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SubjectsPublic Works › Water Utility
Updated 11/2009

Water Utilities

Contents

Statutes Relating to Provision of Domestic Water

Administration

Finance

Fire Hydrant Service

  • Lane v. City of Seattle, 164 Wn. 2d 875 (10/16/2008) - Is it legal for the city water utility customers to pay for fire hydrants? No; provision of hydrant service is a governmental function. Following a decision regarding the payment for street lights, Seattle had its general fund pay for hydrant service, paying the cost from proceeds of a utility tax it levied on its water utility. The utility then raised its rates to pay for the tax. As to earlier (pre-tax) charges, Seattle must make refunds to its affected customers, plus interest. Furthermore, other jurisdictions who have secured hydrant service must pay Seattle for that service.
  • Fire in the Hole: Cities Need to Reassess the Ways They Assess for Fire Hydrants (Adobe Acrobat Document), David W. Findlay and Angie Sanchez Virnoche, FCS Group, and John Milne, Inslee, Best, Doezie & Ryder, PS., AWC CityVision Magazine, November/December 2009
  • Fire Service Impacts on Water Utilities: Managing the Effect of Lane vs. City of Seattle (Adobe Acrobat Document), by Edward Cebron, FCS Group John Milne, Inslee, Best, Doezie & Ryder, P.S., September 2009 - This presentation is made available to you with compliments of FCS GROUP. Further posting, copying or distributing is copyright infringement; contact FCS GROUP Marketing at 425-867-1802 for additional permissions.

Water Rates

Planning

Information Resources