City of Benton City - PROPOSITION NO. 1 · Benton County

It is no secret that our legislators in Olympia have been working overtime for decades, crafting and passing new regulations. Washington is ranked eighth for restrictive regulations, with over 200,000 restrictions contained in current state codes. The Strong-Mayor form of government relies on a local resident to have the knowledge and skill set to manage and implement these rules. Previous administrations have failed to navigate these regulations, resulting in the mismanagement of funds, lost development opportunities, and chaos among residents and business owners. A change in government is necessary to ensure that a professional manager, under the direction of the City Council, will guide Benton City through the era of over-regulation and taxation that our state currently finds itself in. While this is not an increase in taxes it will replace the Mayors position with a full-time employee. While this does add additional payroll expenses those costs are significantly overshadowed by the benefits. It is this committee’s sincerest hope that someday Washington State will return to a place of common-sense regulations, and that small cities may return to a strong-Mayor form of government. But until that day arrives, Benton City cannot afford to operate without professional and experienced leadership.