RCW 36.89 allows a County to Establish a "Stormwater Tax", not all Counties have this TAX.

Only HALF of the Counties in WA have Diking & Drainage Districts, and there are 80 of these type of Districts that COULD possibly be affected.

.The biggest 2 reasons this is needed are:
  1). If the Stormwater Tax remains with the County, these funds CANNOT (by State Law) be spent for Drainage Ditch District projects.
  2.)  Drainage Ditch Districts have very limited funding, and not giving the money taxed on THEIR Parcels FOR Stormwater mitigation is WRONG!

This will CORRECT the intent of the LAW by specifically directing the TAX Levied on Ditch District Parcels to the Governmental Entity that is ACTUALLY responsible for dealing with the Stormwater from those parcels.
It does not "take away" this money, it simply directs it to the CORRECT Governmental Body - the appropriate DITCH DISTRICT (ONLY if there is one!).

In 2022 this was opposed by the "Society of County Engineers" because they wrongly believe that this money should be directed to paying for the "Clean Water Act".  RCW 36.89 is specifically for "Stormwater Mitigation" - which is the duty of BOTH Ditch Districts and County Stormwater Agencies.

The following wording is ADDED to clarify where the TAX Money must be deposited - so that it ACTUALLY gets to the Drainage Ditch Districts (IF there is ONE):

"(b) Beginning in fiscal year 2023, all service charges and rates collected under this chapter located in any duly authorized diking, drainage, or sewerage improvement districts formed and operating under Title 85 RCW shall be deposited into the revenue account of that diking, drainage, or sewerage improvement district. A diking, drainage, or sewer improvement district may retroactively collect no  greater than seven years of service charges and rate revenues from."

Please send a message to your State Senator and State Legislator supporting these bills.

Here is the Link to the Legislature Page for contacting your Representatives.

To these Diking and Drainage Districts this is VERY important, and a GREAT DEAL of MONEY!

To the Counties where this could apply, the AMOUNT of Money is a very small percentage of that money that the County Receives under RCW 36.89.

For HDDD#2 in 2021 the amount taxed for "Stormwater Tax" and retained by Thurston County was just under $ 20,000.   For that same year the regular Budget revenue for HDDD#2 was $ 2471.

The 2021 Thurston County "Stormwater Tax"  Fund had a Budget of over $10 Million.