Title
AN ORDINANCE accepting a petition, establishing boundaries and ordering an election to determine formation of a proposed irrigation district in King County to be known as the Snoqualmie Valley Watershed Improvement District and for the purpose of electing directors for the district.
Body
STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. Chapter 87.03 RCW authorizes the formation of an irrigation district for the purpose of irrigation of land.
2. RCW 87.03.019 allows irrigation districts to participate in and expend revenue on cooperative watershed management actions, for the purposes of water supply, water quality and water resource and habitat protection and management.
3. To initiate the formation of an irrigation district, a petition signed by the requisite number of property owners and containing the information required by RCW 87.03.020 shall be presented to the county legislative authority, together with a bond in a sum double the amount of the probable cost of organizing the proposed district.
4. On June 30, 2015, a petition, accompanied by a cash bond, was filed with the King County council requesting that necessary steps be taken to organize an irrigation district in King County to be known as the Snoqualmie Valley watershed improvement district.
5. Subsequent to filing the petition, petitioners requested the council correct the petition by modifying the legal description and adding additional nominations for initial board members, and petitioners provided the council a list of parcels to be included within the boundaries of the district, including acreage, tax parcel number, an address and an owner's name. Included on that list are parcels owned by King County. The corrected petition is Attachment A to this ordinance.
6. In accordance with the terms of the petition, property owned by governmental entities and parcels of less than two acres are to be excluded from the proposed district and therefore owners of such properties shall not be eligible to vote in the election of whether an irrigation district shall be formed and for the election of the directors.
7. The parcel list provided by the petitioners was updated with current information, including taxpayer name and address and parcel size provided by the department of assessments. The parcel list was also modified to remove government-owned parcels and parcels less than two acres in size. The updated parcel list is Attachment B to this ordinance.
8. Subsequent to filing the corrected petition, one person requested in writing to be removed from the nominations for initial board members.
9. The petitioners complied with RCW 87.03.001 and chapter 36.93 RCW and the petitioners filed a notice of intention to the boundary review board on August 4, 2015. As part of the review by the boundary review board, the petitioners filed an updated legal description for the boundaries of the proposed district. The updated legal description is Attachment C to this ordinance. The proposed action of creating the irrigation district was deemed approved by the boundary review board on September 17, 2015.
10. Once the district is created, the processes in chapter RCW 87.03 shall apply to any petition to add or exclude parcels from the district.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. The corrected petition requesting organization of the Snoqualmie Valley watershed improvement district, Attachment A to this ordinance, is hereby accepted as presented.
SECTION 2. A cash bond, in a sum double the amount of the probable cost of organizing the proposed irrigation district, is hereby accepted as sufficient.
SECTION 3. The proposed irrigation district shall be known as the Snoqualmie Valley watershed improvement district.
SECTION 4. The boundaries of the proposed district shall be as set forth in Attachment C to this ordinance.
SECTION 5. The ballot shall reflect the nominees for the initial board members as shown in Attachment A to this ordinance, except that Steven Van Ess shall not be included as a nominee.
SECTION 6. The parcel list, Attachment B to this ordinance, shall be used by the clerk of the council as the list of eligible voters owning qualifying property under the petition for the election of whether an irrigation district shall be formed and for the election of the directors.
SECTION 7. The election shall be carried out in the manner detailed in
Attachment D to this ordinance and in accordance with chapter 87.03 RCW. The election date of November 24, 2015, is hereby set.