(1) As provided in this section, a public hospital district may withdraw areas from its boundaries, or reannex areas into the public hospital district that previously had been withdrawn from the public hospital district under this section.

(2) The withdrawal of an area shall be authorized upon: (a) Adoption of a resolution by the hospital district commissioners requesting the withdrawal and finding that, in the opinion of the commissioners, inclusion of this area within the public hospital district will result in a reduction of the district's tax levy rate under the provisions of RCW 84.52.010; and (b) adoption of a resolution by the city or town council approving the withdrawal, if the area is located within the city or town, or adoption of a resolution by the county legislative authority of the county within which the area is located approving the withdrawal, if the area is located outside of a city or town. A withdrawal shall be effective at the end of the day on the thirty-first day of December in the year in which the resolutions are adopted, but for purposes of establishing boundaries for property tax purposes, the boundaries shall be established immediately upon the adoption of the second resolution.

The withdrawal of an area from the boundaries of a public hospital district shall not exempt any property therein from taxation for the purpose of paying the costs of redeeming any indebtedness of the public hospital district existing at the time of the withdrawal.

(3) An area that has been withdrawn from the boundaries of a public hospital district under this section may be reannexed into the public hospital district upon: (a) Adoption of a resolution by the hospital district commissioners proposing the reannexation; and (b) adoption of a resolution by the city or town council approving the reannexation, if the area is located within the city or town, or adoption of a resolution by the county legislative authority of the county within which the area is located approving the reannexation, if the area is located outside of a city or town. The reannexation shall be effective at the end of the day on the thirty-first day of December in the year in which the adoption of the second resolution occurs, but for purposes of establishing boundaries for property tax purposes, the boundaries shall be established immediately upon the adoption of the second resolution. Referendum action on the proposed reannexation may be taken by the voters of the area proposed to be reannexed if a petition calling for a referendum is filed with the city or town council, or county legislative authority, within a thirty-day period after the adoption of the second resolution, which petition has been signed by registered voters of the area proposed to be reannexed equal in number to ten percent of the total number of the registered voters residing in that area.

If a valid petition signed by the requisite number of registered voters has been so filed, the effect of the resolutions shall be held in abeyance and a ballot proposition to authorize the reannexation shall be submitted to the voters of the area at the next special election date according to RCW 29A.04.330. Approval of the ballot proposition authorizing the reannexation by a simple majority vote shall authorize the reannexation.

Effective date—2006 c 344 ss 1-16 and 18-40: See note following RCW 29A.04.311.