Strategic Priorities

Accelerating electrification of transportation, heating, and industry will intensify customer and community dependence on electricity and increase overall energy use. The regional shift toward clean energy, changing energy usage patterns, and climate change will increase the complexity of our business. Ensuring that energy and water are available whenever and wherever they are needed will require sophisticated planning, new and upgraded infrastructure, and continual improvement of our operating practices. Responsible financial management underpins our ability to fulfil our commitments to our communities.

To deliver on this priority, we will:

• Build the infrastructure, technology, partnerships, and employee capabilities required to meet the increasingly complex demands of the future
• Engage in and influence the conversations and regulations driving decarbonization and the clean energy transformation in our communities
• Cultivate a resource portfolio that is cost-effective, reliable, and responsive to the requirements of the future
• Forecast, prepare for, respond to, and recover from major events including cyber-attacks, weather extremes, storms, natural disasters, and sabotage
• Ensure our long-term financial health and stability through robust planning, risk management, and adequate reserves

Our communities are becoming more diverse with evolving customer needs and preferences. At the same time, the standards set by other industries, including online retail and package delivery, are influencing what our customers expect of us. We must keep pace and embrace a customer-centric focus across all aspects of our operations, to deliver excellent experiences and earn our customers’ loyalty.

To deliver on this priority, we will:

• Proactively assess emerging trends to anticipate future customer and community needs and desires
• Hear, understand, and respond to what customers want, need, expect, and value
• Meet our customers where they are by using the communication channels and technology platforms they prefer
• Offer rates, billing options, programs, and services that meet varied customer needs and preferences
• Employ a customer-centric approach when designing internal practices, policies, and procedures

We have been part of the fabric of our communities since our creation and are committed to providing equitable services and access. Water and power are vital to ensuring Snohomish County and Camano Island thrive today and in the future. Looking to the future we believe we have the opportunity, and responsibility, to become an even more powerful partner.

To deliver on this priority, we will:

• Build and nurture authentic and meaningful relationships with regional leaders and community stakeholders
• Make responsible resource investments that support the vitality and success of our communities
• Encourage and support service and volunteerism by our employees in our communities
• Appropriately support economic development in our communities
• Support our communities’ diverse needs and ensure equitable customer access to utility services

We have long prioritized providing affordable carbon-free power to our communities and being sensitive to the natural environment in our planning, construction, and operations. With growing momentum toward electrification, decarbonization, local energy generation and storage, and conservation of natural resources, we are uniquely positioned to help our communities develop or meet their sustainability goals.

To deliver on this priority, we will:

• Actively work to identify, minimize, and mitigate our adverse impacts and reduce our contributions to climate change
• Understand our communities’ evolving priorities and partner with them to support their sustainability goals and efforts
• Advocate for regulations and timelines that balance environmental and societal benefits with operational risks and costs
• Balance achieving aggressive goals with financial prudence and ensuring service levels

Our employees are the heart of our organization; they are fundamental to our ability to deliver on our commitments and achieve our vision. We must attract, develop, and retain a workforce that embodies our values and reflects the diversity of our communities. Our employees need not only the capabilities and resources to do their jobs safely and effectively, but also access to development and advancement opportunities.

To deliver on this priority, we will:

• Offer an employee experience that people want to be part of to attract, develop, and retain employees that embody our values and the diversity of our communities
• Create a culture of health, safety, and well-being where employees can feel welcomed, valued, and included
• Ensure employees have the knowledge, skills, and technology required for the future and provide equitable access to development and advancement opportunities
• Encourage operational excellence, continual improvement, creativity, and curiosity