West Richland Complex Information & Comments Form

What a coup to move the entire workforce and operations to the West Richland location. Any city welcomes more business and jobs. It’s my understanding that statements have been made to the effect that REA will have a better selection of job applicants from which to choose. Some people say it’s great that the building is so close to customers. In reality, how many people actually go to the building regularly? Very few. People are discouraged from making personal payment.
If it’s mainly administration and equipment, perhaps moving yet another business out of Prosser is myopic with regard to a healthy county. Other large employment staples, Benton County employees, PUD employees have been sucked down into the vacuum that is the Tri-Cities. Now it’s REA. This will tweak the diversity of jobs so that nothing is left in Prosser except for tourism, agriculture, schools and the health industry. Diversity of jobs in a small community is essential for its health.
Part of REA’s mission is “to provide a stable, safe, competitive career-oriented work environment for the Association's employees”. Many of REA’s members are rural and in the more rural parts of Benton County and those members (what, the members are around 11,000?) depend upon the benefits of a stable employer in their community. The idea of moving “closer to the Tri-Cities” may have been a more resounding battle cry for Benton County business but is contradictory to Benton REA’s mission.
Benton REA is a not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric cooperative. Not for profit does not mean no profit and we want affordable and reliable energy. Moving to a 17-20-million-dollar facility seems extreme. How can it not cut into profits? How will REA remain affordable to the average consumer? With recent changes to base charge, I now pay 28 per more month. I only have three meters. What does it mean to farmers or other small businesses for electric rates?
How even will electricity remain affordable to business? Bankruptcies are up 34% and are expected to rise perhaps double in the next several years. Those are just personal bankruptcies and small business woes but corporate business bankruptcies are expected to surge as Covid relief programs disappear. Financial predictions are that the US is headed for a recession as bad or worse than the “Great Depression” so building such an expensive building with this potential financial chaos looming doesn’t make sense.
Perhaps, if the REA offices in Prosser are vacant, maybe the property is available? Perhaps the sale of the West Richland property purchased a few years ago would garner enough profit to fund necessary construction and renovation. I’d like to see decisions made that maintain a healthy employment environment for the entire county and rural population, not put all our wealth into an already bloated economy of the uncontrolled, urban sprawling that is the Tri-Cities.