PORT TOWNSEND — It would be better to stick with Puget Sound Energy in Jefferson County, a Washington Policy Center analyst concluded in a report released this week.
Supporters of a vote to approve electric-service authority for the Jefferson County Public Utility District criticized the latest findings as off the mark for the East County — and somewhat inaccurate.
“Staying with the private utility company would likely result in a continuation of current levels of power service at roughly the same rates,” policy analyst Brandon Houskeeper wrote in his review of ballot proposals in Jefferson, Island and Skagit counties.
Similar proposals to turn over the PSE electrical franchise to PUD’s are also in Island and Skagit counties.
“Taking the evidence as a whole, it appears unlikely that shifting to government-owned utilities in Jefferson, Island and Skagit counties would result in improved service or reduced costs for residents and business owners.”
