Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

AGO 1957 NO. 98 >

A municipal ordinance amending a prior ordinance may not be construed and applied retroactively unless a contrary intention is manifested by the most clear and unequivocal expression.

AGO 1955 NO. 99 >

Section 10, Chapter 73, Laws of 1955, does not authorize Port Districts to construct and operate a belt-line railroad as a common carrier.

AGO 1960 NO. 106 >

(1) Second, third and fourth class municipalities may issue a license granting the exclusive right to collect and dispose of garbage within the municipality.  (2) Such a license may be issued for a term exceeding one year but may not be made binding upon the city for a period beyond the term of the board which grants the license.  (3) The municipality may prescribe the service rates to be charged.  (4) A reasonable annual license fee may be set at either a fixed sum or a percentage of the gross receipts of the licensee.

AGO 1960 NO. 107 >

It is sufficient compliance with RCW 42.24.030, requiring certain certificates to be "a part of the voucher," where certificate is either stamped on or attached to the face of the vendor's invoice, which is in turn attached to a voucher "jacket" or voucher form.

AGO 1966 NO. 114 >

(1) A city which is contiguous to a weed district is required by RCW 17.04.160 to provide for the destruction, prevention and extermination of species of weeds designated for control by the weed district pursuant to RCW 17.04.030 on private as well as public property located in such city. (2) A city is authorized to expend public funds to carry out the duty imposed by RCW 17.04.160.

AGO 1953 NO. 138 >

A city of the first class has no power granted to it to tax or license an illegal activity such as gambling.

AGO 1955 NO. 174 >

Ordinances of a city of the third class must be published at least once in the city's official newspaper, if there be one, and if there be no official newspaper, then in some other newspaper published in the city, and if there be no newspaper published in the city then it must be published or posted in at least three public places in such city in such manner as the city council may direct.

AGO 1958 NO. 174 >

Townships may not appropriate funds to fire protection districts although the boundaries of the district and the township coincide.

AGO 1955 NO. 175 >

A sewer district is not empowered by the legislature, either expressly or by implication, to make payments from surplus revenues to construct an extension of the district's sewer system.

AGO 1955 NO. 180 >

A portion of a fire district may withdraw from the district and join an adjoining district, regardless of the consent of the commissioners of the district in which it is presently located, provided statutory procedure is complied with; a fire district may contract with another fire district to furnish fire protection to an area wholly within another district; and a fire district has the duty to furnish fire protection to the transportation operations of an airport operated by a port district within the fire district boundaries.