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Committee hears bill raising dollar thresholds for private sale of water and sewer district property
Summary
Senate Bill 5467 would raise the dollar value limits that allow water and sewer districts to sell surplus personal or real property without public notice or formal public sale; proponents said thresholds are outdated and increases would reduce administrative costs for ratepayers.
The Local Government Committee heard Senate Bill 5467 on Wednesday, a proposal to increase the dollar thresholds that allow water and sewer districts to sell surplus property without public notice or formal sale procedures. Elizabeth Allison and Devin Gomboski, representing committee staff and the Washington Association of Sewer and Water Districts respectively, briefed and testified in support.
Under current statutory rules, board notice is not required for selling personal property valued below $2,500, and real property valued over $5,000 may not be privately sold. SB 5467 would increase the personal property threshold to $5,400 and raise the cap so that real property valued up to $7,500 could be privately sold, according to staff and proponents.
Devin Gomboski, testifying for the Washington Association of Sewer and Water Districts, said thresholds were last adjusted in 2011 for real property and 1993 for surplus property and no longer reflect modern economic conditions. He said raising the limits would save administrative time and reduce costs that ultimately fall to ratepayers.
Committee members asked practical questions about the kinds of surplus property districts sell and who can purchase such items. Gomboski gave an example of a high-quality printer that a district sold after posting notice; he said sales are open to any purchaser. No opponents were recorded in the hearing.
The committee took no formal vote on SB 5467 during the hearing. Supporters described the bill as a technical update intended to align statutory thresholds with inflation and to streamline district operations.
