Levies, amount — Special funds — Failure to make levy, procedure.
RCW 87.03.260
in effectThe board of directors shall in each year before said roll is delivered by the secretary to the respective county treasurers, levy an assessment sufficient to raise the ensuing annual interest on the outstanding bonds, and all payments due or to become due in the ensuing year to the United States or the state of Washington under any contract between the district and the United States or the state of Washington accompanying which bonds of the district have not been deposited with the United States or the state of Washington as in this act provided. Beginning in the year preceding the maturity of the first series of the bonds of any issue, the board must from year to year increase said assessment for the ensuing years in an amount sufficient to pay and discharge the outstanding bonds as they mature. Similar levy and assessment shall be made for the expense fund which shall include operation and maintenance costs for the ensuing year. The board shall also at the time of making the annual levy, estimate the amount of all probable delinquencies on said levy and shall thereupon levy a sufficient amount to cover the same and a further amount sufficient to cover any deficit that may have resulted from delinquent assessments for any preceding year. The board shall also, at the time of making the annual levy, estimate the amount of the assessments to be made against lands owned by the district, including local improvement assessments, and shall levy a sufficient amount to pay said assessments. All lands owned by the district shall be exempt from general state and county taxes: PROVIDED, HOWEVER, That in the event any lands, and any improvements located thereon, acquired by the district by reason of the foreclosure of irrigation district assessments, shall be by said district resold on contract, then and in that event, said land, and any such improvements, shall be by the county assessor immediately placed upon the tax rolls for taxation as real property and shall become subject to general property taxes from and after the date of said contract, and the secretary of the said irrigation district shall be required to immediately report such sale within ten days from the date of said contract to the county assessor who shall cause the property to be entered on the tax rolls as of the first day of January following. The board may also at the time of making the said annual levy, levy an amount not to exceed twenty-five percent of the whole levy for the said year for the purpose of creating a surplus fund. This fund may be used for any of the district purposes authorized by law. The assessments, when collected by the county treasurer, shall constitute a special fund, or funds, as the case may be, to be called respectively, the "Bond Fund of . . . . . . Irrigation District," the "Contract Fund of . . . . . . Irrigation District," the "Expense Fund of . . . . . . Irrigation District," the " Warrant Fund of . . . . . . Irrigation District," the "Surplus Fund of . . . . . . Irrigation District". If the annual assessment roll of any district has not been delivered to the county treasurer on or before the 15th day of January in the year 1927, and in each year thereafter, he or she shall notify the secretary of the district by registered mail that said assessment roll must be delivered to the office of the county treasurer forthwith. If said assessment roll is not delivered within ten days from the date of mailing of said notice to the secretary of the district, or if said roll when delivered is not equalized and the required assessments levied as required by law, or if for any reason the required assessment or levy has not been made, the county treasurer shall immediately notify the legislative authority of the county in which the office of the board of directors is situated, and said county legislative authority shall cause an assessment roll for the said district to be prepared and shall equalize the same if necessary and make the levy required by this chapter in the same manner and with like effect as if the same had been equalized and made by the said board of directors, and all expenses incident thereto shall be borne by the district. In case of neglect or refusal of the secretary of the district to perform the duties imposed by law, then the treasurer of the county in which the office of the board of directors is situated must perform such duties, and shall be accountable therefor, on his or her official bond, as in other cases. At the time of making the annual levy in the year preceding the final maturity of any issue of district bonds, the board of directors shall levy a sufficient amount to pay and redeem all bonds of said issue then remaining unpaid. All surplus remaining in any bond fund after all bonds are paid in full must be transferred to the surplus fund of the district. Any surplus moneys in the surplus fund or any surplus moneys in the bond fund when so requested by the board of directors shall be invested by the treasurer of said county under the direction of said board of directors in United States bonds or bonds of the state of Washington, or any bonds pronounced by the treasurer of the state of Washington as valid security for the deposit of public funds, and in addition thereto any bonds or warrants of said district, all of which shall be kept in the surplus fund until needed by the district for the purposes authorized by law.
The board of directors shall in each year before said roll is delivered by the secretary to the respective county treasurers, levy an assessment sufficient to raise the ensuing annual interest on the outstanding bonds, and all payments due or to become due in the ensuing year to the United States or the state of Washington under any contract between the district and the United States or the state of Washington accompanying which bonds of the district have not been deposited with the United States or the state of Washington as in this act provided. Beginning in the year preceding the maturity of the first series of the bonds of any issue, the board must from year to year increase said assessment for the ensuing years in an amount sufficient to pay and discharge the outstanding bonds as they mature. Similar levy and assessment shall be made for the expense fund which shall include operation and maintenance costs for the ensuing year. The board shall also at the time of making the annual levy, estimate the amount of all probable delinquencies on said levy and shall thereupon levy a sufficient amount to cover the same and a further amount sufficient to cover any deficit that may have resulted from delinquent assessments for any preceding year. The board shall also, at the time of making the annual levy, estimate the amount of the assessments to be made against lands owned by the district, including local improvement assessments, and shall levy a sufficient amount to pay said assessments. All lands owned by the district shall be exempt from general state and county taxes: PROVIDED, HOWEVER, That in the event any lands, and any improvements located thereon, acquired by the district by reason of the foreclosure of irrigation district assessments, shall be by said district resold on contract, then and in that event, said land, and any such improvements, shall be by the county assessor immediately placed upon the tax rolls for taxation as real property and shall become subject to general property taxes from and after the date of said contract, and the secretary of the said irrigation district shall be required to immediately report such sale within ten days from the date of said contract to the county assessor who shall cause the property to be entered on the tax rolls as of the first day of January following.
The board may also at the time of making the said annual levy, levy an amount not to exceed twenty-five percent of the whole levy for the said year for the purpose of creating a surplus fund. This fund may be used for any of the district purposes authorized by law. The assessments, when collected by the county treasurer, shall constitute a special fund, or funds, as the case may be, to be called respectively, the "Bond Fund of . . . . . . Irrigation District," the "Contract Fund of . . . . . . Irrigation District," the "Expense Fund of . . . . . . Irrigation District," the " Warrant Fund of . . . . . . Irrigation District," the "Surplus Fund of . . . . . . Irrigation District".
If the annual assessment roll of any district has not been delivered to the county treasurer on or before the 15th day of January in the year 1927, and in each year thereafter, he or she shall notify the secretary of the district by registered mail that said assessment roll must be delivered to the office of the county treasurer forthwith. If said assessment roll is not delivered within ten days from the date of mailing of said notice to the secretary of the district, or if said roll when delivered is not equalized and the required assessments levied as required by law, or if for any reason the required assessment or levy has not been made, the county treasurer shall immediately notify the legislative authority of the county in which the office of the board of directors is situated, and said county legislative authority shall cause an assessment roll for the said district to be prepared and shall equalize the same if necessary and make the levy required by this chapter in the same manner and with like effect as if the same had been equalized and made by the said board of directors, and all expenses incident thereto shall be borne by the district. In case of neglect or refusal of the secretary of the district to perform the duties imposed by law, then the treasurer of the county in which the office of the board of directors is situated must perform such duties, and shall be accountable therefor, on his or her official bond, as in other cases.
At the time of making the annual levy in the year preceding the final maturity of any issue of district bonds, the board of directors shall levy a sufficient amount to pay and redeem all bonds of said issue then remaining unpaid. All surplus remaining in any bond fund after all bonds are paid in full must be transferred to the surplus fund of the district.
Any surplus moneys in the surplus fund or any surplus moneys in the bond fund when so requested by the board of directors shall be invested by the treasurer of said county under the direction of said board of directors in United States bonds or bonds of the state of Washington, or any bonds pronounced by the treasurer of the state of Washington as valid security for the deposit of public funds, and in addition thereto any bonds or warrants of said district, all of which shall be kept in the surplus fund until needed by the district for the purposes authorized by law.
Source: WA Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=87.03&full=trueFetched: 6/29/2026