Bill requiring cities to itemize taxes on utility bills moves to rules

Sen. Bob Hasegawa (D-Seattle) introduced SB 6587 late last week. The bill was moved out of the Committee on Local Government and passed to Rules. The bill requires cities and towns operating municipal utilities to itemize rates and charges, including state and local taxes, on billing statements.

AWC and individual cities have expressed concerns with the bill draft, noting that this proposal may require many cities and towns, particularly smaller jurisdictions, to upgrade their billing systems to accommodate these changes without additional funding or a grandfathering of existing systems. If cities are required to make these changes they may need additional time to implement. We will continue to work with the prime sponsor to address these concerns.