The Environmental Services Commission (ESC) met on May 8, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. to review the draft Water System Plan, receive the early outlook utility rate forecast for 2027‑2032, and discuss proposed changes to utility connection charges. The meeting also included public comments on utility assistance and veteran discounts, a staff update on sewer equity recommendations adopted by City Council, and approval of previous minutes.
It is 6 30 p.m. I call the May 7th Environmental Services Commission meeting to order. Next, I will do a roll call. Commissioner One is excused. Commissioner DePertis. Commissioner Heinosch. Commissioner Laxon. Present. Commissioner Margolis. Present. Commissioner Tyson. Present. All right. Next, I'll look to approve the evening's agenda. I second. Hearing no objections, the agenda is approved as motioned. Oral and written communications are now open. Remember, there is a three-minute time limit per person and 30 minutes total per meeting. Public comments shall be limited to matters relating to City of Bellevue government and to subject matters encompassed within the power and duties of this commission. Persons participating in commission meetings must not engage in speech or conduct that disrupts, disturbs, or otherwise impedes the orderly conduct of the meeting. Disruptions may include and are not limited to failure of a speaker to comply with commission bylaws concerning public comment. Joe, are there any written communications? There are written communications. Please. Okay. We received an email this week. Um, the subject utility budget process public comment. Uh I would like to, and this is from Jennifer Fisher at Bellevue Life Spring. She's the executive director there. And she says, I would like to suggest expanding your utility bill assistance program to support low-income residents with children in the household, in addition to seniors. From July 1st, 2025 to March 19, 2026, we have paid 51 water bills totaling 30,000 $30,002.92 cents for families, including 80 adults and 112 children under the age of 18. Of these, 16 were paid directly to the City of Bellevue for a total of 21,971.94 cents, an average of $1,373.25 cents per family. 35 of these were paid to landlords when families had eviction notices with utility balances for total of $8,051.98 cents, an average of $230 per family. Thank you, Jennifer Fisher, Executive Director, Bellevue Life Spring. All right, thank you. Thank you. Um, we have two people signed up for uh public comments this evening. Mr. Nordhorn. Thank you. Good evening, and thank you for that. I just come to talk to you. Um before I start, I know that you just got missed this evening, and uh the uh mayor's office has been so helpful in helping us in uh reason sent this out yesterday. She said, and so as you go through these, I would just like to have you think about on page one. There's an underlining for public understanding and meaningful support, and on the very last page is that thanking veterans in tangible lasting ways, and so what I'd like to talk to you tonight is uh the city of Bellevue establishing a meaningful discount to 100% disabled veterans for utility rates. I first approached the city council on this in early February, and um subsequent to that, I received an email, and it states the utilities department staff are actively reviewing your program, and a stated that they will be reaching out to contact with you. Number two, the environmental service commission will be including your request to review and update the utility rate relief program. Subsequent to that, I met with the mayor, and subsequent to that, I uh we had a second meeting with the city council last week, and um tomorrow I'm meeting with uh Jared Newenhaus, and as I understand it, um, what I would like to have happen is that this program gets on your agenda that you present to the city council sometime, and then the city council decides what what they do. And I don't know if that's the correct assumption, but that's what I understand. So the mayor asked me uh when we met with him how significant is the population for dependent or um disabled disabled veterans in the state of Washington, and I said, I do not know, so I called Washington, DC, and so the disability ratings for the veterans administration goes from zero to 100%, and there are various degrees of percentages depending upon the level of disability.