PORT HADLOCK — Jefferson County Public Utility District commissioners have awarded a contract to a Lynnwood firm to study the feasibility of the district providing electrical power to the county.
“This is the kind of thing that will help people make their decisions,” said Dana Roberts, commission chairman.
The question of granting the district authority to provide electricity in East Jefferson County has been proposed for the Nov. 4 general election ballot.
Power now is provided by Puget Sound Energy, which serves most of eastern Jefferson County and much of Puget Sound.
On Wednesday, the commissioners awarded the feasibility study contract to D. Hittle and Associates at a cost not to exceed $27,000.
Roberts said the district would pay the cost of the study, which is partly funded by city of Port Townsend voters, who pay a PUD tax but do not received the benefits that PUD water customers receive.
The district’s commissioners want the study ready for public perusal no later than the first week of August so that voters would have plenty of time to review the information before casting their ballots.
The action came on the same day that PSE opened a new office in downtown Port Townsend.
Also that day, Steve Hamm, who is with Citizens for Local Power, said that he expects to have enough signatures of valid registered voters to put the PUD power authority question on the ballot, and plans to present the petitions to the Jefferson County Auditor’s Office on Tuesday.
To get on the November ballot, 1,626 signatures must be turned in to county Auditor Donna Eldridge by July 3, and then be verified as signatures of registered voters in the PUD.
Hamm said the Citizens for Local Power plan a discussion on the pros and cons of creating an energy utility at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Garden Club on Marrowstone Island.
________
Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
