Benton County to share proceeds from sales tax rebate

Benton County Commissioners have brokered an agreement among incorporated cities and ports in the county, to redirect funds they receive through a sales tax rebate. The money has been stockpiled to pay off bonds that floated construction of the Benton County Jail. Now that the county has the money needed to pay off those bonds, they can start using the surplus for other economic development and capital improvement projects. Right now, there's nearly 6 million dollars sitting in the bank that can be used for other projects, like the Columbia Gardens Urban Wine and Artisan Village.

"We have a phase one that's going in down there, and these dollars are going to help greatly, matched up with what the (Kennewick) Port's providing to get that project done, a place for families and other to come visit," said Kennewick Mayor Steve Young.

The county, the ports of Benton and Kennewick, and the cities of Kennewick, Benton City, Prosser, Richland, and West Richland have all agreed to the disbursement plan, with each receiving a percentage of the rebate revenue. Each entity will then determine how best to use the funds.

Right now, there is close to $6 million in that fund that will be allocated to each entity. Those local councils and commissions will determine what current or future projects to use the money on. Additional revenue from the rebate will be split eight ways, with Richland and Kennewick getting a slighter larger cut of the funds based on their higher population numbers.

Benton County Commission Chair Shon Small says the money has to be used specifically for capital improvement and economic development projects, so it could not have been used for "boots on the ground" initiatives covered by the Criminal Justice Services Tax voters approved in 2014.

"The Criminal Justice Sales Tax is mission-specific," Small said. "It's trying to get law enforcement on the ground, it's trying to actually increase mental health, assist juvenile issues, these types of things."

The rebate from the Washington State Sales Tax is set to expire in 2023.