Kennewick’s council on Tuesday called on Gov. Bob Ferguson and his state agencies to “immediately halt” the opening of a transitional housing project for convicted sexually violent offenders.
It’s the latest development in the community battle to stop a “less restrictive alternative” facility from opening this summer at a home on the corner of 8th Avenue and Edison Street.
Fears of housing the reformed offenders in the community of 87,000 also sparked action by other local Tri-City municipalities.
Pasco City Council this week also approved a six-month moratorium on housing applications for those types of facilities while it explores regulatory options.
And last week, the planning commission in West Richland held a public hearing to consider forcing future “secure transition facilities” to be in light industrial zones.
The Kennewick City Council’s resolution demands future placements of this kind to be “governed by a process grounded in local control, full transparency, early notification, shared accountability, and mandatory consultation with, and consent from, affected school districts and local governments.”
Mayor Jason McShane said the process has been incredibly opaque, and it’s been tough for the city to get answers about the project from state officials.
“I do not think that we have seen a lot of transparency from the state agencies,” he said, adding later: “This is a long road ahead of us, and I think it starts right here in Kennewick.”
The Kennewick mayor even choked up a bit when talking about proposals in Olympia — such as a bill that would weaken penalties for sex offenders who fail to register — that he says would erode at protections built up over decades by survivors of sexual violence.
“I think that our resolution is strong, I think that it does a good job. I don’t think that we’re able to do enough, I think we’re trying to do everything we can,” McShane said, his voice trembling.
The joint resolution is non-binding, meaning it has no legal authority to be force action. It’s simply an opinion of the city council.
It was approved by the city council unanimously, 5-0, with Councilmen Brad Klippert and Chuck Torelli absent.
Next it will go before the Kennewick School Board on Wednesday, Feb. 25, which will decide whether to co-sign it.
President Gabe Galbraith said his school board has been “absolutely opposed to this” since the start, and the school district has expressed concern about the project.
There are about five public schools that would be located within a two-mile radius of the proposed less restrictive alternative home.
“We obviously have a lot of students who go up and down that street there. It’s an issue for us, clearly,” Galbraith said.
He hopes this resolution shows the state or a judge that the community is “banded together” on this issue.
Can cities restrict where these houses go?
Neither the city, county, nor school district has a say in where these housing can be located.
Kennewick staff say there is no way to legally prohibit them from operating in the community, and there’s been no legal test case to see if they could be restricted with municipal zoning laws.
The “less restrictive alternative” facility would be a first for Benton and Franklin counties.
There are about 25 of the broadly defined housing projects throughout the state, though its unclear where specifically, according to a 2023 MyNorthwest report.
The program is a court-ordered treatment in a setting that’s less restrictive than McNeil Island’s total confinement facility.
The offenders have finished prison terms, then spent time at the special commitment center — on an island in South Puget Sound, near Steilacoom — receiving treatment for mental health issues that make them more likely to offend again.
When they are deemed less likely to reoffended, they are released to the homes, where residents must wear GPS tracking devices and have a chaperone if they leave the home.
Police Chief Chris Guerrero has said his department will do anything they can to mitigate safety concerns and keep the neighborhood around the facility safe.
About 56 sex offenders already live in the city of Kennewick, according to Benton County’s registry. About 11 of those are Level 3, and 10 are listed as “transient.”
The proposed facility has been a uniting force and firestorm for many in the community, who say it would put neighbors, families and school children at risk.
Emotions boiled over at a public forum last month with the city, staff from the state Department of Social and Health Services and Department of Corrections, and local state lawmakers.
Joe Field, the operator of the future Kennewick site, who has managed a similar facility in Walla Walla treating sex offenders, has staunchly defended his practice as secure and safe.
But neighbors to the proposed facility have packed city council meetings in recent weeks to continue voicing their concerns.
Many on Tuesday night thanked the city council for taking some action to push back against it, but others felt the resolution didn’t go far enough.
One speaker also tried distancing the group — Save our Children Tri-Cities, or SOCTC — from an egging incident that occurred over the weekend.
Tina Gregory, a city planning commissioner, said, “Our city has failed us.”
She also claimed Field got into a verbal altercation with her during a demonstration outside the house, and he threatened to tear down her signs.
“Right there, that’s violence. I tried to get a restraining order today and the judge did not sign off on it,” the former city council candidate said.
“This resolution, it looks good. But what does it even do? ... You have to do something. This is not just a resolution, this is we’re fighting back. And if it has to be a civil lawsuit, then so be it,” Gregory said.
Construction
Companies
Construction
Site Security
(916) 672-2660
Contact us
Construction Site Camera
sales@mrsecuritycamera.com
(916) 672-2660
