In late March the Municipal League released “Seattle City Light and The Storm”, the report of a year-long study of Seattle City Light. The study looked at the mission of City Light, which is to provide a reliable supply of electricity to homes and businesses in its service territory at fair and reasonable rates, and examined the utilities performance over the past several years.

The study raises serious questions about City Light’s strategic planning process and how management responded to deregulation of the electricity market. In the past three years, rates for City Light customers have risen 58% and are likely to rise even more to pay off the utilities long-term debt, which rose dramatically from $489 million in 1990 to $1.57 billion in 2001.

Release of the report coincided with a Seattle Times series on City Light bringing public pressure for action. As a result, the Seattle City Council quickly took steps on the Municipal League’s key recommendation, appropriating funding for an independent audit.

The City will hire the auditor in May with a report due by the end of September. The League plans to actively monitor the audit process and will update our membership and the public on its progress.

You can read the full report, “Seattle City Light and The Storm” on our web site (click here) or call 206-622-8333 to order a copy.

Then attend “Watts Up?” a lunchtime forum sponsored by CityClub on May 16, 2002 from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Washington Athletic Club (1325 Sixth Avenue in downtown Seattle).

Panelists are Jim Greenfield, League board member and chair of the City Light study, Gary Zarker, Superintendent of Seattle City Light, and Seattle City Council member Heidi Wills, chair of the Energy and Environmental Policy Committee.