The Richland City Council has taken a position opposing the Horse Heaven Wind Farm Project and Tuesday night the council will support the status of the Tri-Cities Community Action for Responsible Environmental Stewardship, the opposition team, as an intervener.
Readers ask why the Observer words the Rundown comments like council action is a done deal. This agenda like most Richland city council agendas, consists primarily of consent calendar items which Deputy City Manager Joe Schiessl described as “routine items,” in an email to the Observer.
This week 17 out of 20 items are on the consent calendar where they receive no discussion and one vote. The Observer has never seen any Richland council vote down a consent calendar item and very rarely is one even pulled off for discussion.
Expect this meeting to take about an hour. It will start at 6 pm and you can see it live at city hall or on Cable Channel 192 or Richland City View.
In addition to the wind farm, the consent calendar has an increase in traffic impact fees to as much as $5,196 for a single-family unit in zone 3, a change in speed limits around town including a permanent 20 mph limit on a section of Broadmoor St. in Meadow Springs near Claybell Park.
Also included is a joint funding agreement with the United States Geological Survey to determine the origins of the toxic algae. Call this paralysis by analysis. The origins are well known — nutrients (mostly from farm fertilizer but also potentially poo from animals and humans), exacerbated by lack of stream buffers to absorb the excess nutrients, along with high water temperatures and slow-moving water. What’cha gonna do about it is the question?
Last, but definitely not least, the city of Richland will purchase a 1,654 square-foot storage unit at 300 Wellhouse Loop for $299,900 from Tim Bush, the beneficiary of many favors from the city of Richland. Benton County appraises the unit at $142,000, https://propertysearch.co.benton.wa.us/propertyaccess/Property.aspx?cid=0&year=2022&prop_id=317188 There are 37 units on this site. Do the math.
Check out details in the agenda packet. Link above.
Richland City Council actions (or non actions) are merely reflective of government in America today. Watch closely sometime when they allow citizen comment, because they’ve already determined the outcome of the topical vote and are just “being courteous” by allowing us to voice our opinions for a maximum of two minutes.
Hi B. E. Belton, I appreciate your comment and I agree with you. Thank you for reading the Observer. Randy