The Seattle City Council unanimously approved an expansion of the utility discount program, which will take effect next year. About 31,000 new residents are expected to be able to receive the benefits. The key change involves how income is calculated: instead of the statewide average for Washington, the program will use the median income for the Seattle metro area. Because wages in this region are significantly higher than the statewide average, the eligibility threshold has been raised from the previous $50,000 to roughly $70,000 in annual income.
Program participants will receive a 60% discount on electricity bills from Seattle City Light and a 50% discount on water and sewer services from Seattle Public Utilities. For other residents, the expansion is expected to cost about 75 cents per month—25 cents for water and 50 cents for electricity. Councilmember Dan Strauss, who introduced the bill, noted that despite the program existing since the 1980s, participation has always been low: out of roughly 120,000 eligible residents, only about 40,000 use the benefits.
The expansion comes amid rising utility rates. Earlier this year, the council approved a 9.5% increase in electricity charges—the largest in recent years. The reasons include the need to shift to more expensive renewable energy sources, higher costs for materials and labor, and the huge expenses required to update infrastructure. Strauss hopes that aligning the program’s criteria with other city discounts will make it easier to apply and help attract more families who need the assistance.
Based on: Seattle council expands utility discount program - The Seattle Times