The discussion on new “rates” is the last thing on the Richland City Council’s Tuesday night agenda when the council will consider sewer, stormwater and solid waste utilities “revenue requirements and rate structure.” Ahead of it are two old hat items — shoreline reconveyance and a new police station.
The Observer will ignore the council’s agenda order and start with “Rates.”
Likely utility rate increase
Richland hired FCS Group to analyze the revenue and rate structure for public works utilities – sewer, stormwater, and solid waste According to the staff report in the agenda, “Richland’s utility rates are set to recover the City’s costs for each service and class of customer.” The utility rates were last updated in 2009 and 2010. It’s pretty clear where the city is headed with this.
“Reconveyance”
“Reconveying” the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer land has been the dream of local governments for years but the term may be misleading. Reconveying means returning property to its original owner and that would be the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) whose treaty with the U.S. Government goes back to 1855.
But the thought of obtaining the land from the Corps has some councilmembers embracing the possibilities.
“Jon – Should we have the opportunity, I would be in favor of developing a skyline of unique high-rise properties along the river front,” Councilmember Theresa Richardson wrote City Manager Jon Amundson in May 2022, just months after she was elected. The Observer obtained the email through a Washington Public Records Act.
When asked if she still supported that position, Richardson responded, “It depends on the project. My comment needs to be taken in context and has nothing to do with the transfer of property.”
Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC) leaders will give an update on the project that has gone on for years with the cities being more enthusiastic than the tribes who have to agree to it.
New City Police Station
Former Police Chief Brigit Clary pitched for a new police station in July 2022 and city staff presented Proposal A, remodel; Proposal B, remodel and expand; and Proposal C a new station on the old city hall site.
Tuesday night the council has allotted 30 minutes for an update which will include, “the project background, departmental needs, site options, and potential implementation strategies.”
Here’s how to watch The meeting is open to the public Tuesday evening at 6:00 p.m. at Richland City Hall. No public comments are allowed at workshop meetings. If you can’t attend, the meeting is broadcast live on Cable 192 and on Richland City View where a video can be viewed soon after.
A new police station on the old city hall land? Didn’t we just build one to replace the old one that was next to the old city hall?
Hi Paul, Other people have said the same thing to me — “Didn’t we just build that police station.” In 2022 when I wrote the first article about the police station, city staff said that it was 20 years old. Other people I’ve heard from don’t have a problem with a new police station, but somewhere else please, because all that razor wire makes it look like a prison. I think the city stopped marketing the old city hall site when the police station idea came up. If you lived in Kennewick or Pasco, you could go to this meeting and comment for 3 minutes as you can for almost all of their four meetings a month. In Richland you can only comment at two of their three meetings a month and speak for 2 minutes. This meeting doesn’t take public comments. Thank you for reading the Observer. Randy