Kitsap County will vote on public power amid rising bills
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Voters in Kitsap County will decide Tuesday whether to let their public utility district get into the electricity business.
Why it matters: The vote is being watched as a test of whether a shift to public power could lower electric bills — and potentially fuel similar efforts elsewhere.
Stunning stat: Puget Sound Energy (PSE) has spent $2.4 million opposing Proposition 1, making it one of Washington's most expensive local ballot fights in two decades, per the Seattle Times.
Driving the news: Proposition 1 would give Kitsap Public Utility District the authority to explore providing electric service, starting with a feasibility study of the costs and logistics, estimated to cost $300,000–$500,000.
- It could set the stage for KPUD to take over electric service for about 130,000 electric customers, more than 10% of PSE's total electric customers.
State of play: KPUD spokesperson Kimberly Funk said the proposition grew out of residents' concerns about the soaring cost of electricity.
- PSE, an investor-owned utility, is asking for residential rate hikes of about 30% over three years.
- Funk told Axios the district hasn't yet determined whether public ownership would lower bills or what it would cost to implement.
Zoom out: Neighboring Jefferson PUD took over PSE's electric system in 2013. Its rates are rising annually through 2028, though a 2025 comparison by the Kitsap Sun put its monthly residential bill about $10 below PSE's.
The other side: Christina Donegan, PSE's director of communications and marketing, told Daily Energy Insider the utility doesn't believe KPUD has the specialized technical expertise or workforce to reliably operate an electric system.
- A consultant hired by PSE estimates its Kitsap electric assets alone are worth $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion, before startup, financing and operating costs, Donegan told Axios.
The bottom line: Running an electric utility is no easy undertaking, Daniel Kirschen, a UW electrical engineering professor specializing in power and energy systems, told Axios. It's not something a utility can just wing, he said.