West Richland officials are very happy as the bond election has now been certified, and that city will now get its new police station.

As of Tuesday evening, the Benton County Auditor certified that all of the 2,644 ballots returned had been counted. 1,652 voted yes, 984 no. The bond passed by a margin of 62.67 percent; the threshold was 60%.

The department was badly in need of a newer, larger building. Over 20 years ago, former police leaders had said the current facility was inadequate. West Richland has been the fastest growing metropolitan area (per capita) in the entire Columbia Basin over the last ten years, with over 105% population increase.

However, despite the approval, the voter turnout was dismal. Only 27.2 percent of the over 9,000 ballots mailed were returned. For more details on this story, click on the button below.

 

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