 Tourist Promotion - RCW 35.21.

700 - Provides power to cities and towns to

expend moneys and conduct tourist promotion of resources and facilities.
 Tourist Promotion Area - Ch. 35.101 RCW - A county with a population of more
than 40,000, and the cities in it, may form a "tourist promotion area." (In King
County, legislative authority for purposes of establishing a tourism promotion
area must be comprised of two or more jurisdictions acting under an interlocal
agreement.) Within that area, they may assess a charge of up to two dollars per
night on the sale of lodging. The revenue must be used for "tourism promotion,"
which is defined as "activities and expenditures designed to increase tourism and
convention business, including but not limited to advertising, publicizing, or
otherwise distributing information for the purpose of attracting and welcoming
tourists and operating tourism destination marketing organizations." Formation of
an area is initiated by a petition to the legislative body that must have the
signatures of people in the lodging industry that would be paying at least 60
percent of the charges in the area. Up to six different classifications are allowed,
each with a different charge, but no charge can be more than two dollars per
night. Unless a county and city sign an interlocal agreement to do otherwise, a
county can form an area only in an unincorporated area, and a city can do so
only within the boundaries of the city. See MRSC webpage on Tourism
Promotion Areas.

Other Statutes with Economic Development Applications

 Contracts with Community Service Organizations - RCW 35.21.278 -

Authorizes county, city, town, school district, metropolitan park district and
recreation district, or park and recreation service area to contract with community
service organizations for public improvements.
 Essential Rail Assistance Account - RCW 47.76.250
 Local Improvement District - Ch. 35.43 RCW - Permits formation of local
improvement districts.
 Interlocal Cooperation Act - Ch. 39.34 RCW - Permits local governments to
cooperate with other local governments to provide public facilities and services.
 Joint Municipal Utility Services Act - Ch. 39.106 RCW - In 2011 the
Legislature passed the act to facilitate joint municipal utility services.
See Expanded Authority for Joint Utility Operations (ESHB 1332, Laws of 2011,
ch. 258) in Budget Suggestions for 2012, MRSC Information Bulletin 539, August
2011. See Intergovernmental Cooperation
 Local Transportation Act - Ch. 39.92 RCW - Authorizes local governments to
develop and adopt programs for the purpose of jointly funding, from public and
private sources, transportation improvements necessitated in whole or in part by
economic development and growth within their respective jurisdictions. Local
governments operating under this chapter are authorized to impose
transportation impact fees on development to pay for "reasonable and necessary
off-site transportation improvements to solve the cumulative impacts of planned
growth and development in the plan area." RCW 39.92.030(4).
 The Act specifies various requirements for transportation programs. The
authorized programs must be based on an adopted transportation plan and the
fee must be calculated from a specified list of capital projects. Traffic impact fees
cannot exceed an amount that the local government can demonstrate is
reasonably necessary as a direct result of the proposed development.
 Transportation Benefit Districts (TBD) - Ch 36.73 RCW and RCW 35.21.225 -
A county or a city may establish a transportation benefit district to fund
transportation improvements that are consistent with any existing state, regional,
and local transportation plan. Port and transit districts may participate in the
establishment of a district, but may not initiate one. New revenue options include
a twenty-dollar license fee that may be approved by the legislative body; a 0.2
percent sales and use tax, vehicle fees of up to one hundred dollars annually,
and tolls - subject to voter approval. If any improvement exceeds its original cost
by more than 20 percent, a public hearing must be held to solicit public comment
on how the cost change will be resolved. Transportation benefit districts are
quasi-municipal corporations with independent taxing authority (RCW 36.73.040).