Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

AGO 1992 NO. 21 >

1.  RCW 54.12.080(4) provides that any public utility district providing group insurance for its employees may provide its commissioners with the same insurance coverage.  In this circumstance, public utility district commissioners may receive insurance as part of their compensation. 2.  Article 2, section 25 (amend. 35) of the Washington Constitution provides that the compensation of a public officer shall not be increased during his or her term of office.  Article 30, section 1 of the Washington Constitution permits mid-term compensation increases only for public officers who do not fix their own compensation. Accordingly, public utility districts may decide to purchase life insurance policies for their commissioners, but may not actually provide the policies until the next terms of the respective commissioners' offices begin.

AGO 1953 NO. 39 >

The payment of a valid city or town tax levied against a Public Utility District may be constitutionally treated as a District expense although the District's income is derived from customers within and without the corporate limits of the taxing city or town.

AGO 1953 NO. 93 >

P.U.D. Commissioners may approve deferred pay to the anniversary date of a contract (March 1, 1953) for electrical workers who were previously covered by the union contract, although the contract is not signed until six weeks after that date. P.U.D. may approve the deferred pay to the anniversary date of the agreement for office workers not previously covered by the union contract, if said workers were, in fact, the negotiating and contracting party, not bound under a previous separate contract. The existence of a strike in the present situation does not alter the conclusions above.

AGO 1957 NO. 130 >

A public utility district has the power, under RCW 54.24.050 and 54.24.110, to employ out-of-state institutions as trustees, depositaries and paying agents to handle construction and revenue funds.

AGO 1958 NO. 224 >

Any elector may sign nominating petitions for more than one prospective commissioner of public utility district.

AGO 1956 NO. 229 >

A public utility district may enter into an agreement to compensate a school district for loss of taxes occasioned by purchase of private property within the school district by the P.U.D .

AGO 1952 NO. 297 >

A public utility district which takes over the franchise of a private power company, including such company's franchise with a city, is legally obligated for the payments to the city as stipulated in the franchise.

AGO 1956 NO. 299 >

A public utility district may not deduct from sales reported pursuant to RCW 54.28.020, current which is sold to members of an electric cooperative who are served pursuant to a lease‑purchase agreement with the cooperative whereunder 60% of the revenues are applied to retire the cooperative's debts and the remainder retained by the district.

AGO 1952 NO. 347 >

A public utility district may invest its funds in any state or federal savings and loan association doing business in this state, up to the amount which is insured by the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation, and such savings and loan association need not post security for such deposit.

AGO 1950 NO. 357 >

A municipality may not condemn the property of a public utility district.