Washington § 70A.15.2580 - Withdrawal from multicounty authority.

(1) Any county that is part of a multicounty authority, pursuant to RCW 70A.15.1500, may withdraw from the multicounty authority after January 1, 1992, if the county wishes to provide for air quality protection and regulation by an alternate air quality authority. A withdrawing county shall:

(a) Create its own single county authority;

(b) Join another existing multicounty authority with which its boundaries are contiguous;

(c) Join with one or more contiguous inactive authorities to operate as a new multicounty authority; or

(d) Become an inactive authority and subject to regulation by the department of ecology.

(2) In order to withdraw from an existing multicounty authority, a county shall make arrangements, by interlocal agreement, for division of assets and liabilities and the appropriate release of any and all interest in assets of the multicounty authority.

(3) In order to effectuate any of the alternate arrangements in subsection (1) of this section, the procedures of this chapter to create an air pollution control authority shall be met and the actions must be taken at least six months prior to the effective date of withdrawal. The rules of the original multicounty authority shall continue in force for the withdrawing county until such time as all conditions to create an air pollution control authority have been met.

(4) At the effective date of a county's withdrawal, the remaining counties shall reorganize and reconstitute the legislative authority pursuant to this chapter. The air pollution control regulations of the existing multicounty authority shall remain in force and effect after the reorganization.

(5) If a county elects to withdraw from an existing multicounty authority, the air pollution control regulations shall remain in effect for the withdrawing county until suspended by the adoption of rules, regulations, or ordinances adopted under one of the alternatives of subsection (1) of this section. A county shall initiate proceedings to adopt such rules, regulations, or ordinances on or before the effective date of the county's withdrawal.