12.36.060 Formation of reimbursement area.

(1)    If the board finds the request to be sufficient, it shall instruct the director and prosecuting attorney to draft an ordinance and set a public hearing for consideration of the draft ordinance. The draft ordinance shall constitute the preliminary determination on the assessment reimbursement area and shall:

(a)    Define the improvements for which reimbursements are to be made;

(b)    Designate each reimbursement area by a separate number;

(c)    Describe the specific boundary of the assessment reimbursement area;

(d)    Define the estimated cost of the improvement and the estimated contribution thereto, if any, to be made by the county;

(e)    Define what share of costs will be paid by each property ownership using a method of cost apportionment which is based upon the benefit to the property owner from the improvement(s);

(f)    Define when and how reimbursements are to be paid;

(g)    Define the conditions of participation by and reimbursement to the county and owner involved in financing the county road improvements;

(h)    Define any participation by the Washington State Department of Transportation provided that the Department has entered into an agreement with the county concerning state participation.

(2)    The director will prepare and submit to the board prior to the public hearing a preliminary determination indicating the following:

(a)    The lots, tracts, or parcels benefited by the improvements because they would require similar improvements and similar or equivalent traffic impact mitigation upon development;

(b)    The estimated cost, and the method of calculating such cost, to be reimbursed upon development by each lot, tract or parcel.

(3)    A notice of hearing on the proposed ordinance shall be published no less than ten (10) days before the date of the hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in the area of the assessment reimbursement area.

(4)    A notice of hearing shall be given to each owner of record of each lot, tract or parcel of land or other property within the proposed reimbursement assessment area by mailing by certified mail, said notice to each owner as shown on the tax rolls of the county treasurer. The notice of hearing shall be mailed not less than twenty (20) days before the date of the hearing.

(5)    The notice shall refer to the proposed ordinance and designate the proposed assessment reimbursement area by number and include the information specified in subsection (2) of this section.

(6)    On the date and at the time specified in the notice the board will conduct a hearing and listen to testimony as it relates to the desirability and the sufficiency of the proposed assessment reimbursement area and methods of calculating reimbursement assessments and the amounts thereof. The board may continue the hearing to allow for further information to be provided. When the board has determined that adequate information has been provided it may close public testimony.

(7)    Following the hearing, the board may adopt an ordinance which establishes the assessment reimbursement area, determines the amount of the reimbursement assessment to be charged to each lot, tract or parcel, and provides for the payment and collection of such assessments. (Sec. 6 of Ord. 1991-09-21A)