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KITTITAS COUNTY <br />DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS <br />PUBLIC WORKS — BOARD OF COUNTY CO-NEMSSIONERS <br />2023 STUDY SESSION STAFF REPORT <br />STUDY SESSION DATE: December 11, 2023 <br />TOPIC: Upper Kittitas County Community Center Update <br />ACTION REQUESTED: Direct Staff <br />LEAD STAFF: <br />Mark R. Cook <br />RECOMMENDATION: <br />Direct staff further evaluate the pros and cons of pursuing a countywide Parks and <br />Recreation District using Revised Code of Washington (RCW) Chapter 36.69; or pursue <br />legislative changes to RCW 36.100. <br />BRIEFE\G SUMMARY: <br />• Formulating a county Public Facility District requires the entire county be <br />included in the district. <br />o Recent legislative changes (E2SSB 5001 — EXHIBIT 1) to the statue (RCW <br />36.100) does not help Kittitas County (population constrained). <br />• A Parks and Recreation District (EXHIBIT 2) appears to provide the legislative <br />vehicle allowing a specific geographic area of the county to provide bonding <br />capacity necessary supporting the Upper Kittitas County Community Center <br />(UKCCC). <br />• While sales and use tax are not supported in law for a Parks and Recreation <br />District, other funding options may meet the operational and maintenance support <br />anticipated for the UKCCC including special levies. <br />BACKGROUND: <br />Staff has spent much of 2023 evaluating a Public Facility District as the support vehicle <br />to the UKCCC proposal. The issue of general obligation bonds (bonding capacity) has <br />been vetted by using existing school district boundaries of Cle Elum, Roslyn, and Easton. <br />Most recently, staff vetted the use of an additional two -tenths of one percent sales and use <br />tax offsetting operations and maintenance expenses forecast for the recreation facility. A <br />closer look at the enabling legislation affirms a Public Facility District must be <br />"coextensive" within the boundaries of the entire county. The Prosecuting Attorney's <br />Office has determined coextensive to mean countywide. <br />DISCUSSION: <br />Two primary options appear available for consideration relative to formulating an <br />organizational structure supporting the creation and management of the UKCCC. The <br />first option is to pursue a legislative change to RCW 36.100. Current legislation requires <br />Page 1 of 4 <br />Public Works "Work Session Staff Report", 2023 <br />