[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6546313,"mediaKeyId","3773676-98f45c6a0c10ef2cc497e04f42f0703d","parentId",3773676,"title","Kennewick staff outline $35.5 million City Hall replacement plan; council agrees to begin feasibility and site planning","audioSeconds",6001,"startMs",2850000,"endMs",8851000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3773676-98f45c6a0c10ef2cc497e04f42f0703d&start=2850&end=8851","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3773676-98f45c6a0c10ef2cc497e04f42f0703d/thumbnail_2850000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6546313/Kennewick-City/Benton-County/Washington/Kennewick-staff-outline-355-million-City-Hall-replacement-plan-council-agrees-to-begin-feasibility-and-site-planning","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6546313-0a199b427e789ac0159c3773bc7810e6/orig.mp4?Expires=1776009315&Signature=TNFf-cMFGYiHjjnF3vDkr5YJvVZPTJFEdByUS0q8s-~-DfnZDk6rMGc9TNgB~XsNn4c55T3B~LBCTrko2vl75gvAoooAW3AXkhzgQzinz2oZmU5aW2BiV9wkYUe09Jd7tUtDW6DBGO6WP9B1okJLcJfFQM9Mcq4hcNOHjfB-fiaIpbl-N4bABwyOj2c8H~pc-ce~FLBO4IXi0f5jP5OzJ2rOY31w-quZ4wJEFAIgP9HvCE4qm7MrrN8eWj1NykZJ~0u~axD0FxB0LGITv9e02iOKD854VxyrD8F7ZcXHzR1TFW9dpGpWNxHPnVFxIHlfL3bVpaXnPT3tCIrehnAv5w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kennewick","date","2025-06-10T00:00:00Z","article","City Manager Aaron Erdman told the Kennewick City Council on June 10 that staff will begin feasibility and design work for a proposed replacement of Kennewick’s City Hall, describing location options, project timing, IT infrastructure choices and preliminary budget modeling.

“The goal of today's presentation is to talk about the replacement of City Hall,” Erdman said, framing a staff recommendation to move from discussion to feasibility work. Staff presented three trackable questions for council input: (1) project budget and whether $35,500,000 is a reasonable starting point for design/feasibility, (2) timing, and (3) whether the civic campus should remain the likely location or the city should pursue an alternative site.

Location assessment: staff reviewed alternatives and weighed pros and cons for building at the current Civic Campus (municipal campus cohesion, existing infrastructure, ownership) versus alternative sites the city already owns (Frost Campus, Southridge Sports Complex, Entertainment District adjacent to the Convention Center) or purchasing new property. City staff noted advantages to staying on the Civic Campus — continuity of operations, available infrastructure and ownership — and disadvantages such as poor alignment with population growth and lower visibility to visitors and businesses. The Southridge and Entertainment District properties were noted for population alignment and business visibility but would require greenfield infrastructure work and could lengthen the project timeline.

IT and data‑center choices: staff identified the existing on‑premises data‑center and backup arrangement with Franklin PUD as a major constraint and laid out three primary options: (1) build a temporary outbuilding at the Civic Campus to host a modernized data center and buy time for design (estimated outbuilding and hardware costs scale at roughly $550–$600 per square foot for specialized data‑center space), (2) construct a new physical data center inside a new City Hall (capital‑cost dependent on location and existing infrastructure), or (3) migrate workloads and storage to cloud‑based services and rely on subscription pricing. City technology staff warned that cloud migration reduces some hardware risk but requires a disciplined data‑management program to avoid inflated ongoing storage costs; staff estimated full on‑premises chassis replacement at roughly $1–$2 million.

Current building needs and short‑term fixes: staff identified near‑term capital needs if the city stays on the existing campus: an estimated $4,000,000 roof replacement, a $1,200,000 HVAC replacement, wireless upgrades (~$180,000) and chamber technology refresh (~$70,000). The existing on‑site data‑center requires hardware and framework replacement to remain supported; staff said a temporary outbuilding could buy an estimated seven years of runway while preserving warranty timing for new hardware.

Budget and financing: Finance Director Jessica Platt presented a preliminary financing model. Staff estimated the new City Hall at $35,500,000 funded with a limited‑tax general obligation bond over 20 years at a working assumed interest rate of about 4.5%, producing an estimated annual debt service of roughly $2,700,000. Platt noted the city could use capital improvement funds (sales tax and real‑estate‑excise tax, including REET I) and explore cost‑share with utilities where utility staff would operate from the new facility. The presentation flagged state legal limits on non‑voted debt: Washington’s constitution and state law cap non‑voted debt at 1.5% of assessed value; staff reported current outstanding non‑voted debt of about $85.6 million and a remaining non‑voted capacity figure staff characterized as “just over $6 million” under that ceiling, and noted other planned capital projects (Fire Station 6 and an outdoor pool) would compete for debt capacity.

Council concerns and clarifications: council members asked for more detail on how financing would interact with existing capital plans and how moving City Hall would affect downtown (East Kennewick) economic development. Council members also probed the assumptions behind the $35.5 million estimate, asked whether savings from operational efficiencies or new technologies (including AI and cloud services) had been included, and requested clearer comparisons with similarly sized projects (Richland’s recent City Hall was cited at about $19 million before inflation).

Decision and next steps: after extended discussion, council signaled a consensus to begin the feasibility and design process and to run that work in parallel with a civic‑campus master plan. Staff said the parallel path would allow the city to develop an initial City Hall program and schematic design while also evaluating the best long‑term use of the Civic Campus land. City staff will return with a detailed scope, schedule and cost estimate for the feasibility and master‑planning work and will include exit points if projected costs exceed the city’s comfort level.

Why this matters: the City Hall project has multi‑year budget and land‑use implications. The staff presentation made clear that IT/data‑center timing, short‑term capital repairs and city debt capacity will shape any choice on location and schedule. Council members asked staff to scope consultant work and to provide periodic check‑ins before any binding debt authorization is considered.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Kennewick - City Council Workshop - Jun 10, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City Manager Aaron Erdman and city staff told the City Council on June 10 they will begin feasibility and design work for a proposed City Hall replacement, presenting options on location, IT/data‑center choices and financing and asking council to confirm a $35.5 million planning baseline.","taxTitle","Kennewick City, Benton County, Washington","taxId",5807,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6546318,"Kennewick Police present 2024 annual report; council presses on training, hiring and evidence handling",1286,1581000,2867000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3773676-98f45c6a0c10ef2cc497e04f42f0703d&start=1581&end=2867","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3773676-98f45c6a0c10ef2cc497e04f42f0703d/thumbnail_1581000.jpg","/articles/6546318/Kennewick-City/Benton-County/Washington/Kennewick-Police-present-2024-annual-report-council-presses-on-training-hiring-and-evidence-handling","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6546318-26be01e5db4ac244495306058bffcb60/orig.mp4?Expires=1776009315&Signature=Nb4AgED~-K3ZGnq3KPvsjhm7vCBX9UFkXNkp5k7Zc8eIyDN75cVvHLRvo8WxDWclByB5KBJFWiaJfvyrzRFC9-3kr3AvhMUt1LnWu2dxygVH3k2jJ1Xk7z4Fn0oNi-rrWS-mJjEaxnmYjZuOmHbk7-ZdOgPWB0ZcKIHFJRZ9qMz-g6~BVxWJQutsiviVQfj0yjloFAiy8zYP5gMBFLI2O~MfoBwXj1BFl7yEpWa07G-fDF3dKvLPdF8ToaxAMGW~lyfEeV8SdrlPhlGLDwHtY4mzhZgPuMxm6hvQS22Yngb9eDk-USU3EsvqvPCimX-hBIN60qStTPn8GU~NvNpo6g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kennewick Police Chief Chris Guerrero presented the Kennewick Police Department’s 2024 annual report at the Kennewick City Council workshop on June 10, outlining crime trends, staffing and several operational initiatives.

The report showed overall crime up 1 percent in 2024 while violent and property crime measures were down, a result Guerrero attributed to the department’s focused crime‑fighting strategy and regional prosecutorial support. “Our mission is to provide professional police services with integrity, courage, and commitment,” Chief Guerrero said as he described the department’s organizational priorities: proactive crime fighting, thorough investigation and community engagement.

Guerrero and commanders walked council through staffing and operations. The department remains authorized for 110 commissioned officers and roughly 130 total employees. Commander Davis told council the department completed 150 background investigations in 2024 and hired 11 officers, three police support specialists and one cadet. Commander Davis said the department has brought in roughly 50 new officers over the past five years and that the Pasco Police Academy has been an important training pipeline. “We hire about 3% of those who test,” Guerrero said of the selection process.

Training and records: the police reported more than 31,000 total hours of training in 2024, including academy and field training; department instructors provided about 3,600 hours of instruction. Davis said much of the training total reflects academy hours for recruits and mandated annual training for commissioned staff. The records unit processed 3,266 public‑records requests during the year; staff processed just over 1,000 concealed pistol licenses and entered nearly 1,900 arrest warrants into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).

Investigations and special units: the Criminal Investigations Division reorganized daytime detectives into a Major Crimes unit (one sergeant and seven detectives) and a General Crimes unit (one sergeant and five detectives), with three detectives dedicated to special‑victim cases. Command staff reported 436 assigned cases in 2024, 259 search warrants and 50 arrests; the department handled three homicide investigations that were cleared by arrest or cleared exceptionally, the presenters said. The Criminal Apprehension Team reported 91 warrant arrests in May and 47 search warrants completed. The K‑9 unit answered 81 calls for service and recorded 27 apprehensions.

Regional narcotics enforcement and seizures: Metro Drug Task Force members posted 95 cases in 2024, 51 search warrants and 83 arrests. Command staff reported seizures of more than 78,000 fentanyl pills, 85 firearms, 26 vehicles and about $30,000 in cash. Council members asked how seized cash, vehicles and drugs are processed; staff said those items go through forfeiture procedures and due‑process hearings and that narcotics are destroyed (incinerated in Spokane) after case completion.

Evidence handling: the department increased evidence‑unit staffing from one to two technicians and reported 4,561 evidence items entered and 3,921 released in 2024, a ratio staff said was a significant improvement compared with prior backlogs.

Community programs and schools: the department added two school resource officers in 2024, covering all five middle schools and three high schools, and described separate school‑safety officers employed by the Kennewick School District for elementary schools. Presenters said combined counts for assaults, weapons, drugs and alcohol investigations at schools fell from 184 incidents in 2023 to 96 in 2024. The department also described an active homeless outreach effort, a volunteer Citizens Helping and Police Services (CHiPS) program and a department foundation that funds community programs and limited direct assistance for people in crisis.

Council questions and clarifications: council members pressed for more detail in several areas. Councilmember Trumbo asked whether search warrants commonly produced arrests; staff explained search warrants serve multiple purposes (evidence collection and arrests) and said the Criminal Apprehension Team focuses on serious warrants. Trumbo also queried the K‑9 call‑to‑apprehension ratio; staff said many K‑9 deployments deter or de‑escalate incidents without resulting in an arrest. Councilmember Anderson asked whether the increase in traffic stops and citations — traffic stops rose substantially year‑over‑year — reflected a directive to increase enforcement; the chief said a mix of leadership emphasis and recovering staffing levels has restored proactive enforcement and community contacts.

On drug diversion and treatment: staff highlighted the regional pretrial diversion effort coordinated by the prosecutor’s office, which council members and staff credited with reducing recidivism for certain possession and low‑level offenses; the prosecutor’s office was described as a critical partner in the department’s crime‑reduction strategy.

Why this matters: the report laid out operational tradeoffs and near‑term needs: continued recruitment to fill roughly nine current openings and a stated shortfall of about 19 officers before full strength is achieved; technology and records costs that rise with more body‑camera footage; and continuing demands on evidence and records processing. Council directed staff to provide additional detail on media requests, concealed pistol license renewals versus new permits, and the records‑unit caseload breakdown.

The department left council with several follow‑up commitments: provide a breakdown of public‑records request types, supply more detail on concealed pistol license counts (new vs. renewal), and return with options for handling rising data and technology costs as staffing and evidence production increase.

","Police Chief Chris Guerrero and command staff reviewed 2024 crime trends, staffing and programs. Council members asked for more detail on training hours, records requests and seized-property procedures; department and partners credited for regional cooperation on drug enforcement and diversion programs.","actionData","errors"]

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Kennewick staff outline $35.5 million City Hall replacement plan; council agrees to begin feasibility and site planning

Kennewick Police present 2024 annual report; council presses on training, hiring and evidence handling