Another Richland misstep shows a pattern of poor governance | Editorial

Richland residents should expect their local government to meet basic bureaucratic deadlines. The city failed in that simple responsibility when it missed a deadline to notify a state agency that it will stop charging for car tabs. Worse, officials once again tried to bury bad news.

Residents expected to get relief from the $20 car tab fee starting Jan. 1. The city council approved a 0.1% sales tax to make up for the lost revenue and then some.

The new sales tax will generate $2.25 million annually earmarked for maintaining city streets. That was more than double the $1 million that the car tab fee raised.

There is something to be said for a sales tax over the car tab fees. The car tabs only apply to vehicle owners who live in the city. A sales tax will capture revenue from visitors who shop in Richland. Right now they do not pay anything.

Visitors benefit from maintained roads whether driving themselves, biking or finding goods in shops that arrived by truck. Recall that the original purpose of the car tab fee was to fund part of the Duportail Bridge project, which serves more than just residents.

Before the car tab fee could go away, however, the city needed to inform the Washington state Department of Licensing about the change at least 120 days in advance. It missed that deadline.

As a result, vehicle owners with registration renewals due in January, February or March will have to pay the unpopular fee. The city will push implementation of both changes to April 1, assuming it manages to file its paperwork on time.

City Manager Jon Amundson admitted the error at a recent council meeting. He explained that staff had notified the Department of Revenue about the sales tax but did not realize they also had to tell the Department of Licensing.

This is not a minor oversight. When the city council approves a major change to how it collects transportation funding, it is city staff’s job to dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s with the state. Failure to do so points to inadequate internal processes and inadequate attention to detail.

Rather than own up to the public, the city tried to downplay the error. It tucked its report into the council agenda for a meeting on Election Day, when residents’ attention would be on voting and monitoring high-profile election results across the country.

This story might have gone unnoted without Tri-City Herald reporter Wendy Culverwell’s diligent monitoring of local government. Her watchdog journalism ensured that residents learned about the mistake. When Culverwell reached out to city officials for comment, they did not respond immediately, leaving important questions unanswered.

This all echoes another troubling episode from January 2024 when the city quietly approved a $6.7 million corporate tax break for Framatome Inc.

City officials buried that resolution on the council consent agenda for a Jan. 2 meeting. The city released that agenda on Dec. 29, conveniently sandwiching the New Year’s holiday between the announcement and the meeting.

Tax breaks of that magnitude deserved a full public airing, not secretive approval without discussion at a time when most residents would be focused on holiday celebrations over monitoring their local government.

Local government exists to serve residents, and that service includes basic competence in administration and genuine openness in communication. Richland is failing on both counts.

City residents should hold their elected officials accountable. The next time these council members are up for reelection, voters should ask how this happened and carefully consider whether the incumbents are up to the job. Even if these were staff errors, the buck must stop with the council.

Richland residents deserve a city government that meets deadlines and engages the public transparently. Until current leadership demonstrates that it can meet those standards, voters should remain skeptical and vigilant.