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The City of Seattle
Ordinance
Council Bill
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An ordinance relating to the City Light Department's emergency bill assistance program; amending Section 21.49.042 of the Seattle Municipal Code to adjust program terms and conditions and expand eligibility guidelines for emergency bill assistance.
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Recitals:
Rising energy costs in Seattle and in Seattle City Light's franchise cities place a disproportionate strain on households with limited incomes.
Reducing energy burden for income constrained households is essential to fulfilling Seattle City Light's responsibility to maintain affordability, fairness, and equitable treatment for all customers.
The Washington State Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA), codified in chapter 19.405 RCW, directs electric utilities to identify and reduce the energy burden on income constrained households and to demonstrate measurable progress toward meeting the energy assistance needs of customers earning up to 80 percent of area median income.
Seattle Municipal Code Section 21.49.042 authorizes an emergency low income bill assistance program through which eligible City Light residential customers may receive a credit toward their electric bill.
In 2025 the Emergency Bill Assistance Program supported nearly 6,000 City Light customers by providing approximately $4.2 million in emergency bill assistance, and tailoring emergency bill assistance to a household's billed amount ensures support that reflects actual energy burden and accommodates annual rate changes.
The May 2026 response to Statement of Legislative Intent SPU-12S-A from Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle City Light, and the Seattle Human Services Department recommended expanding access to emergency assistance by increasing income eligibility to 80 percent of area median income and allowing eligible households to receive the maximum credit regardless of household composition.
Aligning eligibility criteria across City utility ass...
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