RCW 52.26.080 Organization and composition of governing board—Commissioner positions, districts.

(1) The board shall adopt rules for the conduct of business. The board shall adopt bylaws to govern authority affairs, which may include:

(a) The time and place of regular meetings;

(b) Rules for calling special meetings;

(c) The method of keeping records of proceedings and official acts;

(d) Procedures for the safekeeping and disbursement of funds; and

(e) Any other provisions the board finds necessary to include.

(2) The governing board shall be determined by the plan. However, only elected officials of participating fire protection jurisdictions and elected commissioners of the authority as provided in subsection (3) of this section are eligible to serve on the board.

(3)(a) A regional fire protection service authority plan may create one or more regional fire protection service authority commissioner positions to serve on a governing board. The following provisions define the qualifications, compensation, terms, and responsibilities of regional fire protection service authority commissioner positions:

(i) RCW 52.14.010 governs the compensation, qualifications, and ability to serve as a volunteer firefighter;

(ii) RCW 52.14.030 governs the polling places for elections; and

(iii) RCW 52.14.050 governs commissioner vacancies.

(b) The terms of office for regional fire protection service authority commissioner positions may be established by the plan, however, no single term may exceed six years and the terms of multiple positions must be staggered.

(c) Regional fire protection service authority commissioners shall take an oath of office in the manner specified by RCW 52.14.070.

(4)(a) A regional fire protection service authority plan may create commissioner districts. If commissioner districts are created, the population of each commissioner district must be approximately equal. Commissioner districts must be redrawn as provided in chapter 29A.76 RCW.

(b) Commissioner districts shall be used as follows: (i) Only a registered voter who resides in a commissioner district may be a candidate for, or serve as, a commissioner of the commissioner district; and (ii) only voters of a commissioner district may vote at a primary to nominate candidates for a commissioner of the commissioner district. All voters of the proposed authority must be eligible to vote at a general election to elect a commissioner of the commissioner district. If a plan includes elected officials from participating fire protection jurisdictions, the commissioner districts may be based, in part, on the jurisdictional boundaries of the participating jurisdictions.

[ 2011 c 141 § 3; 2004 c 129 § 8.]