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Tumwater staff identify nearly 300 additional households that may qualify for Lifeline utility discount
Summary
City staff found roughly 294 additional Thurston County households that may qualify for Tumwater’s Lifeline discount for low‑income seniors and disabled residents; expanding enrollment could cost about $252,000 annually and staff will begin outreach to eligible households.
Tumwater staff told the Public Works Committee on Feb. 6, 2025, that a data match with Thurston County property‑tax records identified about 294 households that may qualify for the city’s Lifeline utility discount for low‑income seniors and disabled residents, and that enrolling those households could cost roughly $252,000 per year in foregone utility revenue.
Troy (city utilities staff) said staff compared county records for a similar county property‑tax exemption program and identified 294 additional households the city could contact about the Lifeline program. Troy told the committee the estimate uses an average monthly utility bill of $143; multiplying that average by the identified households yields roughly $252,000 annually (about $504,000 across a two‑year biennium).
Troy said staff previously misstated the program count during the budget process: he recalled reporting “10” but said that was incorrect and that city records showed 90 participants. A council member later stated, in the meeting, that the city currently had about 190 people in the Lifeline program; staff and council agreed outreach and verification steps are needed to confirm final enrollment if the city mails invitations to potentially eligible households.
The committee heard that staff has drafted a letter and plans a targeted outreach campaign — mail and media — to notify the identified households and invite them to apply. Troy said the outreach can begin immediately and that the speed of enrollment will depend on how quickly households respond; staff expect some immediate replies and a longer trickle of additional applications over the following weeks to months.
Council and staff discussed fiscal consequences: expanding the Lifeline program will reduce utility revenue that must be made up elsewhere in the rates or by other means. Dan (staff member) and Troy said the city will use the new rate model presented earlier to evaluate how expanded Lifeline enrollment and other policy choices affect future rate needs. Troy said the city intends to include regular updates to the committee and council on enrollment as outreach proceeds.
Committee members also raised related billing topics. Staff noted the city pays roughly $250,000 a year in credit‑card fees for utility payments and is evaluating (a) stronger messaging encouraging low‑cost payment methods such as eCheck and (b) a possible convenience‑fee pass‑through to customers who choose to pay by card. Staff emphasized that offering no‑fee or low‑fee payment channels and targeted Lifeline outreach are complementary equity measures.
Troy said the program data set is limited to property owners who pay property tax in Thurston County (the county data match therefore primarily identifies homeowners who qualify for the county program). Staff noted the method may still capture some mobile‑home owners depending on tax status and that additional outreach strategies will be needed to reach eligible renters or households that do not appear in county property records.
Next steps reported to the committee: staff will mail notices to the 294 identified households, begin processing applications on receipt, and return to the committee with enrollment updates within the coming months. City staff also plan to use the rate model to quantify how expanded Lifeline participation would affect revenue requirements and rate design going forward.
