Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

AGO 1980 NO. 19 >

(1) Revenues, such as the receipts from the sale of admission tickets and paid advertisements, which are realized from the conduct of state athletic tournaments by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association constitute private funds of the association and not public funds of the participating school districts and/or their student bodies.(2) The expenditure of public funds by a school district to pay travel, lodging, salary and other expenses incurred by the district as a result of the district's participation in a state athletic tournament conducted by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association does not constitute a gift of public money or property to the association in violation of Article VIII, § 7 of the Washington Constitution.

AGO 1983 NO. 19 >

(1) A county treasurer continues to be authorized to invest funds under his/her control within the provisions of RCW 36.29.020 in savings or time accounts in mutual savings banks or savings and loan associations up to the insurance limits afforded such accounts by the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation even though the particular institution has not also been approved as a qualified depositary under chapter 66, Laws of 1983‑-except to the extent that specific statutes which were repealed or amended by chapter 66 might come into play. (2) Consideration, and identification, of certain specific municipal funds which, by virtue of the enactment of chapter 66, Laws of 1983, may no longer be invested or deposited with thrift institutions which have not been approved as qualified public depositaries.

AGO 1972 NO. 20 >

The records of funds deposited by the commissioner of public lands in approved state depositories, pursuant to RCW 43.85.130 and 43.85.140, are available for public inspection in accordance with RCW 43.88.200.

AGO 1983 NO. 20 >

(1) The Grain and Hay Inspection Revolving Fund, established pursuant to RCW 22.09.500(1), may not be used for expenses not directly incurred by the Department of Agriculture's Division of Grain and Agricultural Chemicals (other than the five percent specifically authorized by statute for use in research and promotional work).   (2) A provision of the State's biennial operating budget, or supporting documents such as budget notes, may not authorize use of the Grain and Hay Inspection Revolving Fund in a manner inconsistent with the provisions of RCW 22.09.500.  

AGO 1974 NO. 20 >

(1) The governing body of a municipal corporation whose funds are in the custody of a county treasurer may not authorize such treasurer, by a single blanket resolution, to invest all of its present and future surplus funds in a certain specified way or ways, and thus avoid having those funds invested as county residual funds under the second paragraph of RCW 36.29.020. (2) The governing body of a municipal corporation may enact a blanket ordinance or resolution permitting either a single member of that body or some other officer or employee thereof to authorize the county treasurer having custody of its funds to invest those funds as and when indicated, provided that the ordinance or resolution contains sufficient standards to guide that officer or employee in the exercise of the power thus delegated.

AGO 1974 NO. 21 >

(1) Some form of official action by the board of directors of a school district is required in order to authorize the district to engage in interscholastic athletic events as a part of its over-all educational program for which district funds are expended. (2) Where a school district, at district expense, provides an athletic stadium and the various kinds of uniforms and equipment used in interscholastic athletic competition, and pays coaches' salaries, the district may charge an admission fee for attendance at athletic events by nonstudent school patrons; and it may bind itself contractually to sell reserved seat season tickets to its athletic events for several years in advance, subject to the applicable principles of law concerning the power of public officials to bind their successors in office. (3) When the board of directors of a school district has by appropriate action authorized the expenditure of school district funds for interscholastic athletic activities, and such activities have been paid for in whole or in part out of the district's general operating funds, the directors may not permit the district's student body association to keep and utilize such gate receipts as it derives from these activities without accounting for them or reimbursing the school district funds thus expended. (4) A school district, in lieu of purchasing athletic uniforms and equipment out of its general operating funds in accordance with AGO 1973 No. 22 [[to Elmer W. Stanley, Executive Director, Washington State School Directors' Association on October 30, 1973]], may continue to purchase those items with its student body funds.

AGO 1972 NO. 22 >

Attorneys who are constitutionally required to be appointed to represent indigent defendants in misdemeanor cases before a district justice court are to be compensated for their services under RCW 10.01.110; however, the costs of such compensation must be drawn from the county current expense fund of the county in which the court is situated and not from justice court revenues under RCW 3.62.050.

AGO 1955 NO. 26 >

1. Highway Safety Fund can be consolidated with Motor Vehicle Fund.   2. Appropriation for State Patrol Retirement Fund could be made from Motor Vehicle Fund after such consolidation.

AGLO 1973 NO. 26 >

A fourth class city has authority to transfer utility funds to current expense funds under both RCW 35.27.510 and RCW 35.37.020.

AGO 1992 NO. 29 >

1.  RCW 43.84.092 provides that, with certain exceptions, earnings of investments of surplus balances in the state treasury shall be credited to the general fund.  This requirement does not apply to constitutionally and statutorily designated trust assests, which may not be diverted for a nontrust purpose.2.  Interest earned on the Park Land Trust Revolving Fund may not be credited to the general fund.3.  Interest earned on the School Construction Revolving Fund may not be credited to the general fund except to the extent such interest represents earnings on any unexpended portion of a 1990 appropriation from the general fund;4.  Subject to any prior claims to pay debt service on bonds issued by the Department, as described in RCW 76.12.110, interest on the Forest Development Account is to be credited to the general fund; and5.  Interest earned on the Access Road Revolving Fund is to be credited to the general fund.