Kennewick staff propose moving regulatory provisions from Administrative Code into Municipal Code; fire, police present specific updates

At a Jan. 28 Kennewick City Council workshop, Deputy City Manager Lisa Beaton and public-safety leaders described a multi-department effort to clean up the Kennewick Administrative Code and move regulatory provisions into the Kennewick Municipal Code.

Beaton told the council the city formed a cross-department policy-development committee in mid-2024 to review KAC material that has become redundant, obsolete, or applied to the public even though it was intended as internal policy. "Over time, our administrative code has become outdated, in some instances not even utilized by departments, and in some instances actually utilized as if it was in our municipal code as a regulation and imposed on the public," she said.

Deputy Fire Chief Rob Ball, who oversees prevention and safety-support services, said the fire-related KAC material the department reviewed is largely regulatory in nature and should be in the KMC. Ball said staff…