Most of Richland’s council lives in one area. That could change with November vote
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Richland voters will decide in November on switching to district-based elections.
- Critics say council overrepresents south Richland, skewing city agenda control.
- Proposed charter change would elect five members by district, two at large.
Most of Richland’s city council lives in one small area, but that could change with a November vote.
Last fall some residents were so concerned about the majority of the council living only in south Richland that they gathered nearly 4,000 signatures to demand the council consider moving to a district-based voting model. The council decided to put the question to a city-wide vote.
Now the city is looking for volunteers to serve on committees that will write voter guide information for the initiative this November.
A Better Richland, led by several former city council candidates, was behind the ballot initiative to change the Richland City Charter so that five council members are elected from districts and only two are elected at-large.
Anyone interested in serving on a committee will need to apply online by Thursday, July 18. The city council will appoint group members at a special meeting at 6 p.m. on July 22.
The committee members will need to be approved by the Richland City Council in order to be submitted to the Benton County elections office by Aug. 5.
The two groups will then write up “pro” and “con” statements advocating for approval or rejection of the measure. Their names will be published along with the statements in voters’ pamphlet, which will go out in October just before early voting begins.
Initial statements from both groups are due by Aug. 15 and rebuttals are due by Aug. 20.
Current council makeup
Richland elects its seven council members from the city at large. As a result, the affluent neighborhoods of south Richland dominate the council and control the agenda, with some exceptions, say critics.
The current council includes five council members who live in south Richland, one council member from north Richland and one from the central part of the sprawling city of just over 64,000, divided by a highway and the Yakima River.
Unlike Richland, Kennewick and Pasco already have a mix of district and at-large seats.
Richland is home to the two largest employers in the Tri-Cities — Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which employs 6,000 people and the Hanford nuclear site, which employs more than 13,000 through various contractors. Kadlec Regional Medical Center also employs 3,800 in the city, according to Richland’s most recent financial report.
A Better Richland chose the two-and-five configuration because the city can be divided into five equal parts, based on population data from the 2020 census.
Under the proposed initiative, all seven council seats will be on the 2025 ballot with terms staggered to end in 2027 and 2029.
After that, members would serve four-year terms.
The new approach would end a quirky feature of Richland council elections that ensures four seats are on the ballot every other year because it awards the candidate who wins with the fewest votes a two-year term.
The charter change would end the two-year swing seat.
For more information about the group, visit ABetterRichland.com.
