Washington § 36.61.310 - Dissolution — Procedure and conditions.

(1) Except when lake or beach management district bonds are outstanding or when an existing contract might otherwise be impaired, a lake or beach management district may be dissolved either by: The county legislative authority upon a finding that the purposes of the district have been accomplished; or a vote of the property owners within the district, if proposed by the legislative authority of the county or through the filing of a sufficient petition signed by the owners of at least twenty percent of the acreage within the district.

(2) If the question of dissolution of a district is submitted to property owners, the balloting is subject to the following conditions, which must be included in the instructions mailed with each ballot, as provided in RCW 36.61.080:

(a) A ballot must be mailed to each owner or reputed owner of any lot, tract, parcel of land, or other property within the district, with the ballot weighted so that a property owner has one vote for each dollar of special assessment or rates and charges imposed on his or her property;

(b) A ballot must be signed by the owner or reputed owner of property according to the assessor's tax rolls;

(c) Each ballot must be returned to the county legislative authority no later than 5:00 p.m. of a specified day, which must be at least twenty, but not more than thirty days after the ballots are mailed; and

(d) Each property owner must mark his or her ballot for or against the dissolution of the district.

(3) If, following the tabulation of the valid ballots, a simple majority of the votes cast are in favor of dissolving the district, the district must be dissolved on the date established in the ballot proposition.

(4) A county, although not separately responsible for satisfying the financial obligations of a dissolved district, has full authority to continue imposing special assessments, rates, and charges for a dissolved district until all financial obligations of the district incurred prior to its dissolution have been extinguished or retired.