It did not take long in 2025 for the Snohomish Public Utility District to demonstrate just how inefficient it “manages” our business. The PUD is a public business owned by the citizens of Snohomish County. Yet it seems to be operated as a for-profit-company. Profit for whom?
The newly approved increase in costs to customers announced as pennies (looks better than a percentage rate increase) will go into affect in April 2025. The PUD is quick to highlight two weather events as examples of why a cost increase is necessary. They even provide how many millions it spent. The PUD fails to mention how much U.S. government aid the PUD used to defray these emergency costs. That too was millions. What happened to those funds? What were they used for?
By using unpredictable events as reason for the increase in costs to the customer, the PUD has again shown how it does not plan, it reacts. Proper planning should have prepared the PUD for some unpredictable events although the same or similar events (especially weather) do occur every year. The PUD should have been setting aside funds for these emergencies instead of spending and spending. The PUD’s general use of customer funds is another issue that could use a review.
I am sure the PUD has ready answers to questions about their expenditures. They have a lot of practices doing that year after year. The customer owners of the PUD could use more than a simple article about “penny” increases when throughout the year they spend millions.
Ignacio Castro Jr.
Edmonds
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