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Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
Kittitas County, WA - 10/21/2020 - Kittitas County, along with Snohomish County, Whitman County, and the Washington Association of Counties, won the ballot drop box unfunded mandate lawsuit they filed against the State of Washington.
King County Superior Court Judge Nelson K. H. Lee ruled that SB 5472, which required County Auditors to significantly increase the number of ballot drop boxes statewide, “is an unfunded mandate pursuant to RCW 43.135.060.”
Judge Lee held the “State must reimburse the local jurisdiction(s) for the costs attributable to the mandate” and further ruled that “All Washington State counties shall be entitled to full reimbursement from the State of Washington in the manner set forth in RCW 43.135.060 for their past and future reasonable costs expended to comply with SB 5472.
Judge Lee scheduled a hearing for April 19, 2021 to determine the specific amount the State must pay to the counties as reimbursement for ballot drop box costs.
The Kittitas County Auditor, Commissioners, and Prosecutors’ Offices worked closely together with their co-plaintiff counterparts to achieve this legal victory, which will require the state to provide Kittitas County and other counties with the financial resources to implement SB 5472.
Please see Judge Lee’s full opinion, attached, for more details.
Kittitas County, from the Cascades to the Columbia, and online at http://www.co.kittitas.wa.us
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Contact: Kittitas County Commissioners Office509-962-7508