Washington Administrative Code › Title 326 - Minority and Women's Business Enterprises, Office of › Chapter 326-02 - General provisions › Section 326-02-034 - Political subdivision fees

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
(1) It is the
			 intent of the state legislature that political subdivisions within the state of
			 Washington contribute to the costs of the state's certification program for
			 minority and women's business enterprises. For the purpose of this section,
			 political subdivisions means any city, town, county, special purpose district,
			 public corporation created by the state, municipal corporation, or
			 quasi-municipal corporation within the state of Washington that administers a
			 policy or program, or funds from whatever source, which requires or encourages
			 the use of certified minority, women, or disadvantaged business
			 enterprises.
(2) Effective July 1,
			 1993, the office shall allocate a portion of its biennial operational costs to
			 political subdivisions. Each political subdivision shall pay a proportionate
			 share of this allocation based on the formula set forth in subsection (4) of
			 this section.
(3)
(a) The fee charged to each political
			 subdivision for the biennium beginning July 1, 2023, and subsequent biennia
			 unless revised by rule, shall be based on the annual average of expenditures
			 for capital projects, supplies and other services for the most recent available
			 biennium as reported by the state auditor's office. Data on the annual average
			 of expenditures by school districts and educational service districts will be
			 obtained from the office of the superintendent of public instruction. The basis
			 for the fee to be charged to the Housing Authorities is the number of
			 low-income units owned or managed during the last fiscal year as reported to
			 the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The maximum amount
			 charged to any political subdivision must not exceed $60,000 in the biennium
			 beginning July 1, 2023. In subsequent biennia, the maximum amount charged must
			 be adjusted for inflation as measured in the implicit price deflator
			 index.
(b) When insufficient data
			 is available to calculate the average expenditures from the sources listed in
			 (a) of this subsection, the office may either use other sources for the data or
			 estimate the amount of relevant expenditures. In either event, the office shall
			 allow the affected political subdivisions to offer alternative data on which to
			 base its calculation. New political subdivisions will be charged based on the
			 office's estimate of the annual average of relevant expenditures by the entity
			 for the current biennium.
(c)
			 After paying the fee, the political subdivisions may challenge the office about
			 the accuracy of the data used to calculate the fee under (a) of this
			 subsection. Upon verification by the state auditor, the fee may be revised and
			 refund issued or additional fee assessed.
(d) Following the initial billing in each
			 biennium, which will include the total amount due for the biennium beginning
			 July 1, 2003, the office will mail invoices on a quarterly basis one month
			 before the start of each quarter for the outstanding balance at that time.
			 Payments shall be due within 30 calendar days after receipt of the
			 invoice.