Kitsap County voters will decide on Nov.
Politically, the measure tests whether Kitsap residents want a public option on the table.
Voters are being asked to authorize exploration, not to ratify a finished rate model.
Lester also said that if authorized, KPUD would have a 10-year window to exercise that authority.
Analysis of the Jefferson County transition, which PSE cited as a cautionary capital example, is useful mainly as a reminder that acquisition price is only the entry fee.
The Kitsap Public Utility District board placed a Nov. 3 ballot measure asking voters for legal authority to provide electric service, after months of rate pressure under Puget Sound Energy. Approval would enable a feasibility study, not an immediate takeover.