Title

AN ORDINANCE regarding the King County noxious weed control program; revising King County noxious weed control program assessments; and amending Ordinance 13325, Sections 1 and 2, as amended, and K.C.C. 4A.670.200 and Ordinance 13325, Sections 5, 6 and 7, as amended, and K.C.C. 4A.200.460..

Body

STATEMENT OF FACTS:

1.  On November 11, 2014, the King County council adopted Ordinance 17934 at the request of the King County noxious weed board to raise the noxious weed control program assessment in order to expand noxious weed control services as authorized in RCW 17.10.240.

2.  Since the last noxious weed parcel assessment increase in 2014, there have been increases in the costs of providing noxious weed prevention and control services, increases in the number and acreage of noxious weed sites in King County that are mandated for control by chapter 17.10 RCW, and new species of noxious weeds discovered in King County.  In addition, widespread non-regulated invasive weeds are creating increasingly negative impacts to farms, forests and urban greenspaces, and additional resources are needed to achieve higher levels of control of these damaging species through incentives and landowner assistance, especially to underserved communities and in areas being protected by conservation efforts.

3.  The King County noxious weed control budget for 2019 and 2020 is included in the King County budget for 2019 and 2020, submitted to the King County council by the King County executive, and based on this budget an increase in the noxious weed control program assessment is warranted on all property not classified as forest land from $3.171 per parcel to $5.32 per parcel, and from 22.65 cents to 38 cents in the per-acre fee, and on property classified as forest land, from 31.71cents to 53.20 cents per parcel, and from 2.265 cents to 3.8 cents in the per-acre fee, in order to address the increases in noxious weed infestation and the decrease in external grant funding for noxious weed control.

4.  Lands owned by the federal government or by federally recognized tribes or members of such tribes that are located within the historical boundaries of a reservation shall not be assessed for the noxious weed control program.

5.  It is in the public interest, and is necessary for the protection of health, safety and welfare for the residents of King County that the necessary costs of providing noxious weed control program services continue to be paid, and that such costs continue to be charged against those parcels benefitting from these services.

                     BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:

                     SECTION 1.  A.  Section 2 of this ordinance proposes to revise the noxious weed control program assessments.

                     B.  These assessments are authorized under RCW 17.10.240.

                     SECTION 2.  Ordinance 17934, Sections 1 and 2, as amended, and K.C.C. 4A.670.200 are each hereby amended to read as follows:

                     A.  An assessment for the King County noxious weed control program of ((three dollars and seventeen and one-tenth)) five dollars and thirty-two cents per parcel and ((twenty-two and sixty-five one-hundredth)) thirty-eight cents per acre on all property not classified as forest land shall be imposed annually.  Property classified as forest land, as defined in RCW 84.33.035, that is used solely for the planting, growing or harvesting of trees and that is typified by canopies so dense as to prohibit the growth of an understory shall be assessed at the rate of ((thirty-one and seventy-one one hundredth)) fifty-three and two tenths cents per parcel and ((two and two-hundred-sixty-five one-thousandth)) three and eight tenths cents per acre.

                     B.  The amount of the assessment shall constitute a lien against any property for which the assessment has not been paid by the date it is due, as provided in RCW 17.10.240.  A notice of lien shall be sent to each owner of such a property.

                     C.  Lands owned by the federal government or lands owned by federally recognized tribes or members of such tribes as are located within the historical boundaries of a reservation shall not be assessed for the noxious weed control program.

                     SECTION 3.  Ordinance 13325, Sections 5, 6 and 7, as amended, and K.C.C. 4A.200.460 are each hereby amended to read as follows:

                     A.  There is hereby created the noxious weed control fund.

                     B.  The fund shall be a first tier fund.  It is a special revenue fund.

                     C.  The director of the department of natural resources and parks shall be the fund manager of the noxious weed control fund.

                     D.  The proceeds of the special assessment imposed by ((K.C.C. 4.94.010)) K.C.C. 4A.670.200 shall be credited to the fund.

                     E.  The fund may only be used to support the activities of the King County noxious weed control board and the department of natural resources and parks to control

noxious weeds.

                     SECTION 4.  This ordinance takes effect January 1, 2019.