W. RICHLAND COUNCIL MAKES DIFFICULT CHOICE TO END DARE
PROGRAM

The recent demise of the popular DARE drug education program in West
Richland illustrates the challenges small cities face as costs rise
beyond their ability to bring in money, city officials said.

The city council approved its $26.5 million 2007 budget, minus DARE.
Although cutting DARE was a cost-saving measure, the real issue was
how the police department should allocate its limited number of
officers, said City Administrator Mark Panther.

Small cities such as West Richland have struggled since voters
approved a spate of initiatives between 1999 and 2003 that limited
state and local governments' abilities to levy motor vehicle and
property taxes.

That has left the city unable to expand its police force to meet the
needs of its growing population. The city's population has increased
from 8,385 in 2000 to 10,520 in 2006, according to the Washington
State Office of Financial Management.

A growing population and rising inflation mean the cost of doing
business has gone up, while revenues are lagging behind.

West Richland lost about $190,000 a year when the initiatives were
passed, Panther said. The city nearly had to pull out of the
Mid-Columbia Library system at the time because it had to pare its
budget, but voters agreed to a 2 percent utility tax increase to keep
the library.

The city also had to decline participation in the Bi-County Police
Information Network, which links court, police, investigative and
jail records across the Tri-Cities, because it's too costly, Panther
said.

The city has considered a property tax levy lid lift, which with
voter approval would allow it to raise taxes beyond the 1 percent cap
put in place by Initiative 747, but the city hasn't gone as far as
putting a proposal on the ballot.

"Most voters are tired of cities coming to them asking for more
taxes," he said.

The long-term solution is to bring in more commercial and industrial
businesses to expand West Richland's tax base, but that could be a
tall order considering the options businesses have in the Tri-Cities,
he said.

West Richland isn't on a major highway such as Highway 240 or
Interstate 182, so it's less likely to attract big box retail stores
like Wal-Mart or Target.

"Our job is to overcome the obstacles and be successful, and that's
what we aim to do," Panther said.

Toward that end, the council decided to hire an economic development
specialist to look at ways the city can market itself, and what kinds
of businesses might be a good fit.

In the meantime, West Richland has to pull its belt tighter and
tighter and find ways to continue to provide basic services.

When it came down to choosing between putting a police officer in the
schools for 10 weeks at a time for DARE, or having that officer on
the streets, the choice was simple, Panther said.

West Richland isn't the first city in the Mid-Columbia to cut DARE
because of a shortage of officers.

Richland cut its DARE program about four years ago when it needed to
put more officers on the streets, said Richland police Capt. Mike
Cobb. The department since has put officers back in the schools, but
in a different function.

School resource officers are stationed in Richland's two high schools
full time, allowing a strong-er police presence than the 10-week DARE
program, Cobb said.

DARE was a good program, but the full-time officers have more
opportunity to get to know students and provide a positive influence,
Cobb said.

"We would like to reinstitute DARE if we had the staff, but we had to
choose because of our limited bodies," Cobb said. "Many cities around
the country are making these choices."

Pasco stopped assigning an officer to DARE about two years ago, said
police Capt. Jim Raymond. Pasco also has school resource officers
assigned to the high schools, but that program existed before DARE
went away.

Kennewick held onto its DARE program because it's important to teach
kids an anti-drug message, said Sgt. Ken Lattin of the Kennewick
Police Department.