Everett council OKs adjustments to utility bill timelines

Published 2:56 pm Thursday, March 26, 2026

EVERETT — The Everett City Council voted Wednesday to adjust a law originally adopted in December that changed the amount of time residents had to pay utility bills.

In December 2025, Former council member Mary Fosse proposed an ordinance with the goal of giving residents more time to make utility payments. After amending it, the council approved the legislation — increasing the amount of time residents got to pay water bills, and giving more time before residents are considered delinquent — with a 90-day delay before it went into effect. That delay was put into place to allow the city’s public works department to review the potential changes.

The December law gave residents 20 days to pay water and sewer bills and did not consider customers delinquent until 10 days after the due date. It also stated that a shut-off of service could not occur until a customer had been delinquent for at least 30 days.

The effect of that law would have meant an individual could not have their utilities shut off for nonpayment of bills until 60 days after a bill was initially issued. Before the law was approved, the earliest someone could have their water shut off was around 40 days after the initial bill was issued, Everett Public Works Director Ryan Sass previously said.

Earlier this month, city staff proposed multiple revisions to the ordinance. They offered up a new ordinance that would consider customers delinquent when six days past due instead of 10, reducing the number of days before water could be shut off to 21 days after delinquency instead of 30, and allowing customers to resume water service by paying past due charges, instead of all outstanding charges.

City staff said that the changes would prevent customers from accumulating too many late fees.

The proposal, approved by the council Wednesday, means that the earliest a customer could face a shutoff of services is 48 days after the bill was generated. Allowing customers to resume water service by only paying past due charges instead of all outstanding fees will lower the burden for those who do face a shut off.

The new law replaces the ordinance the council approved in December.

Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.