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<br />128 <br />County. <br /> <br />The LTAC issues an annual call for competitive applications for the <br />disbursement of funds for each year’s lodging tax revenue. The <br />LTAC scores project applications based on established tourism- <br />benefit scoring criteria, then ranks all submittals and submits <br />funding recommendations with supporting information to the <br />Kittitas County Board of Commissioners (BOCC). The BOCC may <br />request additional information and presentations from the <br />applicants before making a final decision on fund allocations for <br />which the BOCC has final approval authority. <br /> <br />§ REET (Real Estate Excise Tax) – RCW 82.46 authorizes local <br />governments to enact up to 0.25% of the annual sales for real estate <br />for capital facilities. The Growth Management Act (GMA) authorizes <br />another 0.25% for capital facilities. Revenues must be used solely <br />for financing new capital facilities, or maintenance and operations <br />at existing facilities, as specified in the capital facilities element of <br />the adopted comprehensive plan or supplemental PROS Plan or this <br />Yakima River Public Access Plan. <br /> <br />The first and second REET may be used for: <br />§ The planning, construction, repair, rehabilitation, or <br />improvement of parks and recreational facilities. <br />In addition, the second REET may be used for: <br />§ The acquisition of parks and recreational facilities, or <br />§ The planning, acquisition, construction, repair, replacement, <br />rehabilitation, or improvement of trails and river and/or <br />floodway/flood control projects subject to certain limitations. <br /> <br />§ CF (Conservation Futures) - under provisions provided in <br />recent state legislation, counties can elect to levy up to $0.065 per <br />$1,000 of assessed valuation of all county properties to acquire <br />shoreline and other open space lands. The monies can be used to <br />acquire, but not develop or maintain open space conservation lands <br />that are acquired using Conservation Futures funds. <br /> <br />Conservation Futures revenues can be a major source of project <br />monies for the acquisition of wildlife habitat, resource <br />conservancies, portions of resource activity lands, and possibly <br />portions of linear trail corridors. <br /> <br />§ LLL (Levy Lid Lift) – Proposition 747, the statutory provision <br />limiting the growth of regular property taxes to 1.0% per year, can <br />be waived by referendum approval of a simple (50%) majority of the <br />county’s registered voters. Voters can approve a resetting of the <br />property tax levy rate or of approving a special purpose limited <br />duration (typically 6-9 years) dedicated property tax levy that <br />adjusts the amount of revenue the county can generate. <br /> <br />The new total revenue that can be generated by a resetting of the <br />rate or of approving a special dedicated and limited duration levy <br />will be subject to the 1.0% limitation, however, and the total amount <br />of revenue and the resulting property tax rate will start to decline <br />again in accordance with the Proposition. <br /> <br />However, the adjusted rate and revenue can finance specific capital <br />improvement projects – or programs that involve construction, <br />maintenance, and operations aspects that a majority of the voters <br />are willing to pay for under the adjusted rate or a specially <br />approved levy. <br /> <br />The resetting of the rate can be permanent, subject to the <br />provisions of Proposition 747, or temporary, where the rate is <br />adjusted until a specific amount of revenue has been generated to <br />finance a project or program – whereupon the rate reverts to the <br />original or a specified amount defined in the referendum. <br /> <br />§ LOSTax (Local Option Sales Tax) – may be levied up to 1% of all <br />retail sales and uses to be used for new capital facilities, or <br />maintenance and operations at existing facilities. Local <br />governments that levy the second 0.5% may participate in the <br />state’s sales tax equalization fund. The option sales tax assessment <br />requires voter approval. <br /> <br />§ LOVLFee (Local Option Vehicle License Fee) - the <br />Transportation Improvement Act (ESSB 6358 – RCW 82.80) <br />authorizes countywide (no county levy) local option fees up to <br />$15.00 maximum per vehicle registered in the county. Revenues are