by
<a href="mailto:candiceb@awcnet.org">Candice Bock</a>, <a href="mailto:andrewp@awcnet.org">Andrew Pittelkau</a> | Jan 11, 2019
Sen. Bob Hasegawa (D-Seattle) introduced <a href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5024&Year=2019&Initiative=false"><strong>SB 5024</strong></a>, which will be heard in the Senate Local Government Committee on Thursday, January 17 at 8 am.
Sen. Bob Hasegawa (D-Seattle) introduced SB 5024, which will be heard in the Senate Local Government Committee on Thursday, January 17 at 8 am.
The bill is similar to a proposal by Sen. Hasegawa from 2018. This year’s version requires cities operating utilities with more than 5,000 customers to disclose state and local tax rates on billing statements.
Last session AWC and individual cities expressed concerns with the bill, noting that it could require many cities 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 sponsor to address our concerns and see if there are other ways to provide the transparency that the sponsor is seeking.