John Smart

1) Should West Richland adopt a “City Manager” form of government, or retain the “Strong Mayor” form of government that we currently have? Please explain your rationale.

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A qualified City Manager with experience running large projects will benefit West Richland.  Our current overall annual budget is around $55M.  As we grow and our City’s operation becomes more complex, a professional manager will serve our citizens well.  In a City Manager and Council form of government, the Mayor serves as the “representative / face” of the city, while the City Manager organizes long term planning, keeps budgets balanced, manages staff,  and deals with day-to-day operations.  The City Manager would report to, and is accountable to, the City Council.

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2) The West Richland Mayor currently has sole discretion over hiring and salary decisions for City Staff.  Should that continue or should hiring and salary decisions require concurrence with the City Council? 

 

The City would benefit from Council involvement with hiring decisions; especially concerning the selection of staff at the higher salary levels.  City Council involvement should include the option to review the top10 qualified candidate resumes and listen in on candidate presentations.  Council members should have the option to participate in the interview of the top 3 candidates.  Ultimately, the decision to hire key positions in the City should be approved by a vote of the Council.

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3) Should there be a succession plan for key city staff positions? 

 

All well managed organizations maintain succession plans in depth.  To the extent possible, City management must continue to develop and maintain a clear path for succession that guards against unhealthy dependency on any given staff member.  Ideally, staffs currently in the organization are trained and ready to step into adjacent positions.  Succession procedures can also include a pre-planned course to bring in qualified candidates from outside the organization.  In any case, management must be ready to execute plans to handle critical responsibilities when staff fluctuations occur.   West Richland should take advantage of the expertise that exists among the City Council to review staffing and management plans.

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4) What are your favorite aspects of West Richland and what do you think draws people to our City?  Alternatively, what are your leading concerns? 

 

I enjoy driving home from work through a stretch of mini-farms and rural environment - without having to negotiate an overcrowded City Center.  I love the quiet neighborhoods with traditional homes where kids can play with neighbors in their yards and people can walk dogs, ride bikes on trails, and go for a run in one of Washington’s safest cities! (https://www.safewise.com/blog/safest-cities-washington/)

As we grow, we face challenges that threaten our small town atmosphere.  But with planning that mimics the layout of West Richland’s residential neighborhoods - separated from commercial development, I believe we can provide our children with the same rural-residential feel that we enjoy today.  Commercial development is critical – but it must be pursued with vision that respects the environment West Richland Citizens cherish.

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5) How should current and future City Park development and maintenance be funded?  Should the City establish a Parks & Recreation department or contract for private companies to provide those services? Should future neighborhood parks be maintained through HOA funding? 

 

I prefer approaches that privatize the maintenance and operations of parks and recreational opportunities.

 

West Richland spends about $1M annually to maintain our current parks and trails. Expert analysis indicates that we could easily spend twice that much if deferred maintenance issues were addressed.  Over 90 acres of land are currently dedicated to the City’s 17 parks and 9 miles of trails. The city currently requires that new developers either pay a park impact fee or dedicate land for additional park space proportional to the size of development. 

 

Private competitive commercial efforts will, over time, provide the most efficient means of park maintenance.

 

Private-Public partnerships with major local corporations or other funding entities should be explored to establish maintenance trusts for existing and new parks.

 

Large developments should be asked to setup funding mechanisms to maintain new park lands – whether that be through Home Owners Associations or the establishment of a sponsored foundation or trust fund.

 

Considering average investment returns over 40 years, a trust fund starting at $150,000 would perpetually support one acre of park land, given current maintenance and nominal projected cost increases.

 

Recreation programs should be organized and operated by private groups.  Our citizens are free to organize and recreate as they see fit.  Private organizations will always be more cost efficient and will provide service that the market demands.  There is no need to be dependent on our city government to organize recreational activities.

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6) How would you improve communication between the City Council and citizens? Should more time be given for people to speak at City Council meetings? Should there be more open workshops for citizens to attend? Other suggestions? 

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The first “button” on the City homepage is “Report a Concern” link.  The City website also has a “How Do I” link that provides citizens with a menu of options – including how to contact members of the City Council and the Mayor. 

 

Council meetings provide two opportunities for the public to comment.  Each opportunity is currently restricted to three minutes.  I would favor a change in the rules that provides the option for any council member to grant an extension of time, without requiring full Council consensus.  Citizens should also be given the opportunity to petition council to schedule a “presentation,” which may include a slide show or other visual aids.  At council’s request, citizen’s presentations would be submitted to the City Clerk for review and scheduled for a future council meeting.  Citizen presentations should be limited to a reasonable period of time – perhaps 10 minutes – based on the topic and interest of the Council.

 

City workshops could, with the consensus of Council, include a period of public input and two-way discussion of scheduled topics.  Our citizens can bring creative and valuable ideas to the table, and workshops could provide a venue where good ideas are exchanged and created in an atmosphere of appropriate decorum.   

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7) What is your position on allowing adult-only businesses such as adult entertainment, casinos, etc. within City limits? 

 

Most Council decisions are based on strategic calculation, finance, and application of law, however, other decisions are rooted in foundational morals and ethics.  Within the confines of State Law, I will work hard to keep West Richland free of adult-only businesses.  Casinos, adult only stores and similar endeavors contradict the “Family Friendly” values of West Richland.  I will not support the addition of recreational Marijuana sales or adult only businesses.

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8) What is your position on permitting firework sales and use within West Richland city limits?  Should Municipal Code Section 8.22;  “Fireworks” and Section 9.38; “Noise Regulation” be amended to be consistent? 

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Past restrictions on fireworks in nearby cities has contributed to the concentration of 4th of July celebrations in West Richland.  Our own restrictions on the use of school grounds and parks have pushed the celebrations into neighborhoods.  Friends from around the area gather at West Richland homes to revel in the amazing freedoms gained by the birth of our Country. 

 

A high level of patriotism among West Richland citizens is a hallmark of our culture.  Literally thousands of households in our small community support and celebrate the 4th of July with the zeal encouraged by our founding fathers – including John Adams who, when writing about our independence day, said "It ought to be celebrated with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore," and he emphasized practicing "solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty," in recognition of the spiritual significance of God’s blessing on our people.

 

I will encourage people to continue to safely celebrate the 4th of July, which includes the use of fireworks allowed by the Washington State Law – summarized in the Washington State Patrol “Safe and Sane” publication: https://www.wsp.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/fireworks_stand_list_legal_and_illegal-1.pdf

 

I support new methods of education that would instruct people of all ages about the legal and safe use of fireworks.  The possession, manufacturing, or use of illegal Explosive Devices is a criminal offense.  Penalties for the illegal use of explosives – that can include fines and prison time -  should be made clear through City wide communications. 

 

Washington State Law prohibits the detonation of explosives that exceed a certain size.  M-80s, M-100s, tennis ball bombs, altered fireworks, and similar devices are illegal and should be reported to authorities.  There is no place in West Richland where explosives of this nature should be detonated; and those violating this law can face serious physical risk and legal consequences. 

 

We must respect our neighbor’s property. I support efforts to enforce litter laws.  In the case of aerial fireworks, people should either seek cooperation from neighbors, or abstain from activities that litter their yard or street with fireworks debris.  Those who leave fireworks debris in the street or on neighbor’s property should be cited for littering.

 

The City could help reduce the concentration of fireworks in crowded neighborhoods by allowing organized efforts to safely use local open spaces – like designated parks or school yards. City regulations have closed the locations where fireworks can be most safely used.  Given the freedom to do what makes sense, many of our neighbors would move their displays to an open green field.  I would encourage civic groups and volunteers to develop an organized method to create a public display that incorporates individual fireworks and corporate contributions.  This is a job for interested citizens to exercise their right to organize and carry out 4th of July celebrations.  An afternoon parade that ends at Bombing Range Park, for example,  where food trucks and festivities continue into the evening could draw commerce and elevate the day to the high importance it should be given.  City government should not stand in the way of good practice and the reasonable use of public resources.

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9) What can City government do to improve transparency with the public when it comes to spending and other critical City decisions?  

 

Our City budget is published at the City Website; and every Council action is published, along with a declaration of its financial impact, in our publicly available meeting packets. 

 

There is some information in the budget documents that does a good job of summarizing where our dollars come from and where they are spent.  These charts and tables could be brought to the forefront of our finance page on the City website.

 

City staff already read the “financial impact statement” into the meeting record every time an ordinance is proposed for vote, or an action is taken.

 

When a proposed change or rule adoption would have a significant  and widespread impact to the majority of citizens, it should be open to discussion at a Council Workshop before it is put to vote.  It is important to give our taxpaying citizens a voice in the management of their City.

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10) What can be done to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse of our City tax dollars?  

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Waste, fraud, and abuse of City funds should be reported to the office of the Mayor and our Finance Director.  If appropriate, a citizen can also report issues to the Washington State Auditor – citizen hotline at 866-902-3900; or via e-mail at : https://sao.wa.gov/report-concern/how-report-concern

 

A balanced budget is not an indication of frugal spending.  A balanced budget can include expenditures that are less than optimal; and expenditures that have not fully considered an analysis of alternatives.  Like most property owners in West Richland, I do not want to see property taxes or utility rates increase beyond what is necessary to account for inflation.

 

Citizens can help reduce and eliminate wasted funds by electing fiscally conservative Mayor and Council members; whose character is rooted in moral absolutes.  Citizens can also help by suggesting money saving strategies and operating concepts.  We are a self-governed people, who need to participate in the governance of our community. Council has the authority to spend or limit spending – and input from citizens is a critical component for good decision making.

 

As a Council Member, I will encourage strong internal controls on spending; including one-over-one approvals for large expenditures.  I will advocate for all-staff training that emphasizes the identification of waste, fraud and abuse; and instructs staff on how to report suspicions or evidence.   I will continue to support our finance department to prepare and keep accurate records that are always available for inspection or audit by State officials.