MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Mayor Durkan issues order allowing federal employees to defer utility payments

Jan 22, 2019, 11:48 AM

Jenny Durkan...

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

On Day 32 of the government shutdown, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan is doing what she can to help unpaid federal workers, issuing an executive order allowing impacted federal employees to defer utility payments.

RELATED: Shutdown prompts Alaska Airlines delay at Paine Field
RELATED: How the Federal government shutdown is affecting Washington

That means anyone federal employee working without a paycheck — or who has been furloughed — can defer City of Seattle utility payments until after the shutdown is over.

Four city departments, including Seattle City Light and Seattle Public Utilities, will put together a plan to execute this plan by Friday, Jan. 25. There will be a phone number for anyone impacted to call to determine their eligibility.

Mayor Durkan’s comments on the executive order came through in a press release late Tuesday morning.

Every day that the crisis of the government shutdown continues, public servants in Seattle are forced to live without knowing if they can provide for their families – and Seattle is put at risk by the lack of federal services that we rely on, from earthquake monitoring to the Coast Guard to affordable housing support. We are acting urgently to help support Seattle families being hurt by the Trump shutdown. But to truly help families and help Seattle, we need the White House to re-open the federal government today.

Washington state is home to over 54,000 federal employees, 11,000 of whom work either without pay or on furlough.

Offices in Seattle where federal employees are either working without pay or are furloughed include:

  • NOAA’s Western Regional Center in Sand Point
  • NOAA’s Seattle Forecast Office
  • NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center & Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Montlake
  • NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Sand Point
  • The Federal Detention Center in SeaTac
  • Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington
  • Seattle Immigration Court
  • EPA’s Pacific Northwest Regional Office
  • Federal Trade Commission’s Northwest Regional Office
  • Coast Guard Base Seattle
  • TSA & FAA Employees at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
  • HUD’s Seattle Regional Office
  • USGS Earthquake Hazards Seattle Field Office
  • Small Business Administration’s Seattle Office
  • Seattle’s IRS Service Center

Tacoma Public Utilities has also offered to extend payment due dates 60 days, and the utility will waive late fees on bills. Puget Sound Energy will evaluate each case individually, but will generally allow customers in good standing to delay payments.

Additional reporting from KIRO Radio News Staff

MyNorthwest News

lead cookware washington...

Frank Sumrall

Washington becomes first state to ban lead in cookware

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed the Lead in Cookware Act Thursday, banning lead from any products used to cook food.

41 minutes ago

delta sexual assault...

Frank Sumrall

Woman sues Delta Air Lines after sexually assaulted on flight by employee

Last year, a woman was sexually assaulted on a Delta Air Lines flight from Phoenix to Seattle by an airline employee.

2 hours ago

Photo: Lewis and Clark High School students thought quickly to save their track coach's life....

Julia Dallas

Spokane high school students save track coach’s life after his heart stops

Two Spokane high school students used their quick thinking and past training to save their track coach's life last week.

3 hours ago

Image: Brightly colored eggs are set on a table on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington,...

Ted Buehner

Expect good Easter weekend weather for egg hunts, chilly evening Mariners games

Both Saturday and Sunday of Easter weekend will feature temperatures warming to around 60 degrees across much of Western Washington.

16 hours ago

Taylor Swift performs onstage during the Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour at Lumen Field on July 22, 20...

Micki Gamez, KIRO Newsradio and Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest

Seattle tourism dollars break records following All-Star Week, Taylor Swift

It was a record-setting year for dollars flowing into Seattle from tourists.

17 hours ago

Image: A bridge in Carnation....

Julia Dallas

Carnation frustrated with Seattle again after 8th false emergency alarm induces widespread panic

Carnation citizens have faced a series of panic-inducing alarms after SPU's system for the Tolt Dam falsely sounded eight times.

18 hours ago

Mayor Durkan issues order allowing federal employees to defer utility payments