[0:00] Well, good evening everyone. Um, it is 6

[0:03] pm and I will call the September 1, 2026

[0:07] meeting of the West Richland City

[0:09] Council to order. And before we get

[0:12] started, I'm going to ask our city

[0:13] clerk, Stephanie Hog, to read the new

[0:15] meeting rules and then call roll for

[0:17] city council.

[0:19] >> Right. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Tonight's

[0:21] meeting is being held in person with a

[0:23] remote viewing option available via

[0:25] Zoom. Public comments will generally be

[0:28] accepted in person. Individuals who

[0:30] requested an accommodation to provide

[0:32] public comment remotely by 3 PM today

[0:34] will be recognized through Zoom during

[0:36] the appropriate comment period. We did

[0:38] not have any requests for tonight's

[0:40] meeting. When the mayor calls for public

[0:42] comment, please raise your hand if you

[0:44] would like to speak. One once

[0:46] recognized, please come to the podium

[0:48] and state your name and city of

[0:49] residence for the record. Each speaker

[0:52] will have three minutes to provide

[0:53] comments. You will be notified when your

[0:55] three minutes have ended. Comments

[0:57] should relate to city business and

[0:59] comments regarding to a specific item on

[1:01] tonight's agenda will be taken when that

[1:03] agenda item is heard. Public comment is

[1:06] an opportunity to address the mayor and

[1:08] the council. It is not a question and

[1:10] answer period. We ask everyone in

[1:13] attendance to be courteous and follow

[1:14] the council's rules of decorum. Please

[1:17] refrain from disruptions including

[1:19] calling out, clapping, cheering, booing,

[1:21] making remarks out of turn or otherwise

[1:23] interrupting the meeting. With that,

[1:25] I'll call the role for city council.

[1:28] Fred Brink

[1:29] >> here.

[1:30] >> Richard Bloom

[1:30] >> here.

[1:31] >> David Cole

[1:32] >> here.

[1:34] >> Fetto

[1:34] >> here.

[1:36] >> Moran

[1:36] >> present.

[1:37] >> And Richie

[1:38] >> here.

[1:39] >> John Smart

[1:40] >> here.

[1:41] >> Ken Stoker

[1:42] >> here.

[1:46] Right. Thank you. And now moving on with

[1:47] the agenda. Council member Richie, would

[1:50] you kindly lead us in the pledge of

[1:51] allegiance?

[1:55] I pledge algiance to the flag of the

[1:58] United States of America and to the

[2:00] republic for which it stands. One nation

[2:03] under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[2:06] justice for all.

[2:10] >> Thank you, Council Member Richie.

[2:13] I council, you have an agenda before

[2:15] you. Are there any changes?

[2:18] Hearing none, do I have a motion to

[2:20] approve the agenda as presented?

[2:22] I move to approve the agenda as

[2:25] presented.

[2:26] >> Second.

[2:27] >> I have a motion and a second to approve

[2:28] the agenda as presented. All in favor,

[2:30] please say I. I.

[2:32] >> Any oppose say no. Motion carries. All

[2:36] right. We have two presentations this

[2:38] month. Uh the first one is recognizing

[2:42] uh September 2026 as attendance

[2:45] awareness month. Regular school

[2:47] attendance is essential to student

[2:49] achievement, well-being, and ultimate

[2:51] graduation. During the 2425 school year,

[2:55] one of four students in the Richland

[2:56] School District was chronically absent,

[2:59] meaning they missed 10% or more of the

[3:01] school year. Chronic absentism

[3:05] affects not only the students who are

[3:07] absent, but also classrooms and learning

[3:09] as a whole. Whereas chronic ab

[3:12] absenteeism can be significantly reduced

[3:15] when schools, families, businesses,

[3:18] elected leaders and communities work

[3:20] together to promote regular on-time

[3:22] attendance and address barriers that

[3:25] keep children from attending school. Now

[3:27] therefore, I, Fred Brink, mayor, city of

[3:30] West Richland, do hereby proclaim that

[3:32] the city of West Richland stands with

[3:35] the nation in recognizing September 2026

[3:39] as attendance awareness month.

[3:42] Our city council affirms its commitment

[3:44] to the academic success of all students.

[3:47] Together, we can continue to build a

[3:48] community we a and a culture that

[3:51] ensures our children have an equal

[3:53] opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive

[3:56] as they gain knowledge and skills needed

[3:58] for high school graduation,

[4:01] future education, and future careers. We

[4:04] are also privileged to have a

[4:06] representative here from United Way, ATA

[4:10] Bon Hail, and uh I kindly ask her to

[4:13] receive the proclamation. If you would

[4:15] please come up to the podium, I will

[4:16] meet you there.

[4:44] Thank you, Mayor Brink and City Council

[4:46] for issuing this proclamation. Again,

[4:48] I'm Osta Bono, the community impact

[4:50] director for the United Way. Um, sorry.

[4:55] Um, thank you guys. This is my third

[4:57] year coming and I know you've been

[4:58] issuing this proclamation a little bit

[4:59] longer than that, but we appreciate your

[5:01] continued support and your leadership in

[5:03] helping us raise awareness of attendance

[5:06] um by issuing the proclamation. Our

[5:08] United Way works to give local kids a

[5:10] better future and kids who regularly

[5:13] attend school are in a we're setting

[5:15] them up for success, right? Getting to

[5:17] school is the most important thing. It

[5:19] sets kids up for success not just in

[5:20] their coursework but also socially and

[5:23] emotionally. Um, celebrating September

[5:25] as attendance awareness month helps

[5:28] remind all of us as parents and

[5:29] caregivers or grandparents, friends,

[5:31] neighbors that we can all support our

[5:32] kids in getting to school. So, united we

[5:36] can help our kids reach their full

[5:37] potential. It's our new tagline. So,

[5:39] thank you again um, city of West

[5:40] Richland for your time and for

[5:42] supporting our attendance awareness

[5:43] efforts. Thank you.

[5:44] >> Thank you very much.

[5:47] Our second uh, proclamation is suicide

[5:50] prevention awareness month.

[5:53] Suicide is a serious public health

[5:55] concern that affects individuals,

[5:56] families, schools, workplaces, and

[5:59] communities throughout Benton and

[6:01] Franklin counties. Prevention requires a

[6:04] communitywide commitment to awareness,

[6:07] education, early identification, access

[6:10] to support, and reducing the stigma

[6:13] associated with mental health and

[6:15] seeking help. The Benton Franklin

[6:18] Community Health Improvement Program

[6:20] identifies mental health as a community

[6:23] health priority and emphasizes the

[6:26] importance of coordinated efforts among

[6:28] healthcare and behavioral health

[6:29] providers, schools, first responders,

[6:32] faith communities, employers, community

[6:35] leaders, and residents. So whereas

[6:38] education and training for community

[6:40] leaders, employers, educators, health

[6:43] care professionals, and other trusted

[6:45] community members increases awareness of

[6:48] suicide warning signs, encourages early

[6:51] intervention, and fosters environments

[6:54] where mental health is supported and

[6:56] helpseeking is encouraged. Now

[6:59] therefore, I, Fred Brink, mayor, city of

[7:01] West Richland, do hereby proclaim

[7:03] September 2026 as suicide prevention

[7:06] month in the city of West Richland. And

[7:08] I call upon community members to educate

[7:11] themselves about suicide prevention,

[7:14] recognize warning signs, connect

[7:16] individuals to resources, and help

[7:18] create a community where mental health

[7:20] is prioritized and seeking help is

[7:22] supported without stigma. We have a

[7:25] representative here from the uh the

[7:28] executive director of the Columbia Base

[7:30] and Veterans Center, Mr. Christopher

[7:32] Deer, to receive the proclamation. Would

[7:34] you please meet me at the podium, sir?

[7:41] » You send me that picture.

[8:00] Thank you, mayor and city council and

[8:03] all everybody else that's here. It's an

[8:05] honor to be with you and I'm here

[8:07] representing uh bigger than just the

[8:09] veteran side of things, but no matter

[8:12] where you sit and I want to just read

[8:13] this so you kind of understand the the

[8:15] list of names that are involved. We have

[8:17] be behavioral health providers, public

[8:19] health and prevention partners, school

[8:21] districts and education staff, healthc

[8:23] care organizations, community- based

[8:24] organizations, individuals with lived

[8:26] experience, prevention and crisis

[8:28] response partners, and veterans serving

[8:30] organization. And I say that just

[8:32] because if you think about all that we

[8:34] do, this hits every sector that we're

[8:36] talking about. I did send something to

[8:38] uh Councilman Fedto that he can share

[8:40] with everybody. It's a little sheet that

[8:42] can give you some information.

[8:44] Hopefully, you'd share that for me. Uh the biggest thing I'd share with you

[8:47] no matter what uh who we're talking

[8:49] about isolation is the biggest problem

[8:52] we have right now and I think you can

[8:53] see that happening as people stare at

[8:55] their phones even as they sit next to

[8:56] you that this it's an issue that's going

[8:58] on. So there's a lot of people who find

[9:01] themsel uh right next to you but

[9:03] isolated. And so my challenge to

[9:05] everything we're doing here is to really

[9:07] walk forward opening our eyes giving

[9:09] them a nudge maybe grabbing their phone

[9:11] and throw it in the lake. I don't know

[9:13] whether something of that fashion but I

[9:15] would just say uh what we're talking

[9:17] about is crucial and it affects our

[9:19] children and it affects a few uh all the

[9:21] way up to our veterans and even it

[9:23] sounds crazy but some of our largest

[9:25] population is uh our later stage in age

[9:29] uh people have strong suicidal

[9:31] tendencies. So and then there's a couple

[9:33] things you can get involved with.

[9:35] There's take stride suicide prevention

[9:37] on Wednesday September 30th. Now, I'm

[9:39] not running this, but I can tell you on

[9:41] that there's information that will be

[9:42] sent out. It's something you can be a

[9:44] part of. There's an out of the darkness

[9:45] suicide prevention walk on Saturday,

[9:47] October 24th. And then for the veteran

[9:50] side of things, the month of November,

[9:52] you've probably seen those signs. I

[9:53] think I came last year and held them up.

[9:55] We're going to have them again this

[9:57] year. If you'd like to be a part of

[9:58] sponsoring some signs, bringing some

[10:00] signs, putting them out there, we'll

[10:01] bring you some and we'd love that. It

[10:03] has our suicide prevention number on it

[10:05] and then also how people can get a hold

[10:06] of us. So, thank you so much. Truly

[10:09] appreciate it. It means a lot. Thank

[10:11] you.

[10:12] >> Thank you, Mr. D.

[10:17] » All right. Moving on the agenda. Uh this

[10:19] is now our first public comment period.

[10:22] For items not on the agenda. So, if you

[10:24] wish to provide comments, uh please

[10:27] raise your hand so that you're

[10:29] recognized. I'll ask you to come to the

[10:31] podium and you'll have three minutes to

[10:32] provide your comments. The first public

[10:35] comment period is limited to a total of

[10:37] 30 minutes to allow council to move

[10:39] forward with meeting business. If we're

[10:42] unable to hear from everyone who wishes

[10:43] to speak before the 30 minute period

[10:46] concludes, there is of course another

[10:48] opportunity at the second public comment

[10:50] period later in tonight's meeting. And

[10:53] please remember once again, council

[10:54] cannot respond to questions during the

[10:57] comment period. And this time frame is

[11:00] for comments not relating to items on

[11:02] the agenda as we'll ask for comments

[11:04] about agenda items as they're discussed.

[11:07] Is there anyone that wishes to come

[11:08] forward, please? And I kindly ask you

[11:12] state your name and city of residence

[11:13] for the record.

[11:16] >> Thank you, mayor. I'm Jerry Bogs, city

[11:18] of West Richland. I just have a short

[11:20] comment. I understand that there is a

[11:22] probability the city will do a town hall

[11:25] on data centers when that becomes a more

[11:29] uh relevant issue in the sense that we

[11:33] can believe it will happen. So what I

[11:36] recommend to you strongly, not strongly,

[11:38] it doesn't matter. I recommend it to you

[11:41] is that you involve the public, not just

[11:43] as an audience, but as a source of

[11:46] information, positions, and and facts

[11:50] and things that aren't facts. There's at

[11:53] least one organization in our our Tri

[11:56] Cities that deals with data centers as a

[12:01] whole for each of the cities and they

[12:03] have a leadership group that seemed to

[12:07] be well-versed that put on a meeting

[12:10] through Indivisible at the Richland

[12:12] Library on Saturday and it was good. I

[12:15] went there. I enjoyed it. I thought it

[12:17] was fairly well presented. sometimes

[12:20] lacking context for the comments and

[12:22] conclusions that were made. But my point

[12:26] is, please don't treat the public as

[12:28] just a passive

[12:31] uh entity. Use them and get their

[12:35] opinion through at least the group or

[12:38] representatives of that group that are

[12:39] actively involved. Thank you.

[12:46] Please

[12:58] text Bender 786 South 38th Avenue here

[13:01] in West Richland. Um, I wanted to

[13:03] comment about the data centers also. And

[13:05] last time we were here, we talked, we

[13:06] asked questions about that. And then we

[13:07] see in the newspaper that Tremble Crow

[13:10] is rolling around here looking at stuff

[13:12] in here and it's been going on since

[13:14] before you, right? And we asked about

[13:16] that and no one gave us a straight

[13:18] answer that, oh, we know this is

[13:19] happening. There's nothing going on. And

[13:21] we kind of know your position on because

[13:23] you said we needed peerreview stuff to

[13:25] bring it to you. Well, you're not going

[13:25] to get peerreview information in

[13:27] something like this. You're going to get

[13:28] the accounts of people that that

[13:30] actually deal with this stuff. And um

[13:33] 70% of the people are against this. It's

[13:34] just a fact. And why? Because they don't

[13:38] want they don't want the stuff in their

[13:39] backyard. And I I I don't blame them.

[13:41] Just looking at what's we're reading,

[13:43] what we're seeing. But um it it's not

[13:46] going to be a conducive thing for us, I

[13:48] don't think. But what we want more than

[13:49] anything is our city council to be

[13:52] square with us because you're not our

[13:54] government. We are the government. And

[13:56] you guys work for us. And when you hide

[13:58] stuff from us or you're not truthful

[14:00] with us, then that that puts a a stain

[14:02] on us and a stain on you. And we don't

[14:05] like to be, you know, we have this rule

[14:06] in life I've gone all my life with. Fool

[14:08] me once, shame on me. Fool me twice,

[14:10] shame on you. And the retaliation that

[14:12] comes back like recalling people, you

[14:16] know, those kind of things. That's what

[14:16] needs to start happening because if our

[14:18] government doesn't yield to us, then we

[14:20] don't have a govern anymore. We have a

[14:22] dictatorship. And that's what we dealt

[14:23] with a lot with the last mayor. I feel

[14:27] in all the years I've lived here and I

[14:28] don't want to go through that again. I

[14:30] want my vote, my children, my

[14:31] grandchildren, my everybody that lives

[14:33] here to have a say in this deal because

[14:35] that's what our constitution guarantees.

[14:37] This is our government. Okay, that's all

[14:39] I wanted to say about that. Thank you

[14:41] for your time. Thank you.

[14:46] Is there anyone else present that would

[14:48] like to make comment?

[14:51] All right, seeing none, we'll move on

[14:52] with the agenda. Tonight's consent

[14:55] agenda includes approving minutes of the

[14:57] regular meeting August 18, 2026, the

[15:01] special meeting August 25, 2026.

[15:04] Resolution 51-28

[15:07] authorizing the mayor to execute a site

[15:09] lease agreement

[15:10] with PI Towers development LLC. Motion

[15:15] to approve the final plat of Red

[15:17] Mountain Industrial

[15:19] uh 3phase 1, file number plat 019-2025.

[15:26] Motion authorizing public works director

[15:28] to apply for a public works board flood

[15:31] resilient grant. At this time, I'll open

[15:34] comment for items that I've specifically

[15:36] mentioned on the consent agenda. If

[15:38] there's anyone that would like to make a

[15:40] comment on the consent agenda items,

[15:42] please raise your hand. I will recognize

[15:44] you and ask you to come to the podium.

[15:46] Once again, I kindly ask that you limit

[15:48] your comments to three minutes and state

[15:51] your name and city of residence for the

[15:53] record. Is there anyone present who

[15:55] wishes to comment on the consent agenda?

[16:00] All right. Seeing no one council,

[16:03] may I have a motion to for the consent

[16:06] agenda?

[16:07] >> I move to approve the consent agenda as

[16:09] read.

[16:10] >> Second.

[16:11] >> Have a motion and a second. All in

[16:13] favor, please say I.

[16:14] >> I.

[16:15] >> Any opposed say no.

[16:18] Motion carries. Thank you, councel.

[16:22] So, council will move on to item eight

[16:25] on the agenda. Item eight is a public

[16:29] hearing for a moratorum citing less

[16:32] restrictive alternative or LR facilities

[16:35] serving sexually violent predators.

[16:39] City Attorney Jessica Folultz will

[16:41] present the staff report.

[16:44] >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor and members of the

[16:46] council. Um, in 1990, the Washington

[16:48] legislature enacted the Community

[16:50] Protection Act, which is currently

[16:52] codified at chapter 7109 in the RCW.

[16:56] Uh, this these statutes authorize the

[16:58] indefinite civil commitment of people

[17:00] that are determined by courts to be

[17:02] sexually violent predators, um, also

[17:04] known as SVPs. Uh these people have com

[17:08] uh completed, excuse me, their criminal

[17:10] sentences, but have been found by the

[17:12] court to be likely to reaffend if

[17:14] they're not confined in a secure

[17:16] facility. Uh subsequent case law has

[17:18] determined that uh there is recurring

[17:23] uh evaluation of these individuals to

[17:26] determine whether they qualify for

[17:27] placement in what's called a less

[17:29] restrictive alternative setting. Um

[17:32] there was a very recent um LRA situation

[17:36] that occurred in Kenowick. Um these are

[17:38] often group homes that can be located in

[17:41] residential areas. Um and the law allows

[17:45] uh some regulations as far as their

[17:48] sighting. Um but but we are limited and

[17:50] that was part of what the issue was in

[17:52] Kenowick. Um so in addition to the LRA

[17:56] facilities which are kind of what we

[17:58] consider as a a more of a residential

[18:00] placement um there are also regulations

[18:03] on what we call secure community

[18:04] transition facilities um which are a

[18:07] more structured placement uh that some

[18:10] of these individuals reside at. Um those

[18:14] uh facilities meet the definition of

[18:17] essential public facilities under RCW

[18:19] 3678200.

[18:21] uh cities planning under the growth

[18:22] management act um which includes West

[18:25] Richland um are uh required to include

[18:29] provisions for the sighting of those

[18:31] facilities in their development

[18:32] regulations. Uh so the city does have uh

[18:35] some regulations that we passed in the

[18:38] last several months um to try to uh

[18:41] address this issue. However, it's come

[18:44] to light since that time that there is

[18:46] going to be a somewhat of a regional

[18:49] conversation about this with the other

[18:50] cities um which we think is in West

[18:53] Richland's best interest um to ensure

[18:56] that you know one city doesn't have

[18:58] lesser restrictions and then that's um

[19:00] where these may be cited um or just in

[19:04] general that we're not inconsistent with

[19:06] each other. Um, so in order to preserve

[19:10] the ability to develop those

[19:12] regulations, uh, council may remember

[19:14] that a moratorum was passed on July

[19:16] 14th. That was ordinance number 1526,

[19:19] which established a six-month moratorium

[19:21] on the sighting of LRA facilities within

[19:23] the city of West Richland. Um the law

[19:26] requires the law regarding moratoriums

[19:28] requires that if we did not adopt

[19:30] findings of fact at the time of entry,

[19:32] we have to do that within 60 days to

[19:34] establish why a a continued moratorium

[19:36] is necessary. Uh so tonight's public

[19:39] hearing is to provide an opportunity for

[19:41] the council to receive comments from

[19:43] staff um and to consider public

[19:45] testimony regarding the moratorum. Uh

[19:48] following the hearing uh staff will be

[19:50] recommending uh ordinance number 2026 be

[19:53] adopted which would support retention of

[19:56] the six-month mortorium through entry of

[19:58] findings of fact. Um those proposed

[20:01] findings uh that we'll address after the

[20:03] public hearing recognize that our

[20:05] existing regulations may not adequately

[20:07] address these facilities especially

[20:09] considering what the regional landscape

[20:11] will look like. Um all other cities

[20:13] within our region have a current

[20:15] moratorium in effect um in some

[20:18] uh place or another. Some have extended

[20:21] theirs because they adopted them

[20:22] earlier. Um some are relatively newer

[20:25] moratorums such as ours. Um and we

[20:28] actually um met earlier today with the

[20:31] other cities and their appointing

[20:32] directors and mayors to kind of discuss

[20:35] preliminary stages of conversations

[20:37] about this. Um so again uh this

[20:40] moratorum is intended as a temporary and

[20:42] measured response that will provide us

[20:44] adequate time to study the applicable

[20:46] law, evaluate existing regulations that

[20:49] we have in place, discuss with other

[20:50] cities um a coordinated effort to

[20:54] regulate these to the extent that we can

[20:56] and to develop appropriate regulations.

[20:58] Um [clears throat] so city staff um

[21:01] following the public hearing will

[21:02] recommend adoption of ordinance 2026.

[21:06] I'd be happy to answer questions.

[21:08] >> All right. Thank you, counselor. I will

[21:10] now open the public hearing at 6:21

[21:14] p.m. Is there anyone that would like to

[21:17] make comment on this particular item,

[21:19] which is of course moratorium citing

[21:21] less restrictive alternative housing

[21:23] facilities.

[21:37] It's Bender here again. Uh 786 South

[21:40] 38th Avenue, West Richland. I'm for

[21:42] that. I'm for us never having those. I

[21:45] spent some years, me and my son back

[21:46] here, protecting victims of this. And

[21:49] they don't quit. These these guys don't

[21:50] quit coming. They don't quit coming. No

[21:52] matter what the law says, no matter what

[21:54] goes on, they still show up in the

[21:55] middle of the night and we ride out and

[21:57] we get rid of them. We take care of

[21:58] them. We put take them to the police. We

[21:59] do whatever we have to do. They don't

[22:01] care what the law says. It's no

[22:03] different than any other criminal. Yet,

[22:05] they have a thing that that drives them

[22:07] in insanely. No matter what they do,

[22:09] they find them. We hide them. They find

[22:11] them. They go get them. And you have to

[22:12] get those people away from them. We

[22:14] protected hundreds of young children

[22:17] that we took them to court. We did all

[22:19] kinds of thing and protected them from

[22:20] these evil people. And the bottom line

[22:22] is they don't change. Doesn't matter

[22:23] what's going on with them. I mean, we

[22:25] had situations where there's 25 of us

[22:27] bikers sitting there and the people roll

[22:30] up and in one of the incidents they're

[22:32] there to pick we're helping these little

[22:33] girls and there's a courtappointed

[22:35] psychologist there and he threaten he

[22:37] threatens to kill her because he can't

[22:39] get at his daughters and this is a guy

[22:42] from works at Pendleton as an officer

[22:44] down there in Pendleton you know at this

[22:45] prison and so but we had that we saw it

[22:48] everywhere and they never quit coming

[22:50] middle of the night we're riding out

[22:51] someplace you know we're going here

[22:53] we're going to court things you hear the

[22:54] things that happened to these kids,

[22:55] little kids that have been molested and

[22:57] raped for four to five years from time

[22:58] they're eight till they're 12 years old

[23:00] or whole families of kids that this

[23:02] happened to where they were put in

[23:03] adopted home or care homes and the

[23:05] caregiver was doing that to them. And so

[23:08] it doesn't stop and they don't ever stop

[23:10] and these people won't change because

[23:11] they're reprobate. Their minds are

[23:13] reprobate and they don't care about

[23:15] those children. All they care about is

[23:16] that desire they have to hurt to get

[23:19] what they want and that's all they care

[23:21] about. And we've seen it over and over

[23:22] again. And I think we had I think we had

[23:24] around 153 children that we protected.

[23:27] And there was another hundred waiting on

[23:28] the waiting list for us to come and

[23:29] protect here in the Tri Cities. And you

[23:32] know, and so we got rid of a a guy like

[23:34] that because we sat outside of his house

[23:36] and handed out flyers because he wasn't

[23:38] going to live that close to a school

[23:40] where they walk back and forth and we

[23:41] got rid of him, right? And and so it's

[23:45] sad that we had to step in and of our

[23:47] court systems and our and our legal

[23:49] system and get rid of these guys and

[23:50] keep them out of our hair. They don't

[23:51] ever change and we saw that it was 99.9%

[23:55] of the time they never changed. They

[23:57] never gave [clears throat] up. So, I

[23:59] just wanted to say that. So, but I'm all

[24:00] for the mortoriiums and I think

[24:02] everybody should be. We don't want them

[24:03] in our city. We don't want them in our

[24:04] area. There's plenty of places in in

[24:06] Washington where they can be by

[24:08] themselves and not bother anybody. And and I was over visiting with the the

[24:12] prosecutor attorney over in King County

[24:14] and she that's what she does specialize

[24:16] in this. And they don't get any time.

[24:18] They can do this to a kid and they get a

[24:19] year, right? They get six months or time

[24:22] served. They don't go to jail for 15

[24:23] years to get rehabilitated. It's just a

[24:25] slap on the hands out. They come again

[24:27] and they're ready again. And the average

[24:29] is 300 children they bother before they

[24:32] ever get caught. And no one understands

[24:35] that. 300 children. I know I got

[24:37] children or grandchildren that, you

[24:40] know, I mean, the reality is you just I

[24:42] just got to get rid of them. Thank you

[24:44] for your time.

[24:45] >> Thank you.

[24:50] Is there anyone else present that would

[24:51] like to make comment on this particular

[24:53] agenda item?

[24:55] All right. Seeing none, I will close the

[24:58] public hearing at 6:25

[25:01] p.m.

[25:03] And council, I will ask you for a

[25:05] motion, please. Following the

[25:07] >> I move to adopt ordinance number 2026

[25:11] adopting findings of fact in support of

[25:13] retaining the six-month moratorium

[25:15] established by ordinance number 1526

[25:18] on the sighting of less restrictive

[25:20] alternative facilities serving sexually

[25:22] violent predators.

[25:24] >> Second.

[25:25] >> All right, we have a motion and a

[25:26] second. Now's time. Any further council

[25:29] discussion, comments, questions?

[25:34] Uh, Mayor Promble Bloom, go ahead.

[25:37] >> Uh, is the county also included in that

[25:40] discussion with the cities?

[25:44] >> At this time, uh, this is a cityon

[25:47] discussion there. I think that's

[25:49] intentional um, in that I think there

[25:52] was something brought up about there is

[25:55] sometimes

[25:56] a a tension between county and city

[25:59] regulations on these types of matters.

[26:01] Um and so I think we have not had our

[26:05] this meeting today was um a lobbyist

[26:08] kind of giving an overview about the

[26:10] general status of this and what options

[26:12] maybe there were to take to the

[26:14] legislature. Um when we start to have

[26:17] regional meetings between the attorneys

[26:19] for each jurisdiction, I think at that

[26:21] point we could discuss involving the

[26:23] county if we think it's um consistent.

[26:26] But at this time, all the cities have

[26:28] signed a um an agreement that allows us

[26:32] to speak together without risk of

[26:34] attorney client privilege issues. Um and

[26:36] we have not yet expanded that to the

[26:38] county.

[26:38] >> Well, the only reason is donut holes in the city. So, thank you,

[26:49] » Council Member Smart. Yeah. So, uh,

[26:51] Jessica, if I could ask a question

[26:53] besides what you just um said, what what

[26:55] can you um what is the course of action

[27:01] that we're that's going to be happening

[27:02] between now and the time this moratorum

[27:05] comes pass?

[27:06] >> Our plan is to um schedule regional

[27:10] meetings to discuss some of the cities

[27:13] um have been working on regulations.

[27:16] Part of the challenge is the law is not

[27:20] has not really been tested in this area.

[27:23] Um, and it's not super clear. And so I

[27:26] think part of the thought was getting a

[27:29] few minds together um, and making a

[27:33] decision about the best course of action

[27:34] moving forward. Um, so our initial plan,

[27:38] and we didn't discuss this today, but if

[27:41] Kenowick's kind of taking the lead on

[27:42] this, um, if they don't reach out in the

[27:44] next few days, I'll send an email out to

[27:47] schedule a regional meeting between the

[27:48] attorneys, kind of touch base about

[27:50] where people are at with their

[27:52] regulations, um, discuss any concerns or

[27:55] changes that we should have, and then

[27:56] there's kind of a separate effort with

[27:59] the lobbyist, who I think works formally

[28:02] for Kenowick and Pasco, um, to try to

[28:04] get some legis legislative interest in

[28:07] some changes. So that's our plan.

[28:12] » And so what what's the um what's the

[28:15] anticipated reporting to city councils

[28:17] on these meetings? Um is this going to

[28:19] be working through a subcommittee or

[28:21] through our directors?

[28:22] >> So yes, probably staff updates. Um we

[28:26] will

[28:27] our moratorum is up sometime towards the

[28:30] end of the year. I think all the other

[28:31] cities are in the same boat. Um, so

[28:33] we're going to we'll be updating council

[28:35] as far as if we're ready to bring

[28:37] something to council if we have to

[28:39] extend the moratorum, which we can do.

[28:41] Um, if we if we're not at a point then

[28:43] where we can uh develop regulations. Um,

[28:46] I I guess I do want to be clear that and

[28:49] just set expectations. We are not going

[28:52] to be able to prohibit these um and

[28:56] state law would not allow that. So,

[28:57] we're we're trying to kind of navigate

[28:59] um what makes sense in compliance with

[29:02] the law and also uh trying to keep the

[29:04] community safe.

[29:10] » Council member, Bryant, go ahead.

[29:14] >> Thank you. [laughter]

[29:17] Um I would just like to echo that if

[29:20] there is any way possible to include the

[29:22] county because of those donut holes. I

[29:24] hadn't even thought of that, but that is

[29:26] a very good point. We don't want to have

[29:28] something that's near the edge but still

[29:31] in the city have the possibility of

[29:34] having more lax requirements and then

[29:37] ending up having something like that

[29:39] focused right there. So, if there's any

[29:42] way to include the county on that,

[29:43] please.

[29:44] >> I think that's certainly something we'll

[29:46] evaluate. Um but I will say you know

[29:50] that there are uh buffer requirements

[29:53] that for example they have to be a

[29:55] certain number of feet from a school or

[29:56] things of that nature. So um we would we

[30:01] will consider that um as we look at you

[30:03] know where are the potential pockets. Um

[30:06] I just we don't know where the county's

[30:07] at right now. Um but I appreciate that

[30:10] and we'll certainly keep that in mind as

[30:11] we move forward.

[30:14] Council member Richie.

[30:16] >> Uh, thank you. Um, Miss Folz, to that

[30:18] end, I want to echo what Council Member

[30:22] Moran said and wholeheartedly support

[30:25] getting the county on board. We've

[30:27] already been through a few fiascos with

[30:30] donut holes in the city of West

[30:31] Richland. And so, to that end, I want to

[30:35] make sure that that we close this one up

[30:38] tight. Thank you.

[30:43] Council member Smart,

[30:44] >> one one other comment on that note. Um,

[30:48] you know, I would encourage our citizens

[30:50] to reach out to our county commissioners

[30:52] and make this a point of importance to

[30:54] them because uh without cooperation, you

[30:59] know, we could see uh these placed in

[31:02] county lands

[31:05] um without almost without any

[31:08] acknowledgement of what's sitting next

[31:10] door inside the city boundary, whether

[31:12] it be a neighborhood. and hopefully they

[31:14] would respect the school boundaries, but

[31:17] I'm concerned also about the residential

[31:19] neighborhoods that abut our um county

[31:22] lines.

[31:24] >> Thank you, council member. Um I will ask

[31:28] uh councelor Folultz to give council

[31:30] regular updates as meetings are held to

[31:33] keep all of you informed as to the

[31:36] status of these discussions. I did sit

[31:38] in on today's discussion uh and and did

[31:41] share some perspectives from the

[31:43] Association of Washington City's

[31:45] viewpoint which this issue is common

[31:48] throughout the state uh with the

[31:51] possible sightings of course Kenowick

[31:53] sighting being the one that's nearest

[31:55] and dearest to us but I will ask uh

[31:58] councelor Folultz to make sure that keep

[32:00] council up to date on this as the

[32:02] conversations are conducted.

[32:05] All right. If there's no other

[32:07] discussion on this topic, council, we

[32:10] have a motion for ordinance 2026 citing

[32:14] less restrictive alternative facilities

[32:16] serving sexually violent predators. All

[32:19] in favor say I.

[32:20] >> I.

[32:21] >> Any opposed say no.

[32:23] >> All right. Thank you, councel.

[32:26] >> We don't have any unfinished business

[32:27] this evening, nor do we have any new

[32:29] business. So, we next up is the second

[32:32] opportunity for public comment. Once

[32:34] again, if you wish to speak, please

[32:36] raise your hand. I'll recognize you and

[32:38] you will have three minutes at the

[32:39] podium. I would ask anyone who wishes to

[32:42] speak to kindly state their name and

[32:44] city of residence.

[32:46] Is there anyone present who would like

[32:47] to speak?

[32:59] » Yep. Take your time, Mr. Bender. Um,

[33:03] text Bender 786 South 38th Avenue, West

[33:06] Richland. Um, I agree with her because I

[33:08] know from the county they don't they're

[33:10] not in the same boat we're in.

[33:11] Otherwise, we wouldn't have these dumb

[33:12] donut holes, right? If they were in the

[33:13] same boat, we would have a boat like we

[33:15] have behind me on 38th out to the water.

[33:17] There's a big donut hole behind me

[33:18] there, you know, and and they they don't

[33:20] make any sense because that's where the

[33:22] problems go. during the COVID thing and the the crazies that were coming to

[33:26] town. We had quite a few people camping

[33:27] in our in our that area back behind

[33:30] there on 29 acres and couldn't get the

[33:32] county to do anything, you know. I mean,

[33:35] you know, we I even had a run in with

[33:36] them where they came in up in the yard

[33:38] and we're trying to steal stuff out of

[33:40] my out of my off my yard, the Trager,

[33:42] you know. It's like, wow, great. You

[33:44] know, and so, but the police did respond

[33:46] to get that because they were looking

[33:48] body bags and get them out of the yard.

[33:50] But the bottom line is um the county is

[33:53] not on our side on all this stuff, you

[33:55] know, and you've seen that. You see that

[33:56] no matter where you go in the state of

[33:57] Washington, you see it. I saw it on the

[33:59] west side. You see it here. The county

[34:01] will will just drag you down. What needs

[34:03] to stand is the people that stand inside

[34:05] these cities because they're the

[34:06] majority that hold the county. And

[34:09] that's how we take the count make the

[34:10] county move where we want them to go is

[34:12] that majority is in each one of these

[34:13] cities. Pasco and their county down

[34:16] there and and Kenwick and and Benton

[34:17] County. That's us that takes care of

[34:19] that. And we force them to do it do the

[34:21] job they're supposed to do and that's

[34:23] protect the citizens. That's the first

[34:24] number one priority. And these these perverts and these people, they're

[34:28] not a they're not a priority in our

[34:29] society and they never should be. The

[34:32] welfare of your family, my family, our

[34:34] grandkids, and and the children all

[34:35] around us, that's what's important.

[34:38] Nothing else. These people have lost

[34:40] their opportunity to be cared about when

[34:43] they committed the crimes they

[34:44] committed. And so, um, [clears throat]

[34:46] that's just all I want to say. I just

[34:47] the getting the the county on board. We

[34:51] do it ourselves. We make the county get

[34:53] on board with us. And that's how you you have to sway. You have to use the

[34:56] majority that we have, you know. Thank

[34:59] you for your time.

[35:01] [clears throat]

[35:04] Is there anyone else present that would

[35:06] like to make public comment?

[35:10] All right. Seeing no one, we'll move on

[35:12] to uh staff and council announcements

[35:15] reports. I'll start with city staff,

[35:22] community and economic development

[35:24] director Mendall.

[35:27] >> Uh thank you, Mr. Mayor, members of the

[35:29] council. Uh typ typically we don't make

[35:31] this kind of announcement, but um the

[35:35] TIGS has sold their land to Traml Crow.

[35:37] Um just wanted to let you know that that

[35:40] has occurred. So just wanted to share

[35:42] that as the public is definitely

[35:44] concerned and has some interest but um

[35:46] wanted to share that information. Now

[35:49] there will be a public process if we

[35:51] were to receive an application for a

[35:53] data center. Again we have not received

[35:55] one. It would go through a significant

[35:58] public process similar to what the

[35:59] Louiswis and Clark ranch went through

[36:02] and I'd be happy to talk with anyone

[36:03] after the meeting on that. Um I've got

[36:06] my cards here and can and be happy to

[36:08] share that with them.

[36:11] Thank you, Mr. Menhal.

[36:14] Any other staff comments? No. All right,

[36:16] council, your turn. Any council member

[36:20] care to make comments or reports?

[36:23] I will start with council member Stoker.

[36:26] Save you from putting up your card.

[36:28] >> Yeah.

[36:29] >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um, so it is

[36:32] September and like September of every

[36:34] year, I try to put my stick in that to

[36:37] me this is Constitution Month. Um

[36:40] September 17th is the day the

[36:42] constitution was basically signed. Not

[36:46] really signed, but okay. It's the

[36:47] accepted signature date. Um so hopefully

[36:50] this month I'd like to encourage council

[36:53] staff and our fellow citizens to read

[36:57] the constitution. It's not that hard. Um

[37:01] it's only a few pages. [laughter]

[37:04] Um and um I think next next time I will

[37:07] try to bring some of my pocket

[37:09] constitutions that I have and willing to

[37:11] hand them out to anybody who would like

[37:12] to be interested in one. So September

[37:15] 17th is Constitution Day. Um so please take the time to understand a

[37:21] little better the the bedrock foundation

[37:23] of this great nation. And thank you

[37:26] >> you council member Moran.

[37:30] >> Sorry my pen died. Um, so since our last

[37:36] business meeting, I attended a Benton

[37:39] Franklin Council of Governments Board

[37:41] meeting and a Benton County uh, housing

[37:46] continuum of care meeting and uh, I will

[37:51] just say that the way that the COG is

[37:54] going um, I really like the way that

[37:58] it's continuing to progress and I know

[38:00] that there is discuss discussions with

[38:03] uh the tech board member as uh Mr. Slate

[38:07] as well as myself coming up soon uh

[38:09] after Labor Day so that we can talk to

[38:12] the cog about well just how things are

[38:15] going for the city. Uh other than that

[38:19] um I hope everybody has a safe Labor Day

[38:22] weekend.

[38:24] >> Thank you, Council Member Moran. Uh,

[38:27] council member Fedto.

[38:31] » Thank you, sir. Uh, Legislative Council,

[38:34] Tricer Regional Chamber and HBA are uh

[38:36] hosting the elect reception October 1st

[38:40] at the reach. Um, I don't know if this

[38:43] went out to everybody. If not, I'll

[38:45] forward it to Stephanie and have her

[38:48] pass that along. Um,

[38:51] and don't forget 920 is Iron Man. Um

[38:56] that's in 19 days. So Sunday the 20th,

[38:59] just be prepared um for an

[39:01] inconvenience. Thank you,

[39:04] >> Council Member Richie.

[39:08] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh so just a

[39:10] couple of things. Uh yes, Iron Man. And

[39:12] if you want to know when your roads are

[39:15] going to be closed, go look at the

[39:17] city's website and there is a link that

[39:21] you can follow there that will give you

[39:23] the approximate times that the racers uh

[39:28] participants will be passing by your

[39:31] streets. So I've had concerns expressed

[39:35] by citizens, I can't get out, I can't

[39:37] get in, etc., etc. that'll help you to

[39:40] go ahead and plan your day because it

[39:41] they do kind of take over our city. Last

[39:45] thing I'll say is that the roundabout on

[39:48] the south side of town, I got to be the

[39:51] first guy to go through the new

[39:53] roundabout on the south side of town and

[39:56] it is just as smooth as smooth can be.

[39:59] So, Mr. Slade, you're you're doing a

[40:01] great job. I do have some concerns uh

[40:04] near the little strip mall there in

[40:06] middle of town uh down by uh MetalFab,

[40:10] but I see that you're getting that under

[40:12] control as well. So, keep up the good

[40:13] work. Thank you very much.

[40:16] >> Right. Uh Council Member Smart.

[40:20] >> Uh yeah, I had a couple things here. Um

[40:23] one just to uh chime in with

[40:26] Constitution Month. Um, uh, citizens,

[40:30] uh, your homework for this month is to

[40:32] read the Constitution

[40:34] and decide why socialism and communism

[40:37] is antithetical to our US Constitution.

[40:39] I'm not going to give you the answer

[40:41] tonight, but you should read it and

[40:44] determine for yourself why those two.

[40:47] And if you don't know what those two

[40:48] things are, read about them, too. It's

[40:50] all over the internet. So, these are

[40:52] important things, important issues,

[40:54] unfortunately, these days that we have

[40:55] to be concerned about. And um I just

[40:58] encourage you and your children to

[41:00] learn, you know, why we have the

[41:02] freedoms we have and why we won't have

[41:04] the freedoms we have if we adopt

[41:07] socialism or communism. Uh after that, I

[41:10] want a more cheerful note. Um I took a

[41:13] bus ride to the fair. It was free. It

[41:16] was great. It was on time and it was so

[41:19] convenient and I didn't have to pay and

[41:20] I didn't have to walk out in the a dark

[41:23] gravel parking lot. [clears throat] Um,

[41:25] what a great service and my daughters

[41:28] and I really appreciate that it was

[41:29] again free. So, we plan to do that again

[41:32] next year, I'm sure. Data centers. I um

[41:35] received an email today from a resident

[41:38] reminding me to respond to her about

[41:40] concerns about water for data centers. A

[41:43] couple things about this one.

[41:46] to my knowledge, like we just got the

[41:48] information we got. Residents here and

[41:50] online realize that that's all we knew

[41:53] and now we know that. Um, until it gets

[41:56] announced at a at a subcommittee meeting

[41:58] or at this council meeting, we don't

[42:00] officially know anything more than you

[42:02] do, honestly. I mean, there's just no

[42:04] secrets here. Um, when something

[42:06] happens, it happens and then we hear

[42:08] about it and then you know about it and

[42:10] so do we. So, there's no hiding.

[42:13] Certainly not on my part. No lying. I

[42:16] know that's happened in other

[42:17] communities. Um I would admonish staff

[42:20] that if there's ever anything that

[42:23] happens of importance, especially on

[42:24] this topic, that we get notified as soon

[42:26] as possible like we did tonight. Thank

[42:28] you. Um so that we aren't accused of

[42:31] hiding something that has progressed or

[42:34] happened with regard to data centers in

[42:36] this community. So I'm I I won't speak

[42:39] for all of us, but I'll speak for

[42:40] myself. That's that's my feeling on the

[42:42] topic and I hope that we continue to

[42:44] have an open conversation about this. I

[42:46] also um the the email I got today had

[42:50] interesting information about a

[42:52] non-replenishing aquifer out in the in

[42:55] the

[42:57] Louiswis and Clark Ranch area and

[42:59] concerns about how if a if a well was

[43:02] drilled that it might you know be

[43:04] putting I think she said everybody's got

[43:06] the same straw in the milkshake. Um I I

[43:09] don't know right now what a proposal

[43:12] would uh what a data center proposal

[43:14] would propose to use for water source.

[43:16] They might they might pipe it from the

[43:18] Colombia. They might bring their own in

[43:20] from the ocean. I have no idea. There's

[43:22] no not knowledge of that at this point

[43:24] at least as a council member. I don't

[43:27] know. Um

[43:29] our our city community development

[43:32] director, Mr. Menenhal, will probably be

[43:35] one of the first to know. So, I'm gonna point to him and say, you

[43:39] know, if you want the latest and

[43:40] greatest information, write to Eric.

[43:43] He's got an open door. Um, he'll answer

[43:46] your question and if you learn something

[43:47] we don't already know, I'm sure he'll be

[43:49] right on that, too. So, um, you know,

[43:52] when we get a proposal, we'll we will

[43:54] have a better understanding of what's

[43:56] being proposed and whether it's a closed

[43:58] loop system, what's going to happen to

[44:01] the water. It's going to take time. A

[44:02] data center is a big facility. I'm sure

[44:05] this analysis of what they propose is

[44:07] not going to be finished overnight. And

[44:09] as our residents have stated tonight, we would welcome I personally will

[44:14] welcome the input from our community. We

[44:16] have smart people in this community.

[44:19] Okay? I mean worldclass knowledgeable

[44:22] geologists, hydraologists,

[44:25] you know, folks that have dealt with the

[44:26] nuclear plants out there. Um,

[44:29] groundwater movement, um, environmental

[44:32] concerns of all nature, all of these

[44:35] areas of expertise are represented right

[44:37] here in our even in just West Richland,

[44:39] let alone the whole Tri Cities, right?

[44:41] So, if you have these concerns when

[44:43] these proposals come in and and they

[44:45] probably will, we don't know. Maybe they

[44:47] will, maybe they won't.

[44:49] You know, don't organize based on

[44:53] anti-data center rallies just for the

[44:56] sake of being against data centers

[44:58] because you think, you know, big

[44:59] brother's going to be breathing down

[45:00] your neck. That that, by the way,

[45:01] already happens. These data centers,

[45:04] what we're concerned about is how are

[45:05] they going to impact our quality of life

[45:07] with their industrial presence here in

[45:10] our community? Okay? Are they going to poison our water? Are

[45:13] they going to create some sort of nasty

[45:15] noise that we don't want to live with?

[45:17] Um, I can assure you that they will take

[45:20] up some acreage. Fortunately, in West

[45:22] Richland, we have 22 square miles of

[45:25] acres of of 22 square miles of land.

[45:27] We're not going to run out of land

[45:28] anytime soon, but all the other

[45:31] concerns, I mean, that's everybody has a

[45:33] good point there. So, the question is,

[45:35] what are the exact concerns? What are

[45:37] the where are the studies that show us

[45:38] what we should be um

[45:42] asking our data center proponents about?

[45:46] What are the pointed questions that we

[45:48] need to ask them and get them to answer

[45:49] and mitigate? Um and if they can't

[45:52] mitigate them, then to to my

[45:55] satisfaction, I will not be supporting

[45:57] the the in introduction of a data

[45:59] center. If they can mitigate a concern,

[46:02] in all fairness,

[46:04] I I I guess if it's mitigated, it's

[46:06] mitigated. If it's whisper quiet

[46:10] and somebody's got to complain about

[46:11] noise and they've assured us with

[46:12] engineering details that it's not going

[46:14] to be noisy, well, I mean, what else can

[46:17] we say? It's, you know, the the the the

[46:21] automotive shop down the street might be

[46:23] noisier than the data center. We have to

[46:26] play fair. We can't just hold a grudge

[46:28] because they have the name data center

[46:29] on them. But uh that said, I mean, I

[46:32] just want to point out here that that my

[46:34] purpose is to be objective about this.

[46:37] look at the information, the studies,

[46:40] and the parameters that go along with

[46:42] any industrial uh installation, whether

[46:44] it's a data center or or anything else,

[46:48] and make sure that it doesn't adversely

[46:49] impact our residents,

[46:52] that it's safe for the environment, it's

[46:54] not going to poison our water, not going

[46:55] to pollute our air, not going to create

[46:57] lots of noise.

[46:59] Okay? I mean, it's that simple. I and I I would invite our other council

[47:03] members to chime in on this, but I I'm

[47:05] not I'm not trying to hide anything from

[47:07] any any resident, and I'm welcoming your

[47:11] concerns, your your information. If you

[47:14] have studies, if you have information on

[47:15] other data centers that that are failing

[47:18] in one of these areas, uh let us know so

[47:20] that we can really quiz these future

[47:23] proposals on those topics and make sure

[47:25] that any concerns like that are

[47:26] mitigated before we even give them a

[47:28] foothold. So, appreciate your ear on

[47:30] this. Thank you. Bye,

[47:34] >> Council Member Cole.

[47:37] >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um, I just want to

[47:38] say, hey, amen to what Council Member

[47:41] Smart said. I could re repeat all of

[47:44] that, but

[47:46] what he said would probably save us some

[47:49] effort. Uh, I want to thank Mr. Bender.

[47:52] I agree with your comments and uh as a

[47:55] city I would like to encourage us to

[47:57] consider the strictest measures that we can uh based on as I understand

[48:04] what Jessica explained to us that there

[48:06] is some lack of clarity in the law uh

[48:09] with respect to cities and these things.

[48:12] So, I'd rather lean towards let's let

[48:15] them tell us we were too strict than to

[48:19] find out that we didn't go far enough.

[48:22] Um, and then lastly, um, Council Member

[48:25] Smart suggested a homework assignment on

[48:28] the Constitution. I'm going to I'm going

[48:30] to give them a little bit of help. I

[48:32] recommend you start article 4, section

[48:34] four. That'll probably lead you right to

[48:36] the answer.

[48:39] >> Thank you, Council Member Cole. Um,

[48:42] Council Member Moran, did you have one

[48:43] quick comment?

[48:44] >> Yes. Uh, apologies. I got distracted by

[48:47] the the information we got and my pen

[48:50] running out of ink at the same time. So,

[48:52] I lost my uh train of thought that I was

[48:54] going to say. Um, uh, briefly just

[48:56] wanted to say, um, yeah, that was the

[49:01] first time we had heard about the sale

[49:03] to Traml Crow. So, we're not keeping

[49:05] secrets, trust me. Uh sometimes

[49:09] without meaning to we get treated not

[49:14] that's unfair. Sometimes I feel as if

[49:17] I'm a fungi but I know that I'm not.

[49:20] It's just

[49:22] the way that the beast is. Um but uh

[49:25] that's kept in the dark and fed crap.

[49:28] But I know that the staff doesn't do

[49:29] that to us. It's just anyway. Um, but I

[49:33] will say regarding the free fair, sorry,

[49:36] regarding the free fair for uh, Ben

[49:38] Franklin Transit, uh, we did speak at

[49:41] our last meeting about wanting to do a

[49:44] test run when school was in session

[49:47] because during the summer could be very

[49:49] different than how it is when school is

[49:51] in session because the students will be

[49:52] using the buses. So, there will be

[49:54] another trial run, we've been told,

[49:58] sometime during the school year. So, we

[50:00] can look forward to that and we'll be

[50:02] able to crunch the numbers and see how

[50:04] it looks going fair free. I'm rooting

[50:07] for fair free to win, but we'll see how

[50:09] that goes. Thank you,

[50:11] >> Mayor Pro Tim Bloom.

[50:14] >> I think I'll follow up on that. I am

[50:15] totally opposed to fair free uh from the

[50:18] standpoint of uh and I sent something

[50:22] [clears throat]

[50:22] to the current uh

[50:25] um

[50:27] chief executive officer. Um my my nephew

[50:32] happens to be a bus driver

[50:34] and

[50:37] um and they had they got sued because

[50:42] they let somebody on the bus who stabbed

[50:44] somebody without a fair. And so

[50:48] reinforcing fairs has become the rule.

[50:52] And that and the the key comes down to

[50:55] is

[50:58] we the fairs that you get charged on the

[51:01] bus is minimal. It it doesn't cover

[51:05] even 10% of the cost and but it is

[51:10] important from a standpoint of

[51:12] maintaining safety for those that are

[51:15] riding the bus. So before you make a

[51:19] position for West Richland, I think we

[51:21] as a council should be on the position

[51:24] of whether that's the what we want to

[51:27] support because it's important for the

[51:29] safety of our citizens

[51:32] that that there is some control of who's

[51:36] getting on the bus and some aspects of

[51:39] that. So I just wanted to bring that up.

[51:42] Uh heard on the news tonight we got a

[51:45] second West Nile confirmed case in the

[51:47] Tri Cities. Uh a couple of weeks ago I

[51:51] uh mentioned that good news and bad

[51:54] news. The good news is there less

[51:56] mosquitoes. The bad news most of them

[51:58] are poisonous. Uh

[52:02] it is and just recently there were some

[52:05] eldulide

[52:07] uh aerial applications mainly because

[52:09] we're still seeing the mosquitoes with

[52:12] West Nile in most of the traps. So if

[52:16] you're out use mosquito repellent.

[52:20] We cannot protect you. There are just

[52:22] too many nasty mosquitoes out there

[52:24] along the river, the Yakimma River.

[52:28] Those nasty mosquitoes don't carry

[52:30] Midwest Nile.

[52:32] So, so it's kind of strange. They're

[52:35] specific brands. So, it's mostly in the

[52:37] city and look in your backyard. See if

[52:41] you got a pot of water that's breeding

[52:43] mosquitoes, things like that. But be

[52:46] careful, be wise.

[52:49] It may be too late because usually we

[52:52] don't find out until a month after

[52:54] you've gotten bitten. But I can tell you

[52:57] we're trapping and the mosquitoes are

[52:59] coming back positive and we're doing

[53:02] everything we can to knock them down.

[53:05] Um, I guess I I promised Mr. Slate I was

[53:09] going to ask a question of the cell

[53:12] tower leases for the other cell towers.

[53:14] Are they still active? Uh, you know,

[53:17] this was the one uh we did tonight, lot

[53:20] two, you have two on lot one.

[53:27] So, we do have there's three cell towers

[53:30] up on top of flattop.

[53:32] There's only three. Um, one is expired

[53:36] and it was expired last year. Spent 18

[53:39] months negotiating

[53:41] a renewal and uh couldn't come to terms,

[53:44] so it expired. And that's why tonight

[53:47] you did a new lease thing uh under the

[53:50] same terms they could have had under the

[53:52] renewal except uh instead of having

[53:55] legal terms from 10 years ago, they got

[53:57] it updated to current. So um and they

[54:00] paid for all staff time and attorney

[54:02] time dealing with us. Uh that is on the

[54:05] north side, I'd say the norththeast

[54:10] corner. It's the newest cell tower

[54:13] that's up there and the revenue from

[54:15] that one um goes into the general fund.

[54:18] So, what you adopted tonight is a

[54:20] 10-year uh initial term and they do have

[54:23] a 10-year uh renewal. Uh on that same

[54:27] side of the street on the north side of

[54:29] Historia, there's a Verizon cell tower.

[54:32] Um that one was uh initially

[54:37] I think it was in December of 2004 had

[54:40] initial term of 10 years and it's on

[54:43] 5-year renewals and they're unlimited

[54:46] 5-year renewals. So the last one that

[54:48] council did was in October of 2024. So

[54:51] that one expires in December 31st of

[54:54] 2029.

[54:56] And the last one that's on the south

[54:58] side, um, I've been negotiating with

[55:01] them since March and theirs expires at

[55:04] the end of September. So, we'll see if

[55:06] they are able to get a renewal. Um,

[55:10] been staff's been pretty straightforward

[55:13] with it. This is what the rent is. If

[55:14] you don't want to pay it, take your

[55:15] tower down and move it somewhere else.

[55:17] So, uh, you either pay for a market or

[55:19] go somewhere else. Um, so we'll see if I

[55:22] get an answer in the next few things,

[55:24] but that could be coming uh to the

[55:27] September 15th city council meeting for

[55:30] uh a renewal on theirs.

[55:33] >> Okay. Thank you. Um

[55:37] I guess my question on the data center,

[55:40] just for clarification of the property

[55:42] that we've purchased, it's in the purple

[55:45] area out there on the on the map.

[55:48] >> Correct. the purple area on in the

[55:50] Louiswis and Clark Ranch area. So, um,

[55:53] as you head north of Rupert Road,

[55:55] northwest of Rupert Road, it's that

[55:57] purple area on the map.

[55:58] >> And how many acres?

[56:01] >> Uh, approximately a thousand acres.

[56:06] Um,

[56:09] so thank you. I think that's

[56:16] never mind. Thank you. All right. Um,

[56:20] just a few quick remarks. So, I will get

[56:22] us out here before 7 pm. That's good

[56:25] news. Um, budgets, uh, council, as

[56:28] you're all aware. Uh, this is budget

[56:30] season. You're going to have meetings

[56:32] probably every week. Some of you will

[56:34] enjoy two meetings a week if you're part

[56:36] of the finance subcommittee or other

[56:38] committee meetings as well. But, uh, I

[56:40] had my first discussion of this budget

[56:44] with senior staff. It was really just uh

[56:47] finance director Gwyn presenting

[56:48] everything, a summary of their requests

[56:51] individually to the collective uh group

[56:54] so that they can review it and get back

[56:57] to uh Aaron as soon as possible with

[57:00] regard to what their true priorities

[57:02] are. Uh so we're working on that. You

[57:05] will meet next week to have your first

[57:07] discussions. I think finance committee

[57:09] is meeting Monday. Is that correct?

[57:11] Wednesday. Wednesday of next week. And

[57:15] um if you do

[57:18] Yeah, there'll be a special council

[57:20] meeting Tuesday. Okay.

[57:23] For those of you that may have questions

[57:25] about data centers, I know it's had a

[57:27] big topic of conversation tonight.

[57:29] Please contact Mr. Menenhal directly. He

[57:33] is going to have the information. He's

[57:35] going to know it before I know it

[57:36] because he has to come to me to tell me

[57:38] what's going on so I can share it with

[57:40] everyone else. So, if you do have

[57:42] specific questions, uh, direct them,

[57:45] please to, uh, Director Mendenhal. You

[57:48] may copy me or include me on any email

[57:51] messages. I want to hear what you have

[57:53] to say, where your areas of concern are

[57:55] as well. But please keep that

[57:57] communication open and my suggestion is

[58:00] go directly to Mr. Mendenhal. Lastly, if

[58:04] you saw the uh sandwich board out in the

[58:06] lobby,

[58:08] um Council Member Smart, Public Works

[58:11] Director Slate, and myself are going to

[58:12] be at Yolks uh on Saturday the 12th.

[58:16] This is the Yolks on Bombing Range Road

[58:19] uh from 9:30 to 11. I see Rosco, you're thrilled and enthused with it. Um

[58:26] yeah, but it is a chance for you to have

[58:28] open, candid conversations with myself,

[58:31] with Mr. Slade and with council member

[58:33] Smart. Uh we'll be there to just meet

[58:36] you, answer any questions you have, give

[58:38] you any up-to-date information we might

[58:40] have. But please take advantage of that

[58:43] and I will continue those and invite

[58:45] additional council members to each one.

[58:47] I'm doing it slowly just so you know we

[58:50] get a feel for how it's working. But uh

[58:53] council member Smart graciously

[58:54] volunteered to be the first test uh of

[58:57] council members. Uh, but I want to get

[58:59] everyone out there so that you can

[59:01] engage directly and have a conversation.

[59:04] This is not a conversation. One-on-one

[59:07] is a conversation. Thank you all. It is

[59:09] not yet 7 o'clock. I adjourn tonight's

[59:11] meeting at 6:59 p.m.

September 1, 2026 City Council Meeting

Agenda

Transcript