(The Center Square) - In high-priced Seattle, residents can now make up to $66,000 as a single person and qualify for utility assistance under a plan approved by the city council.
That’s almost 37% higher than the previous limit of $48,192, according to data provided by the council.
On Tuesday, the Seattle City Council voted unanimously to expand the city’s Utility Discount Program, offering reduced utility rates to an estimated 31,000 additional households starting January 1, 2027 under the revised limits.
The current program has an enrollment of 39,000 city residents.
The lower threshold to qualify is part of efforts to help Seattle residents with the rising cost of living, but is funded through non-subsidized ratepayers.
City Council documents say that the expanded discount for low-income families would be paid for by a "very minimal increase in rates," averaging 50 cents per month for Seattle City Light customers and 27 cents per month for Seattle Public Utilities customers.
But electric customers at Seattle City Light are already receiving a nearly 20% rate increase over the two-year period starting in January to pay for modernization of the city’s electric grid and a $4 billion Skagit River dam settlement.
The agreement with several tribes will enable the city to continue drawing hydropower from the dams for the next 50 years.
Councilman Dan Strauss, who sponsored the legislation, said that many utility customers need a break.
“This legislation strikes directly at one of our city’s biggest issues — Seattle is unaffordable for too many working people,” Strauss said in a press release. “Utility costs are housing costs, and for so many in our community, these costs can be the difference between making rent or falling behind.”
The legislation updates the income eligibility threshold to 60% of the Area Median Income.
Strauss said this shift from state median income to local area median income aligns with Seattle's other assistance programs, closing a gap that previously excluded many residents.
Depending on energy and water usage, newly eligible households are projected to save over $1,000 annually, receiving a 60% discount on Seattle City Light bills and a 50% discount on Seattle Public Utilities bills.
The income eligibility requirement for the program also goes up for larger families.
For two people, the limit goes from $63,012 to $75,420, according to the council data. For three people, it jumps from $77.874 to $84,840 and for four-person households, it goes from $92,664 to $94,620.
However, current annual income limits according to the city's UDP website don't match those figures provided in the council's news release.
Strauss said he worked with city departments and community advocates to amend the bill to require annual reports on efforts to increase participation in the Utility Discount Program, starting next year and ending in 2031.
