Pubdate: Mon, 01 Jan 2007
Source: Tri-City Herald (WA)
Copyright: 2007 Tri-City Herald
Contact:  http://www.tri-cityherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/459
Author: Michelle Dupler, Herald Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)

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. 
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MAP posted-by: Steve Heath