling purposes shall have been authorized by the electors of the district at an election, held subsequent to the time of making the levy for the district for general purposes, in any year, such …

Under the authority of Article VIII, section 8, of the state Constitution, port district expenditures for industrial development, trade promotion or promotional hosting shall be pursuant to specific budget items as approved by the port commission at the annual public hearings on …

Funds for promotional hosting expenditures shall be expended only from gross operating revenues and shall not exceed one percent thereof upon the first two million five hundred thousand dollars of such gross operating revenues, one-half of one percent upon the next two million fi…

Port commissions shall adopt, in writing, rules and regulations governing promotional hosting expenditures by port employees or agents. Such rules shall identify officials and agents authorized to make such expenditures and the approved objectives of such spending. Port commissio…

The state auditor shall, as provided in chapter 43.09 RCW: (1) Audit expenditures made pursuant to RCW 53.36.120 through 53.36.150; and (2) Promulgate appropriate rules and definitions as a part of the uniform system of accounts for port districts to carry out the intent of RCW 5…

(1)(a) A port district having adopted a comprehensive scheme of harbor improvements and industrial developments may thereafter raise revenue through: (i) A first multiyear levy period, if it meets the requirements of this subsection (1); (ii) A second multiyear levy period, if it…

The port commission of any port district is authorized for the purpose of carrying out the lawful powers granted port districts by the laws of the state to contract indebtedness and to issue revenue bonds evidencing such indebtedness in conformity with this chapter. [ 1959 c 183 …

All such revenue bonds authorized under the terms of this chapter may be issued and sold by the port district from time to time and in such amounts as is deemed necessary by the port commission to provide sufficient funds for the carrying out of all port district powers, and with…

(1) The port commission shall determine the form, conditions, and denominations of all such bonds, the maturity date or dates which the bonds so sold shall bear, and the interest rate or rates thereon. It shall not be necessary that all bonds of the same authorized issue bear the…

Bonds issued under the provisions of this chapter shall be payable solely out of operating revenues of the port district. Such bonds shall be authorized by resolution adopted by the port commission, which resolution shall create a special fund or funds into which the port commiss…

Port districts may, but are not required by the terms of this chapter to do so, sell any or all such bonds issued pursuant to this chapter to the federal government, or any agency of the federal government, at private sale and without the necessity of public advertisement or call…

(1) The bonds issued pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall bear interest at such rate or rates as authorized by the port commission; shall be signed on behalf of the port district by the president of the port commission and shall be attested by the secretary of the por…

The Reconstruction Finance Corporation, or any other agency of the United States government making any such loan, or any other holder or owner of any bonds issued pursuant to this chapter, shall not be required to see to the application of the moneys derived from such bonds to th…

The port commission of any port district, as security for the payment of the principal of and interest on any revenue bonds issued and any agreements made in connection therewith, may mortgage, pledge, or otherwise encumber the particular industrial development facility or facili…

(1) The port commission of any port district may by resolution, from time to time, provide for the issuance of funding or refunding revenue bonds to fund or refund any outstanding revenue warrants, bonds, and any premiums and interest due thereon at or before the maturity of such…

Port districts may also issue revenue warrants for the same purposes for which they may issue revenue bonds, and the provisions of this chapter relating to the terms, conditions, covenants, issuance, and sale of revenue bonds shall be applicable to such revenue warrants. [ 1959 c…

This chapter shall be complete authority for the issuance of the bonds and warrants hereby authorized, and shall be liberally construed to accomplish its purposes. Any restrictions, limitations or regulations relative to the issuance of such bonds or warrants contained in any oth…

Any sale of revenue bonds or warrants of port districts heretofore made, whether at public or private sale and whether at par or less than par as authorized herein, and any terms, conditions, and covenants of any revenue bonds or warrants of port districts heretofore issued, are …

The board of commissioners of any port district of the state may fund or refund any of the general bonded indebtedness and/or warrants of the district now or hereafter existing and accrued interest thereon, and may combine various series and/or issues of warrants and/or bonds int…

Such funding or refunding bonds shall run for a period of not exceeding twenty years from date thereof. The board may apply to the payment of the funding or refunding bonds and to the prior redemption thereof any other moneys or funds belonging to the district which are legally a…

As used in this chapter the term "principal county auditor" and "principal county treasurer" shall be the county auditor or county treasurer in the county having the largest assessed valuation of the total of the proposed consolidated port district. [ 1965 c 102 s 1.]

Two or more port districts may be joined into one consolidated port district in the following manner: The port commissioners of each of the port districts proposed to be consolidated may, or on petition of ten percent of the qualified electors residing within each of the district…

The special election to consider such consolidation and to fill such offices shall be conducted in accordance with the general election laws of the state. [ 1990 c 259 s 20; 1965 c 102 s 3; 1961 c 26 s 2.]

The county canvassing board of election returns shall certify the results of the election to the board of county commissioners; and if at such election a majority of voters voting on the question of consolidation in each port district to be consolidated shall vote in favor of con…

None of the obligations of each port district which has been consolidated shall be affected by the consolidation, and taxes and assessments for payment of such obligations shall continue to be levied and collected in respect to property in such former port district notwithstandin…

In the event a port district does not have an active port commission to which the petition for consolidation may be directed, the board of county commissioners of the county wherein such inactive port district is located may act in the place and stead of the port commission for t…

For the purpose of dissolution of any port district not having an active port commission the board of county commissioners of the county wherein such inactive port district is located may exercise the powers and duties vested by chapter 53.48 RCW in the governing body of such por…

Upon consolidation of two or more port districts the title to all property owned by or held in trust for the former districts shall vest in the consolidated port district. [ 1965 c 102 s 5.]

If the district includes area from two or more counties, it shall be the duty of the county assessor in each county to certify annually to the auditor of his or her county, who shall forward the same to the principal county auditor, the total assessed valuation of that part of th…

Upon receipt of the certificate from the principal county auditor as provided in RCW 53.46.080 it shall be the duty of the board of county commissioners of each county to levy on all taxable property of the consolidated port district which lies within the county a tax sufficient …

Any port district created by consolidation prior to June 10, 1965, or formed hereafter under chapter 102, Laws of 1965, shall have all the powers of a newly formed port district, without any other restriction except the requirements of RCW 53.46.040: PROVIDED, That general obliga…

This chapter shall provide an additional method by which inactive port districts may be dissolved. [ 1971 ex.s. c 162 s 1.]

A port district shall be deemed inactive if, at the time of the filing of the petition for dissolution with the clerk of the superior court of the county in which such port district is situated, such port has failed to comply with subdivision (1), (2), or (3) of this section. (1)…

The county prosecutor of the county in which such port district is located acting upon his or her own motion shall file such petition for dissolution with the clerk of the superior court of the county in which such inactive port district is located. Such petition shall: (1) Descr…

The superior court, upon the filing of such petition, shall set such petition for hearing not less than one hundred twenty days and not more than one hundred eighty days after the date of filing said petition. Further, the court shall order the clerk of said court to give notice …

Upon the entry of the final order of dissolution declaring the port district dissolved all offices of the port district shall be deemed abolished, and no other or further levy shall be certified by the county commissioners except pursuant to the directive of the court as hereinab…

The provisions of this chapter shall be cumulative and nonexclusive and shall not affect any other remedy. [ 1971 ex.s. c 162 s 6.]

The dissolution of a metropolitan park district, fire protection district, water-sewer district, or flood control zone district under chapter 53.48 RCW may be subject to potential review by a boundary review board under chapter 36.93 RCW. [ 1999 c 153 s 62; 1989 c 84 s 46.] Notes…

The following words and terms shall, whenever used in this chapter, have the meaning set forth in this section: (1) The term "district" as used herein, shall include all municipal and quasi-municipal corporations having a governing body, other than cities, towns, counties, and to…

For the purpose of dissolution of a district, a petition for an order of dissolution signed by the majority of the board of commissioners, or other governing authority of such district shall be presented to the superior court of the county in which the board of commissioners is s…

Upon the filing of such petition for an order of dissolution, the superior court shall enter an order setting the same for hearing at a date not less than thirty days from the date of filing, and the petitioner shall give notice of such hearing by publication in a newspaper of ge…