Richland council approves streetlight budget amendment, multiple easement relinquishments and consent calendar items

The Richland City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved an ordinance amending the 2025 budget to provide additional funding for a streetlight replacement project prompted by a Bonneville Power Administration transmission-line upgrade, and adopted three resolutions to relinquish city easements on private properties. The council also approved a multi-item consent calendar and accepted the city's monthly expenditures report.

Brandon Allen, presenting the ordinance (Ordinance No. 2025-16), said bids for a streetlight replacement project on Third Drive came in significantly above earlier estimates because of higher-than-expected illumination and pavement-restoration costs and general inflation since the project was first budgeted roughly three years ago. The budget amendment adds $218,700 from the general fund and $218,700 from the capital improvement fund (REIT revenues) into the streets construction fund to cover the higher bids and proceed with installation before BPA removes support poles.

"When we received our bids for the project, they came in quite a bit higher than estimate, and so we're needing to find some additional funding to complete that project," Allen told council. Director Carlo Alessandro (public works) and staff told council that inflation and higher pavement restoration costs were the main contributors to the discrepancy and that the project had been delayed while waiting for BPA's transmission work.

Council approved the budget amendment by roll-call vote, 7-0.

On property matters, the council adopted three separate resolutions to declare surplus and relinquish easements where staff determined no active utilities currently occupy the easement areas. Those actions and their identifiers were:

- Resolution No. 2025-83: Surplus and relinquishment of multiple easements at 2775 and 2801 George Washington Way (included waterline, overhead power and substation easements; staff retained a water-well protection area). - Resolution No. 2025-84: Surplus and relinquishment of a portion of a utility easement at 2701 Sauk Avenue (light pole previously removed). - Resolution No. 2025-85: Surplus and relinquishment of easements at 1322 Birch Avenue; staff noted a new easement will be recorded for an electric line that feeds a streetlight.

Each of the three easement resolutions passed by unanimous consent (7-0). Staff told council that some older easements no longer contained active water, sewer or electric infrastructure and that relinquishment would allow property owners to expand or better use their parcels; in one case staff declined to relinquish the well-protection easement because the well has not been decommissioned.

The council also approved the consent calendar by motion. Items on the consent calendar included: approval of the May 6 regular meeting minutes; Ordinance No. 2025-15 (concomitant agreement in lieu of rezone for 9025 Center Parkway); Resolution No. 2025-74 (commercial façade grant to Doughboys LLC); Resolution No. 2025-75 (award to All Star Construction Group for Thayer Drive streetlight replacement); Resolution No. 2025-76 (collector street latecomer agreement for portion of Queensgate Drive); Resolution No. 2025-77 (consultant agreement for wetland monitoring); Resolution No. 2025-78 (change order for wastewater treatment plant equipment); Resolution No. 2025-79 (operation and maintenance agreement with WDFW for Snively Road and Hyde Road access sites); Resolution No. 2025-80 (seventh amendment for facility use agreement for the Parkway market); and expenditures for April 1'April 30, 2025 totaling $33,830,740.71.

Council members asked a small number of clarifying questions on the streetlight project, mainly about the cost drivers and project timing; staff said the project had been on hold until BPA performed its pole replacement work and that updated bids reflected recent price increases. Council member Witten asked whether any single bid item dominated the overage; staff said illumination equipment and pavement restoration were the largest drivers.

Motions to approve the consent calendar and the easement resolutions carried by 7-0 votes. The ordinance amending the budget (Ordinance No. 2025-16) also passed by roll call, 7-0.

Council directed staff to follow the normal recording process for revised easements where required and to move forward with the streetlight contract award funded by the amended budget.