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Port Angeles council approves utility rate package, delays electric increase until June
Summary
Council approved 2026–2027 electric and solid-waste rates and 2026–2028 Medic 1 rates; city will delay implementing electric increases until June 1, 2026 and pursue cost-reduction steps including a compactor/baler purchase tied to debt restructuring.
Port Angeles City Council on Tuesday approved a package of utility rate changes for 2026 and beyond covering electric, solid waste (collections and transfer-station), and Medic 1 emergency medical services, and directed staff to delay the electric-rate increase until June 1, 2026.
The rates passed after a lengthy presentation from city utility staff explaining higher costs driven by inflation, increased Bonneville Power Administration charges and higher transport and pharmaceutical costs. Council voted to adopt the resolution amending the city’s utility rate schedule and to postpone the effective date of electric rate changes by five months to ease winter impacts on residents.
City staff said the package is designed to balance revenue needs with the council’s affordability goals. “BPA did raise their rates, about 4.78% starting in 2026,” said Cara Sosa, Director of Utilities, citing Bonneville Power Administration increases as the single largest driver in the electric budget. Sosa described the city’s approach: phased adjustments that shift some costs from…
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