PUD denies cities help with streetlights

EPHRATA — A request by cities to have Grant County Public Utility District bill customers directly for streetlights or provide relief from the high costs was denied.

An April 23 letter to cities, from PUD general manager Tim Culbertson, claims state laws do not expressly authorize PUDs to bill for streetlights.

And if the PUD removes approximately $737,000 in annual streetlight revenue, according to Culbertson, it would cause a 1 percent rate increase to all PUD customers.

"We empathize with the current situation that our cities and towns are facing with streetlight costs," Culbertson wrote. "As (the PUD) mentioned a few years ago, cities and towns can consider forming their own local improvement district as a potential way of funding streetlight services in their area."

Cities and towns in Grant County currently cannot bill residents for electricity used for streetlights, making it difficult to pass the costs on to the users. The PUD was asked in 2003 to relieve communities of the costly burden, but no action was taken.

The cities asked the PUD again, in February. Culbertson's letter was sent in response to the request.

Kathy Bohnet, mayor of Wilson Creek, expressed disappointment Thursday with the PUD's recent denial of help.

Electricity rates should be lowered, Bohnet said, if the PUD cannot bill customers directly for streetlights.

Wilson Creek paid $7,600 last year for streetlights. The city's budget is about $60,000.

"We may not have the clout of industry and irrigators, but I think (a rate adjustment) ought to be looked at since (streetlights) benefit the public and it's a public utility,' Bohnet said.

Moses Lake Mayor Ron Covey said he would like to see the PUD accept responsibility for streetlight billing.

Covey understands state laws don't expressly authorize PUDs to bill for streetlights. But those state laws don't expressly prohibit PUDs from doing so, either, he said.

It costs Moses Lake between $200,000 to $250,000 per year to keep streets and intersections lit, Covey said.

Soap Lake Mayor Wayne Hovde went before the PUD commission in February to ask for help. The financial impact is most significant for smaller cities, such as Soap Lake which spent $36,000 in 2006 on streetlighting, he said.

The PUD has a responsibility to share in the cost, Hovde claims, as streetlights are a matter of public safety, benefiting everyone.

Hovde plans to continue pursuing the issue with the PUD commission, despite the recent denial.

"I want to find out just what we can do, if there's anything that will relieve the cities affected by this," he said Thursday. "I'd like to find some middle ground where it is beneficial to both the PUD and the cities."

Culbertson concluded in his letter the PUD is committed to assisting the cities in any way practical with the issue.