West Richland's proposed 2027-2028 budget would raise utility taxes, add a new $20 vehicle tab fee and tap a sales tax increase for the first time, part of a plan to close a widening gap between what the city spends and what it collects, according to the Tri-City Herald.
The plan also delays roughly $9 million in hires and other spending over the two-year budget cycle. Without those changes, the city would have to draw $2.7 million from its general reserves just to balance the coming biennium, and projections show West Richland running $3.5 million in the red by the end of the 2029-2030 budget cycle if the council doesn't act.
"As we conclude the current 2025-2026 biennium, West Richland's financial position is stable, but our community also faces considerable short and long-term funding challenges," Mayor Fred Brink said, according to the Herald. Brink is West Richland's mayor, according to Ballotpedia.
Where the money comes from — and where it's short
West Richland's budget leans on three main sources: utility tax ($6.1 million), sales tax ($5.6 million) and property tax ($5.4 million). The new budget plan touches two of those directly.
The city would raise its utility tax by 4%, adding about $3.25 a month to the base water bill. The Herald reports that money is earmarked for growing IT and cybersecurity costs.
Separately, the city would use a 0.1% sales tax authorized under state House Bill 2015 to fund public safety. That tax is expected to bring in about $550,000 over the next two years and would pay for two new police officers, set to be hired next October, the Herald reported.
The $20 car tab fee
The third piece is a new $20 vehicle tab fee, tied to the creation of a transportation benefit district. These districts let cities pull dedicated revenue for road and street work without digging into the general fund for every pothole and signal repair. West Richland already moved $490,000 from its general fund into its street fund this year to cover basic services — money officials hope the new district will eventually replace.
The move puts West Richland on the opposite path from its neighbor. Richland has been considering repealing its own $20 car tab fee in favor of a 0.1% sales tax for road funding, according to NBC Right Now. Yakima took the same route as Richland, imposing a sales tax hike without a public vote to replace its car tab fee, The Center Square reported. Two Tri-Cities neighbors are using the same state tools to reach different conclusions about which tax residents should feel more.
What's still unclear
The Herald's reporting doesn't specify which city departments face the $9 million in delayed hires and cuts beyond the new police hiring, nor has West Richland's council set a confirmed date for a first reading or vote on the budget ordinance and the transportation benefit district that would collect the car tab fee. In Richland and Yakima, similar sales tax changes moved forward through council action rather than a ballot measure.
Residents who want the underlying numbers can compare the new proposal against the city's current 2025-2026 biennial budget or reach the finance department directly with questions. West Richland's budget crunch follows similar gaps already reported this fall in Kennewick and Pasco. The city has not yet set a date for the council's first reading of the budget ordinance or the vote to create the transportation benefit district that would collect the new car tab fee.
