Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Utility Billing Code Update topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sequim council directs staff to draft updated utility‑billing ordinance after first review of Chapter 3.52
Summary
City finance staff presented a rewritten Chapter 3.52 on combined utility billings, noting 15 years of unaddressed changes and new state rules; council voted to waive an additional review and asked staff to place an ordinance on the next consent agenda.
Sequim finance staff told the City Council on May 13 that Chapter 3.52 of the municipal code — governing combined utility billings — had not been updated in about 15 years and needed comprehensive revision to reflect recent state law and operational practice.
Finance Director Sue Hagener said the rewritten draft addressed legal changes (including state prohibitions on water shutoffs during heat events), clarified deposit and account procedures and proposed ending a repetitive administrative practice of repeatedly creating tenant accounts and refunds when renters move. Hagener said staff recommends a slow rollout in which utilities remain in the owner’s name when practical and that staff will conduct a deliberate communications program to notify property owners and tenants.
After Hagener’s presentation a council member moved and the council seconded a motion to waive the second touch and to direct staff to present an ordinance implementing the revised Chapter 3.52 on the next available consent agenda. The motion passed with no recorded opposition.
The revision is an informational first‑touch presentation; the council’s motion advances the proposed code changes toward a formal ordinance vote at a future meeting. Hagener noted the changes are intended to reduce administrative workload for finance staff and to align municipal policy with recent state requirements on utility shutoffs and related protections.
