Drafter
Clerk 10/16/2007
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AN ORDINANCE relating to extending the waiver for public benefit rating system and timber land application fees; and amending Ordinance 1076, Section 4, as amended, and K.C.C. 20.36.040.
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STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. Chapter 84.34 RCW authorizes counties to assess open space, agricultural lands, and timber lands based on their current use rather than their highest and best use in recognition of the public benefits that these uses provide.
2. In 1992, the King County council approved Ordinance 1076 implementing the provisions of chapter 84.34 RCW and establishing procedures, rules and fees for the consideration of applications for public benefit rating system assessed valuation on "open space land" and for current use assessment on "farm and agricultural land" and "timber land" as those lands are defined in RCW 84.34.020.
3. In doing so, the King County council found that it is in the best interest of the county to maintain, preserve, conserve and otherwise continue in existence adequate open space lands for the production of food, fiber and forest crops, and to assure the use and enjoyment of natural resources and scenic beauty for the economic and social well-being of the county and its citizens.
4. Since the establishment of King County's public benefit rating system, more than eight hundred landowners have enrolled, resulting in protection of more than seven thousand acres. Since the establishment of the timber land program, more than three hundred landowners have enrolled, resulting in management and protection of more than three thousand acres.
5. King County Comprehensive Plan policy E-101 directs that the county should use incentives to protect and restore the natural environment whenever practicable.
6. In order to facilitate applications to the public benefit rating system and the timber land program, the King County council has approved legislation amending K.C.C 20.36.040 to waive the application fee for the public benefit rating system in prior years.
7. The King County council has appropriated funding to the water and land resources division in 2005 and 2006 to offset lost revenue for the fee waiver.
8. With the implementation of the fee waiver and increased outreach to rural land owners, applications to the public benefit rating system program increased from year to year.
9. The King County council would like to continue waive the application fee as a mechanism for facilitating participation in the public benefit rating system, and the timber land program which provides an incentive to small forest land owners to continue forest uses.
10. The authority to offer the fee waiver expires at the end of 2007.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:
SECTION 1. Ordinance 1076, Section 4, as amended, and K.C.C. 20.36.040 are each hereby amended to read as follows:
A. Except as provided in subsection C. of this section, the applicant shall pay a current use filing fee as provided in K.C.C. 27.10.230, payable to the King County of finance and business operations division, for each open space, farm and agricultural or timber land application filed in calendar year 1973 or thereafter.
B. In the case of all farm and agricultural land applications, whether the application is based on land within or outside of an incorporated area, the entire fee shall be collected and retained by the county. In the case of open space or timber land applications based on land in an incorporated area of the county, where the city legislative authority has set no filing fee, the county fee shall govern and the entire fee shall be collected and retained by the county. Where the city legislative authority has established a filing fee for open space or timber land applications based on land in an incorporated area of the county, fees as set forth in K.C.C. Title 27 shall be collected by the county from the applicant and the county shall pay the city oneof the fee collected; provided, that in no event shall the amount paid to the city exceed the fee established by the city.
C. Public benefit rating system and ((timberlands)) timber land application fees for lands in the unincorporated areas shall be waived from ((September 23, 2006,)) the effective date of this ordinance through December 31, ((2007)) 2008.
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30 days prior, official paper
Newspaper: Seattle Times
Publish: Friday, October 19
Public Hearing: November 19, 2007 - 11:00am