Your PUD

What is a PUD?

Public Utility Districts (PUDs) are nonprofit, community-owned and governed utilities that provide electricity, water, wholesale telecommunications and sewer services.  Grant PUD offers both electric and wholesale telecommunication services.

Washington’s first initiative to the legislature, approved by voters in 1930, gave citizens of each county the right to form a PUD.  The Washington State Grange sponsored the PUD initiative because private power companies at that time refused to bring electric service to farms and small communities.

Every PUD Has

• A board of elected commissioners who set policy for their PUD.  Grant PUD has a board of five commissioners.  Commissioners are elected by the community served by the PUD, and serve four and six-year terms on a nonpartisan basis.
• A professional manager and staff who operate the PUD.
• Open meetings, where members of the public can observe and participate in decisions made by the PUD board of commissioners.
• Utility rates based on the cost of service.  Because PUDs are nonprofit utilities owned by the public, not by stockholders, they are in business solely to provide service, not to make a profit from utility services.

Public Power Facts

• On a national basis, public power customers pay average utility rates that are about 10 percent less than those paid by private power customers.
• On average, public power systems return in-lieu-of-tax payments and other contributions that are 15 percent greater than state and local taxes paid by private power companies.
• Public power systems lower costs through their partnerships with other local government entities and other organizations. 

Public Power Information

Public Power is Hometown Power (pdf) – American Public Power Association

Benefits of Public Power – American Public Power Association

Your PUD Document Index