PASCO, Wash. —
Franklin County Sheriff Jim Raymond wrote a letter to the Franklin County Board of Commissioners asking them to hire their own administrators and not continue to pay Benton County for their administrators.
“I believe that it’s a good idea for Franklin County to start exploring being their own leaders,” says Raymond. “Not in a– I use the word ‘subservience’– or in a second chair position with Benton County.”
Sheriff Raymond only sent the letter to the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, but Benton County and its Board of Commissioners responded with a press release.
Benton County Communications Director Shyanne Palmus says in a press release the county “In no way views its partnership with Franklin County as ‘subservience’– we are simply offering services to our neighbors that they currently do not have the resources to support on their own.”
Sheriff Raymond says the letter is guaranteed to garner feedback from the community.
“I expect that I’ll hear from the nay-sayers, ‘This is just big government,'” says Raymond. “But at the end of the day government is formed in particular counties for two things; public safety and infrastructure.”
Sheriff Raymond and Benton County Commissioners might disagree on the bi-county partnership, but both sides are willing to discuss Franklin County hiring and paying its own administrators.
Benton County’s statement says, “If the Board of Franklin County Commissioners and other elected officials wish to formally separate operations from Benton County, those discussions can be facilitated and we will not object to them.”
Sheriff Raymond says, “If partnering is best for those communities then we will do that, but if it’s not, we need to start planning how we’re going to do this for ourselves.”
