Any county shall have the power to create park and recreation service areas for the purpose of financing, acquiring, constructing, improving, maintaining, or operating any park, senior citizen activities centers, zoos, aquariums, and recreational facilities as defined in RCW 36.69.010 which shall be owned or leased by the county and administered as other county parks or shall be owned or leased and administered by a city or town or shall be owned or leased and administered by the park and recreation service area. A park and recreation service area may purchase athletic equipment and supplies, and provide for the upkeep of park buildings, grounds and facilities, and provide custodial, recreational and park program personnel at any park or recreational facility owned or leased by the service area or a county, city, or town. A park and recreation service area shall be a quasi-municipal corporation, an independent taxing "authority" within the meaning of section 1, Article 7 of the Constitution, and a "taxing district" within the meaning of section 2, Article 7 of the Constitution.
A park and recreation service area shall constitute a body corporate and shall possess all the usual powers of a corporation for public purposes including, but not limited to, the authority to hire employees, staff, and services, to enter into contracts, to accept and expend or use gifts, grants, and donations, and to sue and be sued as well as all other powers that may now or hereafter be specifically conferred by statute.
The members of the county legislative authority, acting ex officio and independently, shall compose the governing body of any park and recreation service area which is created within the county: PROVIDED, That where a park and recreation service area includes an incorporated city or town within the county, the park and recreation service area may be governed as provided in an interlocal agreement adopted pursuant to chapter 39.34 RCW. The voters of a park and recreation service area shall be all registered voters residing within the service area.
A multicounty park and recreation service area shall be governed as provided in an interlocal agreement adopted pursuant to chapter 39.34 RCW.
[ 1988 c 82 § 1; 1985 c 253 § 1; 1981 c 210 § 1; 1965 ex.s. c 76 § 1; 1963 c 218 § 1.]
NOTES:
Severability—1981 c 210: "If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected." [ 1981 c 210 § 21.]
Contracts with community service organizations for public improvements: RCW 35.21.278.
Dissolution of inactive special purpose districts: Chapter 36.96 RCW.
May acquire property for park, recreational, viewpoint, greenbelt, conservation, historic, scenic, or view purposes: RCW 36.34.340.
Parks, county commissioners may designate name of: RCW 36.32.430.