What is a Local Utility District?
A Local Utility District (LUD) provides a legal means for the PUD to collect fees for the operation and maintenance of street lighting in areas not covered by a specific jurisdiction. An LUD provides the property owners who receive benefits from the street lights a simple, equitable method of paying for the service. The property owners are billed annually. The cost is determined by the number of lights and the number of property owners. For 2003, in our LUD, 105 property owners were assessed $31.75 for twenty-six lights. 2005 Billing Changes The PUD is phasing in a new billing method for LUDs. The street light fees will be charged monthly and included for each customer on their regular bi-monthly electric bill. The phase-in is expected to be completed by the end of 2005. They say this should reduce the annual cost by 20%.
