The commission conducts its regular business at “Open Meetings,” which are typically held the second and fourth Thursday of each month. These meetings start at 9:30 a.m., in the commission’s hearing room in Olympia. The public is welcome.
Any time a regulated company wishes to change its rates or terms of services it must file a specific request or "filing" with the commission. Generally, the commission has between 30 and 45 days to act on this filing. The decision to approve or “suspend” the filing for formal review is made at the Open Meeting.
If a company filing affects a service you receive, a notice will appear on your bill or in your bill envelope. You might receive a separately mailed notice. This notice should explain the impact of the filing and tell you how to contact the commission to comment on the proposal.
Agenda
The agenda for each Open Meeting is available several days in advance of the meeting. If you want to regularly receive the agenda, contact the Records Center. The agenda also is posted on the Open Meeting page.
Consent Items and No Action Items
Of the approximately 1,800 filings the commission considers annually, those that are less complex or non-controversial are put on the “consent” section of the agenda and are approved on a single motion by the commissioners. Filings that can go into effect without commission approval are put on the “no-action” section of the agenda. If you want to make a comment on a consent or no-action filing item, you will have an opportunity at the beginning of the meeting to make comments or request a discussion.
Utilities, Transportation or Other Items
The commission will deliberate longer on filings that are considered controversial or are complex. These filings are listed on the agenda as “utilities,” “transportation” or “other” items. Commission staff members prepare a memo describing the filing, the history of the filing, and a recommendation to the commission on how to handle the filing. Memos are generally available to the public three days before the Open Meeting on the Open Meeting Documents page.
How to Participate in an Open Meeting
When you arrive at the meeting, please check-in with the receptionist and sign in at the hearing room.
Copies of the agenda and any filing memos will be available in the hearing room. When you sign-in at the Open Meeting, indicate the particular agenda item you would like to comment on. If you are interested in a no-action or consent item, indicate on the sign-in sheet the docket number of the filing.
After the chairman calls the meeting to order, any last-minute changes to the agenda are announced. The chairman will ask if anyone wants to comment on any consent or no-action filings. If no one speaks up, the consent items are approved and the no action items will take effect automatically.
For each filing under the action section of the agenda, a commission staff member will address the commissioners. He or she will summarize the findings presented in the corresponding memo and recommend an action by the commission. After the staff presentation, other parties are allowed to speak including members of the public and company representatives.
When all parties have spoken on a filing, the commissioners will discuss the merits of the filing. By law, this is the first time the three commissioners have been allowed to discuss this filing with each other. The commission can either approve the filing or suspend the filing for further investigation and possibly set the matter for a formal proceeding.
If you cannot attend the open meeting, you may submit a comment online or participate by telephone. Please submit your comments at least two business days before the meeting to allow staff and commissioners time to review them.
Minutes from past open meetings are available on the Open Meeting page.
Tips for Speaking at an Open Meeting
When your name is called, walk to the podium at the front. State your name clearly and directly into the microphone. Because people listen to the meeting over the telephone, it is important that all discussions take place within microphone reach.
Keep your comments brief and specific to the issue. State your opinion, any supporting facts and the rationale you used to arrive at your opinions.
Hearing Location
The commission’s hearing room is located in room 206, on the second floor of our headquarters at 1300 S. Evergreen Park Drive S.W., Olympia. Parking is available in front of the building.
Map and Directions