Richland council wants to block sex offender homes for a while
The Richland City Council will consider temporarily halting facilities for sexually violent predators throughout the city at its next regular meeting.
The city council plans to vote on a six-month moratorium at its March 3 meeting. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. but the moratorium is toward the end of the agenda.
The council is considering a resolution to declare a moratorium on siting “Less Restrictive Alternative” facilities serving sexually violent predators in all parts of the city. The moratorium would give Richland time to study and adopt regulations for such facilities that ensure public safety while complying with laws concerning the placement of eligible offenders.
If approved, the city will hold a public hearing on the moratorium at 6 p.m., April 7.
Richland and other municipalities in the Mid-Columbia have scrambled to address the issue after a home in Kennewick was purchased for the placement of one of the homes.
Pasco approved a similar moratorium several weeks ago.
The LRA homes serve sexually violent predators being released from the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island after a judge finds they are a low risk to reoffend after serving prison time and receiving treatment. They wear GPS monitors and have chaperones when living in the homes.
Save Our Children Tri-Cities, a new nonprofit, is raising money to support legal efforts to block the Kennewick home because of its location.
The council meets at Richland City Hall, 625 Swift Blvd. Meetings are held in public and include an opportunity for the public to address the council.