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Council directs staff to draft landlord-only utility account ordinance after staff review
Summary
Following a presentation by finance staff, the council directed staff to draft an ordinance allowing landlords or property managers to hold utility accounts and to require an authorization form for tenants, with the intent to reduce administrative workload and improve account accountability.
The Longview City Council on March 13 directed city staff to draft an ordinance to allow landlord-only utility accounts and to adopt an authorization form approach for tenant-managed accounts.
Why it matters: Utility accounts affect billing, collections and property liability. Under current practice, tenants can set up new accounts at move-in; a 2019 state court case (O'Neil v. City of Seattle) and city practice limit the authority to deny a tenant a new account because of a prior occupant's unpaid balance. Staff advised an ordinance change to shift primary account responsibility to owners while preserving tenant access where owners sign an authorization form. City staff said a…
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