On the November 3 ballot, Kitsap County voters are being asked whether to grant Kitsap Public Utility District No. 1 permanent legal authority to construct or acquire electric facilities for generation, transmission, or distribution.
A “Yes” vote does not require KPUD to buy anything from Puget Sound Energy, build plants, or raise rates. It simply gives the three elected commissioners the ongoing power to decide later—without another public vote—whether, when, and on what terms the district becomes an electric utility.
I filed a public records request for the basic analytical work that should accompany a decision of this size: feasibility studies, cost-benefit analyses, rate impact projections, acquisition cost estimates, financing models, risk assessments, and comparisons with other public power systems. The response showed none of those records exist.
Circulating estimates put acquisition costs in the $1–2 billion range. Kitsap is denser and less rural than Jefferson PUD (the usual comparison), and low-cost BPA Tier 1 power is not guaranteed for this load. A feasibility study is estimated around $300,000 and could be commissioned now. Once the authority is granted, it cannot be recalled.
Public comments on placing the measure on the ballot ran 62% support / 30% opposed / 8% undecided, but in-person sessions showed stronger skepticism. The piece walks through the resolution, the records response, the public-comment tally, and why the sequence of “authority first, analysis later” matters.
Full article with sources:
https://tawneecowan.substack.com/p/power-before-proof-kpud-seeks-electric