GOP leader urges Benton County to let fire districts use ‘enormous surplus’ to save lives

The chairman of the Benton County Republican Party says he’ll continue to press the county’s elected leaders to discuss new ways to invest surplus taxes in public safety.

Bill Berkman asked the county’s three Republican commissioners on Tuesday to consider the party’s plan to seek voter approval to add rural fire districts to other agencies eligible for a special sales tax to support law enforcement.

But commissioners said the request caught them by surprise. They took no action but directed the county attorney to review the request for a future discussion.

In 2014, Benton County voters approved a request to raise sales taxes by three-tenths of a percent. The request was made specifically to support law enforcement, with a focus on combating crime and gangs.

Fire districts were excluded from requesting public safety money since they can submit their own bond and levy requests to voters.

The tax has generated more revenue than anticipated, leading to much debate over the best way to spend the unexpected surplus.

Public safety tax surplus

Benton County projects the fund will have $12.7 million at the end of the 2019-20 biennium.

Local Republican leaders want to ask voters if the county’s financially struggling rural fire districts should be eligible to apply for some of the money.

Under its proposal, fire districts could request money for capital projects and equipment such as ambulances, but only after law enforcement requests are considered. Fire districts would only be eligible if the fund has a balance of at least $2.5 million.

Only rural fire districts would be eligible. The Kennewick and Richland city fire departments would be excluded.

The proposed resolution to voters would not change the tax except to allow fire districts to apply for it. The tax expires in 2024.

On Tuesday, Kennewick Police Chief Ken Hohenberg and Benton County Sheriff Jerry Hatcher were resistant to the idea, advising the commission to retain the focus on fighting crime.

“We have law enforcement needs that have not been met,” said Hatcher.

Hohenberg noted the tax was presented to voters to fight criminal gang activity.

He suggested if the county is friendly to widening the list of eligible agencies, it first reconvene its law and justice committee to affirm the public safety money is being spent as promised — on officers, prosecutors, defenders, diversion courts and youth programs that serve as a counter to gangs.

Hohenberg noted that funding for the Tri-Cities Metro Drug Task Force remains $125,000 to $150,000 below what it needs.

Fire district needs

Berkman said he was encouraged by Tuesday’s session.

He acknowledges the public safety tax is a sensitive subject, but said the Republican Party only wants to start a sensible conversation about the needs of the region and how to meet them.

“We did the right thing,” he said.

Benton County Fire District 1 is the party’s Exhibit A. Last year, voters rejected its request to fund a pair of ambulances and staff.

That left the district with no ambulances. It can take 20 minutes for an ambulance to arrive from a neighboring jurisdiction.

Neighboring Benton County Fire District 2, in Benton City, has an active GoFundMe campaign to raise money for a rescue boat it wants to deploy on the Yakima River.

“There’s an enormous surplus sitting there,” Berkman said.