Snohomish County’s major power utility is suing the county government for an unpaid bill that’s been in dispute for three years.
The county owes $55,000 to the Snohomish County Public Utility District, PUD officials argued in a lawsuit filed this month in county Superior Court.
The lawsuit claims breach of contract for work in 2003. It calls for payment, plus interest, attorney fees and other costs. Interest alone could add $22,000 to the bill.
District crews had several contracts with the county totaling $655,000 to reroute power for the county campus buildings. The work was part of the $175 million campus redevelopment initiative.
The project included building a new office tower, garage and jail.
The PUD finished the work years ago, and in September it filed a claim for the unpaid $55,000. The claim wasn’t settled, and PUD officials took their case to court.
Even so, talks are under way.
“We’re in discussions with the county,” PUD spokesman Neil Neroutsos said. “We filed a claim to reserve our legal rights.”
The county disputes the charge, saying that during construction, PUD crews were working underground and punched a hole in an elevator maintenance room, county executive administrator Brian Parry said.
The county paid $55,000 to repair the hole, Parry said. So it held back the $55,000 owed to the PUD to cover the cost of repairs.
“We’re trying to work with them to settle the disputed amount, to come to an agreement,” Parry said. “We’re confident that can be done in short order.”
Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.
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