Washington § 35.97.040 - Heating systems — Specific powers of municipalities.

In addition to the general powers under RCW 35.97.030, and not by way of limitation, municipalities have the following specific powers:

(1) The usual powers of a corporation, to be exercised for public purposes;

(2) To acquire by purchase, gift, or condemnation property or interests in property within and without the municipality, necessary for the construction and operation of heating systems, including additions and extensions of heating systems. No municipality may acquire any heat source by condemnation. To the extent judged economically feasible by the municipality, public property and rights-of-way shall be utilized in lieu of private property acquired by condemnation. The municipality shall determine in cooperation with existing users that addition of district heating facilities to any public property or rights-of-way shall not be a hazard or interference with existing uses or, if so, that the cost for any relocation of facilities of existing users shall be a cost and expense of installing the heating facility;

(3) To acquire, install, add to, maintain, and operate heating facilities at a heat source or to serve particular consumers of heat, whether such facilities are located on property owned by the municipality, by the consumer of heat, or otherwise;

(4) To sell, lease, or otherwise dispose of heating facilities;

(5) To contract for the operation of heating facilities;

(6) To apply and qualify for and receive any private or federal grants, loans, or other funds available for carrying out the objects of the municipality under this chapter;

(7) Full and exclusive authority to sell and regulate and control the use, distribution, rates, service, charges, and price of all heat supplied by the municipality and to carry out any other powers and duties under this chapter free from the jurisdiction and control of the utilities and transportation commission;

(8) To utilize fuels other than the heat sources described in RCW 35.97.020 on a standby basis, to meet start-up and emergency requirements, to meet peak demands, or to supplement those heat sources as necessary to provide a reliable and economically feasible supply of heat;

(9) To the extent permitted by the state Constitution, to make loans for the purpose of enabling suppliers or consumers of heat to finance heating facilities;

(10) To enter into cooperative agreements providing for the acquisition, construction, ownership, financing, use, control, and regulation of heating systems and heating facilities by more than one municipality or by one or more municipalities on behalf of other municipalities.