How to Virtually Connect to UTC Open Meetings
Zoom
Join the meeting online from your internet enabled device: Join UTC Zoom Meeting.
By Phone
On the day of the Open Meeting you will dial into the Zoom phone line for the meeting by calling (253) 215-8782. When prompted please enter the meeting ID: 8161 703 6134, then when prompted, enter Passcode: 078982
When you dial into the Zoom line you will not be on mute automatically, please mute your phone by pressing *6. If your line is muted by the system, you can press *6 to un-mute yourself.
The commission conducts its regular business at “Open Meetings,” typically held on the second and fourth Thursday of each month. These meetings start at 9:30 a.m., in the commission’s hearing room in Lacey.
Our Open Meetings are hybrid, with both virtual and in-person attendance available. You can visit us on-site at 621 Woodland Square Loop SE, Lacey, WA 98503.
Speaking at a Utilities and Transportation Commission Open Public Meeting
If you would like to sign up to comment on a UTC Open Meeting, please email records@utc.wa.gov or call (360) 664-1234 and indicate which Open Meeting you wish to speak at. You will also need to provide an item (e.g. A1, A2, B1, B2 - this is located on the Open Meeting Agenda) and docket number.
Meeting Information
- Calendar, Agendas, Meeting Minutes and Documents
- How to Join the Open Meeting Online or Over the Phone
- Open Meeting Recordings (External Site)
The UTC is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to participants with disabilities. If you need reasonable accommodations to participate in an open meeting, please contact the Commission at (888) 333-9882 or email at consumer@utc.wa.gov.
Open Meeting Topics
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.
-
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 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 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
-
For the health and safety of participants, all commission meetings are being held virtually at this time.
All open meetings, regardless of venue, follow the same format.
Information on how to connect to the Open Meeting by phone or through Zoom can be found here.
-
Sign-In
-
For virtual meetings, open the link to the Zoom meeting. Please make sure that your camera is turned off and your microphone is muted if you are not speaking. Attendees using the telephone to dial in can use star six (*6) to mute their line, and unmute when it is time to speak. For information on how to join the virtual meeting, e.g. the actual dial-in or connection information, please click here.
For in-person meetings, when you arrive at the meeting, please sign in at the front table located just inside the hearing room.
Copies of the agenda and any filing memos will be available in the hearing room and online. 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.
-
Agenda Changes
-
After the chair calls the meeting to order, any last-minute changes to the agenda are announced. The chair 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.
-
Summary and Discussion
-
For each filing under the action section of the agenda, a commission staff member will address the commissioners. They will summarize the findings presented in the corresponding memo and recommend action by the commission. After the staff presentation, other parties are allowed to speak including members of the public and company representatives.
-
Deliberation
-
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.
-
Submit a Comment
-
If you cannot attend the open meeting, you may submit a comment online. Please submit your comments at least two business days before the meeting to allow staff and commissioners time to review them.
-
Tips for Speaking at an Open Meeting
-
- If in person, when your name is called, walk to the table facing the commissioners. If virtual, remember to unmute, and you may start your camera. State your name clearly and directly into the microphone. Because people listen to the meeting from various locations, all discussions must 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.