An independent Citizens' Rate Advisory Committee was established in July 1978 by Resolution 25852. The Committee, comprised of individuals with a particular interest and knowledge of electrical rates, was responsible for providing review, comment, and recommendations to the Superintendent of City Light regarding the work of the department's Rate Preparation Team and consultants hired to assist in the rate review and increase process. The Committee also was responsible for issuing comments and recommendations to the Mayor and City Council on all final products produced by City Light related to rate review. The Committee was staffed by City Light.
The Committee was not a standing or ongoing entity. It was established to serve only through the rate review cycle. Meetings usually occurred over the course of one year. City Light conducted rate reviews every two years during the 1980s. A new committee was formed during the year preceding the anticipated year of rate change and was established by passage a new City Council Resolution. The size and membership requirements of the committee changed with each new iteration.
From the guide to the Citizens' Rate Advisory Committee Records, 1983-1988, (City of Seattle Seattle Municipal Archives)
