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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 landlord-based model reduces repeated account openings and cutting the administrative work of setting up many short-term tenant accounts.
Presentation and findings: Katie Bridal, operations manager in the finance department, reviewed city practices and options. Staff tested peer cities and found a range of approaches: some cities operate landlord-only accounts with a tenant authorization form (for example, Kent), while others continue tenant-managed accounts. Bridal told council the city can improve notification when an account closes (reducing the current six-week closing-bill turnaround to two weeks), standardize documentation at account set-up, and launch a new enterprise permit/utility platform (ERP) with improved customer identifiers (a persistent customer ID) and a customer portal that supports electronic notices and online payments.
Council action: After the presentation, a councilmember moved and the council seconded a motion to direct staff to draft an ordinance amending the LMC to allow for landlord-only accounts; the council approved the motion. Staff said the draft ordinance will include an authorization form that landlords or property managers may sign to permit tenants to create accounts; the form will make the landlord the primary responsible party for utility charges at the property.
Public and staff context: Staff stressed the approach is not intended to cut off tenants' access to service but to improve communication and accountability. Staff also said the ERP rollout will allow better customer matching across multiple properties and faster final bills. The city's current deposit policy remains: $100 residential deposit; commercial deposits are based on estimated monthly billing.
Next steps: Staff will draft code language and an authorization form and bring the ordinance to council for review. The motion authorizes staff to proceed with drafting and outreach to landlords and property-management stakeholders.
Ending: Council members praised the staff work and directed staff to return with an ordinance for council consideration.
