(1) A dispute resolution center may be created and operated by a municipality, county, or by a corporation organized exclusively for the resolution of disputes or for charitable or educational purposes. The corporation shall not be organized for profit, and no part of the net earnings may inure to the benefit of any private shareholders or individuals. The majority of the directors of such a corporation shall not consist of members of any single profession.

(2) A dispute resolution center may not begin operation under this chapter until a plan for establishing a center for the mediation and settlement of disputes has been approved by the legislative authority of the municipality or county creating the center or, in the case of a center operated by a nonprofit corporation, by the legislative authority of the municipality or county within which the center will be located. A plan for a dispute resolution center shall not be approved and the center shall not begin operation until the legislative authority finds that the plan adequately prescribes:

(a) Procedures for filing requests for dispute resolution services with the center and for scheduling mediation sessions participated in by the parties to the dispute;

(b) Procedures to ensure that each dispute mediated by the center meets the criteria for appropriateness for mediation set by the legislative authority and for rejecting disputes which do not meet the criteria;

(c) Procedures for giving notice of the time, place, and nature of the mediation session to the parties, and for conducting mediation sessions that comply with the provisions of this chapter;

(d) Procedures which ensure that participation by all parties is voluntary;

(e) Procedures for obtaining referrals from public and private bodies;

(f) Procedures for meeting the particular needs of the participants, including, but not limited to, providing services at times convenient to the participants, in sign language, and in languages other than English;

(g) Procedures for providing trained and certified mediators who, during the dispute resolution process, shall make no decisions or determinations of the issues involved, but who shall facilitate negotiations by the participants themselves to achieve a voluntary resolution of the issues; and

(h) Procedures for informing and educating the community about the dispute resolution center and encouraging the use of the center's services in appropriate cases.

Court Improvement Act of 1984—Effective dates—Severability—Short title—1984 c 258: See notes following RCW 3.30.010.