West Richland Voters to Decide Yay or Nay on New Cop Shop

Ballots have now been sent out to voters living inside the West Richland City limits, with a return deadline of April 23 to decide if the city will build a new police station.

The facility design is similar to other police stations in the the region. Its cost to homeowners would be $42 annually for each $100,000 worth of assessed value. So, if a resident's home is valued at $150,000 by the county assessor, they would pay $73 dollars a year. It would be done with a bond, which would take 29 years to pay.

However, the city has already paid off some $2 million in other bond projects early, with a savings of some $200,000.

According to information released by city officials, the current police station was built in 1979 and no longer meets the needs of the department. West Richland has grown a whopping 115% in the last 20 years, and the current building is far too small and lacks the internal infrastructure to perform police duties.

According to city officials the proposed new station would provide more space for the growing staff including support workers, more secure areas for holding and interviewing suspects, evidence storage, and a secure armory. Even if growth continues at the current rate officials say it would serve the city well for another 50 years.

A 60% percent yes vote will be required to pass the bond; ballots must be postmarked or received by city hall by midnight April 23 to count.

To find out more about the proposed police station click on the button below.