Tag Archives: Kitsap Public Utility District

City posts draft of water utility agreement with KPUD

The City Council has long mulled the possibility of a water utility management agreement with Kitsap Public Utility District. Now we know what that agreement would look like.

The city posted a draft interlocal agreement with Kitsap PUD on its website advance of the Wednesday council meeting. The five-year agreement lays out the details of a management contract, except the most important detail: the price. We’ll presumably learn more about the proposed costs Wednesday, when a 30-minute discussion of the agreement is scheduled.

The City Council instructed City Manager Doug Schulze to negotiate an agreement with Kitsap PUD in April.  The council wanted to determine how much a management transfer would cost and what services the district would cover. You can read the draft agreement below:

051513 Kpud Ila Water Management

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

New Poll: Who should run the Winslow water utility?

The future of the Winslow water utility has become one of the key debates in at least two of the four City Council races this year.

Candidates David Ward and Steve Bonkowski want to transfer the utility to the Poulsbo-based Kitsap Public Utility District, which has estimated it can cut water rates by 45 percent.

Incumbent Barry Peters (who faces Bonkowski in the race for the At-Large position) and Central Ward candidate Joe Levan (who is facing Ward) want to retain the utility, saying local control over water resources is preferable.

Local control supporters have also expressed concern that transferring the water utility may drive up sewer rates because the shared resources with the water utility would disappear.

The City Council is moving toward an initial 25 percent rate reduction, with more cuts planned in the near future. Read more about that in this story.

Peters is proposing that the city cut rates down to the level that KPUD is proposing.

But proponents of the transfer say the much smaller Winslow water utility can’t keep a high level of service if it cuts rates as low as KPUD.

So, what do you think? Head over to the right column (below the Facebook link) to cast your vote.

For the results of the last poll, head below.

Continue reading →

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post

City utilities transfer could lead to several job cuts

The proposal to transfer the city’s water and sewer utilities to the Kitsap Public Utility District could slash monthly water bills by as much as half.

More on that HERE.

The move would also likely mean the city would let go several – possibly even 21 – employees who work directly and indirectly with utilities.

Below is a breakdown of the full-time employee (FTE) equivalents working in city departments. For example, a .25 FTE is equal to a quarter-time employee, or a quarter of one employee’s work time.

Continue reading →

Post to Twitter Tweet This Post