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Committee holds House Bill 102 on dissolving recreation districts; seeks more study
Summary
Senate State Affairs voted to hold House Bill 102 at the discretion of the chair to allow more study after questions about how a statute requiring 20% petition signatures to dissolve recreation districts affects rapidly growing areas such as Meridian.
The Senate State Affairs Committee voted to hold House Bill 102, which would create an alternative pathway to dissolve recreation districts, at the discretion of the chair to allow additional study.
Rep. Jeff Ehlers presented the bill on behalf of Representative Baylor. He said the West Ada Recreation District in Meridian provided parks and a pool and later turned assets over to the city, yet a statutory process to dissolve the district still requires petition signatures totaling 20% of voters in the district. Ehlers said that in the Meridian area, the 20% threshold now equates to roughly 19,000 signatures, a far larger burden than originally intended. The bill would create an alternate first step: instead of collecting 20% petition signatures, a district board's majority vote could initiate the dissolution process and then the question would still go to a public vote.
Sen. Denhartauge asked whether other recreation districts across Idaho face similar issues; Rep. Ehlers said there are 32 other recreation districts and that some counties experiencing rapid growth may find the alternate pathway useful. After committee discussion and caucus input, Sen. Athens moved to hold the bill at the discretion of the chair to allow further study; the motion carried.
Votes at a glance
- Motion: Hold House Bill 102 at the discretion of the chair for further study. Mover: Senator Athens. Second: Senator Harris. Outcome: Approved (motion carries).
Context: The proposal creates an alternative step for dissolution of recreation districts: either the existing 20% petition or a majority vote by the district's board to initiate the process; any dissolution would still be subject to voter approval.
What's next: The bill will be held for additional study and the sponsor will be notified when the committee is ready to reconsider it.
