The mayor, finance officer, city clerk, or other officer of a code city who is authorized or required by law, charter, or ordinance to execute bonds of the city or any subdivision or district thereof may designate one or more bonded persons to affix such officer's signature to any bond or bonds requiring his or her signature. If the signature of one of these officers is affixed to a bond during his or her continuance in office by a proxy designated by him or her whose authority has not been revoked, the bond shall be as binding upon the city and all concerned as though the officer had signed the bond in person. This chapter shall apply to all bonds, whether they constitute obligations of the city as a whole or of any local improvement or other district or subdivision thereof, whether they call for payment from the general funds of the city or from a local, special or other fund, and whether negotiable or otherwise.

A facsimile reproduction of the signature of any of the code city officers referred to in RCW 35A.36.010 may be printed, engraved, or lithographed upon bond coupons with the same effect as though the particular officer had signed the coupon in person.

This chapter shall not be construed to require the appointment of deputy finance officers or deputy city clerks of code cities to be made in accordance with this chapter insofar as concerns signatures or other acts which may lawfully be made or done by such deputy officer under the provisions of any other law.

(1) The officer of a code city whose duty it is to cause any bonds to be printed, engraved, or lithographed, shall specify in a written order or requisition to the printer, engraver, or lithographer the number of bonds to be printed, engraved or lithographed and the manner of numbering them.

(2) Every printer, engraver, or lithographer who knowingly prints, engraves, or lithographs a greater number of bonds than that specified or who knowingly prints, engraves, or lithographs more than one bond bearing the same number is guilty of a class B felony punishable according to chapter 9A.20 RCW.

Intent—Effective date—2003 c 53: See notes following RCW 2.48.180.

A code city officer authorizing the affixing of his or her signature to a bond by a proxy shall be subject to the same liability personally and on his or her bond for any signature so affixed and to the same extent as if he or she had affixed his or her signature in person.

In order to designate a proxy to affix his or her signature to bonds, a code city officer shall address a written notice to the legislative body of the city giving the name of the person whom he or she has selected therefor and stating generally or specifically what bonds are to be so signed.

Attached to or included in the notice shall be a written signature of the officer making the designation executed by the proposed proxy followed by the word "by" and his or her own signature; or, if the notice so states, the specimen signatures may consist of a facsimile reproduction of the officer's signature impressed by some mechanical process followed by the word "by" and the proxy's own signature.

If the authority is intended to include the signature upon bonds bearing an earlier date than the effective date of the notice, the prior dated bonds must be specifically described by reasonable reference thereto.

The notice designating a proxy shall be filed with the city finance officer or city clerk, together with the specimen signatures attached thereto and a record of the filing shall be made in the journal of the legislative body. This record shall note the date and hour of filing and may be made by the official who keeps the journal at any time after the filing of the notice, even during a period of recess or adjournment of the legislative body. The notice shall be effective from the time of its recording.

Any designation of a proxy may be revoked by written notice addressed to the legislative body of the code city signed by the officer who made the designation and filed and recorded in the same manner as the notice of designation. It shall be effective from the time of its recording but shall not affect the validity of any signatures theretofore made.