Summit Lake Water Quality

Lake Management District (LMD) & Special District Subcommittee

High Level Overview:

Lake Management District:

LMD is a specific form of a special service district that funds lake management activities
Initiated by petition of property owners which defines boundary, work program, budget, rates and duration
LMD’s are a defined period of time (no more than 10 years)
$5,000 required by County to start petition to cover procedural costs
LMD’s typically take 6-9 months to form
County Commissioners review petition to determine it meets the RCW requirements (it is in public interest, concerns on impact to fish and wildlife, feasibility, etc)
Public Hearings on the proposed LMD
If approved by County then a vote by property owners within LMD boundaries is held.
Property owners are granted 1 vote for each dollar assessed
Rates are determined during petition and after LMD is approved no changes can be made during the duration of the LMD
Special assessments are allowed but must be approved by the County
Fees for LMD are collected by county on the property tax bill
LMD’s operate under the Thurston County Board of Commissioners

Special District:

Special form of government that provides diking, drainage, flood control and engages in lake or river restoration, etc.
Lifetime of Special District is indefinite
Initiated by petition of property owners to define projects and boundaries
Petitioners do not define budget, assessments and duration of special district
Each property owner gets no more than 2 votes
$5,000 required by County to start petition to cover procedural costs
County engineer has ninety days to report to the County Commissioners on proposed boundaries and feasibility of the project
County Commissioners review petition to determine it meets the RCW requirements (it is in public interest, concerns on impact to fish and wildlife, feasibility, etc)
After the resolution is approved, the property owners vote on the district at the next scheduled special election
After district is formed, the Thurston County Board of Commissioners appoint the intial governing board of three.
The district governing board will manage the affairs of the district
The district is held to all laws that govern government agencies
Fees for Special District are collected by county on the property tax bill

Table 1: Comparison of the Advantages and Disadvantages of LMD and Special District

Table 2: 2009 Draft from Long Lake Governance with the Difference ofCost/Non Cost Aspects of LMD vs. Special Districts

Resources:

Black Lake Special District

The site gives all the documentation for the formation and the activities they have done since their formation in 2013 -

Long Lake & Lake Lawrence LMD’s

References: