Richland’s Queensgate Curbs: How a Traffic Decision Travels From a Petition to Pavement Without a Council Vote

Richland’s Queensgate Curbs: How a Traffic Decision Travels From a Petition to Pavement Without a Council Vote

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Short answer

The choker curbs on Queensgate Drive (Shockley Rd–Summit St, built June–Aug 2026) were selected and approved by appointed City of Richland staff — not by a City Council vote on that project. The decision ran through the Neighborhood Traffic Safety (NTS) Program: a resident petition, staff scoring, a neighborhood ballot, then staff design and construction, all inside the Public Works Department under Director Carlo D’Alessandro. The elected council’s role was upstream and indirect: it created the program by resolution in 2023 (5-0, consent calendar, no discussion), adopted Vision Zero (7-0, 2023), and appropriated the money ($780,000 NTS carryover in the 2026 Streets Fund, 7-0). Under Richland’s charter, council members cannot direct staff individually; the only elected check on the project is the budget and the council’s power to hire/fire the City Manager. No council discussion, contract award, or public pushback specific to Queensgate was found in the public record.

  1. Decision-maker of record: Public Works Director Carlo D’Alessandro (appointed, at-will), with Traffic Engineer John Deskins’ office running the NTS process. Chain: D’Alessandro → Deputy City Manager Joe Schiessl (appointed) → City Manager Jon Amundson (appointed by council) → seven-member City Council (elected at large, except Position 4, currently an appointed interim).
  2. The project came from residents, not politicians: ‘Queensgate Dr – Shockley to White Bluffs’ entered the NTS list in 2025 with a score of 4.5/10 (a longer Alla Vista–Gala Way segment scored 5.0 in 2024). NTS requires a 3-property petition and >50% support on a neighborhood ballot; the Queensgate petition and ballot results are not published.
  3. No council vote on the Queensgate chokers exists. Authority comes from (a) Resolution 2023-173 adopting the NTS program ‘subject to approved budget authority’ (Nov 21, 2023, 5-0 consent), (b) the state Model Traffic Ordinance adopted by RMC 11.01.010, which lets the traffic engineer place traffic control devices, and (c) RMC 3.04.070, which lets the City Manager award public works contracts up to the state small-works cap ($350K through 2026) without council action — no Allstar contract appears in 2025–26 minutes.
  4. Elected fingerprints are limited to policy and money: Vision Zero (Res. 2023-89, June 20, 2023, 7-0), NTS program (Res. 2023-173, 5-0), Safety Action Plan (Res. 2024-30, 6-0), 2026 budget carryover with $780K for NTS (Ord. 2026-12, May 19, 2026, 7-0). All passed on consent or with minimal discussion.
  5. Chokers rather than speed humps: Queensgate is a Major Collector; the NTS document restricts vertical devices on emergency/transit routes and lists chokers as an alternate treatment. Staff’s specific rationale for Queensgate was not found.
  6. Accountability is indirect and slow: the charter’s non-interference clause (§4.05) bars council members from ordering staff; residents’ formal remedy is NTS removal (12-month wait, 67% ballot support) or pressure on the council, which can only act through the City Manager. Council has paused a staff street project before (Jadwin/GWW couplet, Nov 2023) but has never reversed an NTS installation.
  7. Nothing found on post-installation complaints, council discussion, or crash data for Queensgate (July–Sept 2026). Aug 18, Aug 25, and Sept 1, 2026 council minutes could not be read and should be checked manually.

1. What was built, and when

What Choker curbs on Queensgate Drive (Shockley Rd–Summit St); speed humps on Forest Ave and Long Ave1,2,3
Program Neighborhood Traffic Safety (NTS) Program
Contractor Allstar Construction Group, Inc.
When June 26–Aug 31, 2026
Source City of Richland news release, June 25, 2026, mirrored by NonStop Local, Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, Townsquare radio1,2,3
Who decided Not stated; no council vote mentioned

Public Works Director Carlo D’Alessandro was the only official quoted: “This program allows the City to make targeted improvements in neighborhoods where traffic safety concerns have been identified and evaluated.”

The release frames the program as addressing “transportation safety concerns identified by residents and evaluated by City staff” and ties it to Vision Zero.

No council member is quoted and no council vote is mentioned.

2. The decision chain (bottom-up)

Layer Who (2026) Appointed or elected How they got there Role in the Queensgate decision
Traffic Operations John Deskins, Traffic Engineer; John Whittier, Transportation Planner Appointed staff (unclassified/at-will managers or classified merit hires under RMC 2.28) Hired by City Manager’s authority via Public Works Collect speed/volume/crash data, score requests, recommend treatment, run neighborhood ballot, design
Public Works Department Carlo D’Alessandro, P.E., Public Works Director Appointed, at-will (RMC 2.28.070) Joined city 2021 as Transportation & Development Manager; interim director Apr 2024; appointed director July 22, 2024 by City Manager Owns the NTS program; approves scope, treatment, and project selection within budget; signed off on the 2026 construction package
Deputy City Manager Joe Schiessl Appointed by City Manager (July 2022) — Supervises Public Works, Development Services, Energy, Parks
City Manager Jon Amundson, ICMA-CM Appointed by council (interim Jan 2021; permanent Dec 7, 2021; new contract Jan 2025, 5-0) Serves “at the pleasure of the Council”; removable by 4 votes with 30-day resolution (Charter §4.01–4.02) Chief executive; can award public-works contracts ≤ $350K without council (RMC 3.04.070); all department heads are “directly and exclusively responsible to the city manager, and to no other person or body” (RMC 2.04.050)
City Council Pos. 1 Jhoanna Jones; Pos. 2 Theresa Richardson (Mayor); Pos. 3 Pat Holten; Pos. 4 Todd Samuel; Pos. 5 Shayne VanDyke (Mayor Pro Tem); Pos. 6 Kurt Maier; Pos. 7 Ryan Whitten Elected at large — except Samuel, appointed interim (Jan 27, 2026) after elected winner Donald Landsman died; Samuel lost the Aug 2026 primary and leaves when the Nov 3, 2026 winner (Saltz vs. Lipton) is certified Jones, Richardson, VanDyke elected Nov 2023 (terms end 2027); Holten, Maier, Whitten elected Nov 2025 (terms end 2029) Sets policy and budget only: adopted Vision Zero, the NTS program, and the money. Did not vote on the Queensgate project. The Mayor is chosen by the council from its members, not elected as mayor by voters

Structural note. Richland is a first-class charter city with a council-manager form. Charter §4.05: “Neither the Council nor any of its members shall direct or request the appointment of any person to, or his removal from, any office or position by the manager”; council members deal with the administration “solely through the manager.” So no individual council member could have ordered — or blocked — the chokers.4,5,6

3. How the project originated (the NTS pipeline)

  1. Program creation (elected). Resolution 2023-173, “Adopting the Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program,” passed Nov 21, 2023, 5-0 on the consent calendar (Christensen, Richardson, Jones, VanDyke, Whitten; Kent and Lukson excused). No staff presentation, no discussion, no public comment recorded. Presenter: then-Public Works Director Pete Rogalsky, who described it in Jan 2024 as “basically a response to resident requests.” It replaced a 2011 program (Res. 28-11, text not online). Staff implementation is “subject to approved budget authority.”7,8,9
  2. Petition (residents). Requires signatures from residents of three properties in the affected area, submitted by end of February. Eligible streets: Local, Minor or Major Collector, posted ≤30 mph, segment ≥600 ft.10
  3. Scoring (staff). Max 10 points: 85th-percentile speed (2.5), ADT (2), school/park proximity (1), sidewalks (1), 5-year collisions (2.5). Score ≤2.5 eliminates a request. Queensgate Dr – Shockley to White Bluffs (1,120 ft, Major Collector, 25 mph, first requested 2025, near school/park, 0 collisions) scored 4.5 on the 2025 list; a separate Alla Vista–Gala Way segment (2,950 ft, first requested 2024, 1 collision) scored 5.0. Speed/ADT figures for the segment extracted inconsistently from the PDF (one read 29.7 mph / 1,357 ADT; another 38.8 mph / 2,838) — verify against the source PDF.10,11,12
  4. Neighborhood meeting + ballot (residents, run by staff). Ballots go to every property with direct access within 300 ft of the project. Installation requires >50% of all identified households in favor and <40% opposed. (Canyon St was dropped in 2024 for failing this.) The Queensgate petition, meeting notes, and ballot results are not published.10,11
  5. Selection and design (staff). “City staff will develop cost estimates … projects will be selected to fit within that budget.” No per-project council approval step exists in the program document.10
  6. Contract (City Manager). No resolution awarding a contract to Allstar Construction appears in council minutes reviewed (Oct 2025–June 2026). RMC 3.04.070 lets the City Manager execute or delegate public-works awards at or below the RCW 39.04.152 small-works cap ($350,000 through Dec 31, 2026); change orders to $50K (RMC 3.04.080). Contract amount and date: not found.13,14

4. Why chokers instead of speed humps

Primary devices Speed humps and traffic circles, per NTS document10,15
Alternate device “Choker (mid-block or intersection curb extensions)”10,15
Restriction “Priority Emergency Response routes and transit routes … will have limitations on the traffic calming features considered”10,15
Queensgate classification Major Collector
Forest/Long classification Lower-order streets, received speed humps
Standards cited “Engineering Best Practices” and MUTCD (for stop signs)10,15

The city has not published a Queensgate-specific rationale for choosing chokers over speed humps.

WSDOT, ITE and NACTO are cited only in the Complete Streets code (RMC 12.06.050), not in the NTS document.10,15

5. Legal authority — does staff need a council vote?

  • No RMC section requires a council vote to install traffic-calming devices. Richland adopts the Washington Model Traffic Ordinance (RMC 11.01.010); WAC 308-330-265 lets the traffic engineer “place and maintain official traffic control devices … as he/she may deem necessary to regulate, warn, or guide traffic.” Speed limits, by contrast, are reserved to the council (RMC 11.08.020–.030).16,17
  • Council’s policy instruments: Vision Zero (Res. 2023-89, June 20, 2023, 7-0 consent), NTS (Res. 2023-173), Comprehensive Safety Action Plan (Res. 2024-30, Feb 20, 2024, 6-0 — mentions Queensgate only at Keene Rd and Columbia Park Trail intersections), Speed Limit Setting Policy (Res. 2024-64), Complete Streets (Ord. 33-17, 2017).18,19,20
  • RMC 2.04.085 (Ord. 2025-24, Oct 7, 2025, 7-0) lets the City Manager delegate duties to department heads.21

6. Funding — who approved the money

  • Ordinance 2026-12 (budget carryover, May 19, 2026, 7-0) lists “TR260002 – Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program $780,000” in the Streets Maintenance Fund — 2025 appropriation carried into 2026. Finance Director called NTS one of the “multi-year projects” behind large carryovers.22
  • Streets Fund revenue = motor vehicle license fees, gas tax, and other state/city street money (RMC 3.24). Transportation Benefit District money is restricted to pavement preservation and the Duportail Bridge, so NTS is not TBD funded. No grants for NTS found.23
  • 2026 program budget per staff notes: “$880K − 15% for Engineering & Construction ($132,000) so about $748,000”; speed humps “about $7,500 in 2026 as constructed.” Chokers cost not stated.24

7. Public input and accountability

  • Formal input was the NTS petition and ballot, limited to residents within 300 ft with direct access. Businesses and through-drivers had no vote.
  • Post-installation complaints (July–Sept 2026): none found in Tri-City Herald, TCAJOB, KEPR, NonStop Local, Tri-Cities Observer, radio sites, or Reddit. The Richland Residents Facebook group could not be read by tooling — check manually.
  • Removal path: 12-month wait, 3-property petition, ≥67% ballot support.10
  • Council override power: Exists only in practice, via the City Manager or the budget. Precedent: Nov 2023 council paused the Jadwin/GWW one-way couplet after residents objected (later revived; construction now 2027). No instance found of council reversing an NTS installation. July 2026: council voted unanimously to begin the speed-camera process, and Councilmember VanDyke praised NTS progress in Dec 2025 — suggesting council support for, not friction with, traffic calming.25,26,27
  • Public comment: Aug 4, 2026, council raised comment time from 2 to 3 minutes, 4-3 (Maier, Jones, Whitten, Samuel yes; Richardson, Holten, VanDyke no).28

8. Angles for the post

Case that the process is properly insulated from politics. Council set the policy and the money in public votes; engineers apply a published, quantitative scoring system; directly affected residents vote before anything is built; the charter deliberately keeps council members from meddling in individual projects. This is the textbook council-manager model that Richland voters chose in their charter (and reaffirmed in Nov 2025 when a district-elections amendment failed).

Case that accountability is too diffuse. Every consequential vote (Vision Zero, NTS, the $780K) passed on consent with zero recorded discussion. The person who effectively decides is three appointment layers removed from any voter. The ballot excludes businesses and commuters who use a Major Collector. Petition and ballot results aren’t published, so outsiders can’t verify the >50% threshold was met. The only elected remedy — pressuring seven council members to lean on the City Manager — is slow and indirect.

Common misconception to address. “The city” is not one actor: the council (elected) chose the framework; Public Works (appointed) chose Queensgate and the chokers; neighbors (unelected, self-selected) triggered and ratified it.

9. Open questions / what would change the answer

  • Was the Allstar contract over $350K and awarded by council? (Would put an elected fingerprint directly on the project.) Check Aug 18 / Aug 25 / Sept 1, 2026 minutes — unreadable by tooling; open CivicClerk file IDs 13835, 13836, 13832.
  • Queensgate ballot tally and turnout (public records request to City Clerk).
  • Staff memo explaining choker selection and emergency-route status of Queensgate.
  • Whether Position 4 candidates Kyle Saltz or Mary Lipton have taken a position on NTS/traffic calming — none found.

Source lean and reliability

Primary government records (charter, RMC, RCW/WAC, council minutes, NTS PDFs) carry the factual weight. Local TV/business press are neutral rewrites of the city release. Tri-Cities Observer is an independent watchdog blog consistently critical of city hall — useful for process context, flagged as such. NPI Cascadia Advocate (progressive) and Benton County GOP (partisan) were used only for election results/endorsements.

Sources (39)
  1. NonStop Local — Upcoming traffic safety work to impact 3 roads in Richland through August (June 2026) lean not assessedFullest reproduction of the June 25, 2026 city release
  2. Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business — Traffic safety improvements coming to Richland streets (June 29, 2026) lean not assessedNames AllStar Construction Group
  3. FlashAlert — City of Richland release, Traffic Safety Improvements (June 25, 2026) primaryVision Zero framing; Public Works contact 509-942-7500
  4. Richland City Charter, Art. II (Council) and Art. IV (City Manager) primary§4.01 appointment, §4.02 removal, §4.05 non-interference
  5. RMC 2.04 — City Manager and administrative departments primary2.04.050 department heads answer only to City Manager; 2.04.085 delegation; 2.04.170 Public Works duties
  6. City of Richland — City Council page and member bios primarySeven at-large members; mayor chosen by council
  7. Resolution 2023-173 — Adopting the Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program (Nov 21, 2023) primary
  8. Richland City Council minutes, Nov 21, 2023 (CivicClerk) primary5-0 consent; no discussion
  9. Apple Valley News Now — Richland launches program to address traffic issues (Jan 2024) lean not assessedRogalsky quote
  10. Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program document (Exhibit A) primaryPetition, scoring, ballot thresholds, device list, removal process
  11. NTS 2025 ranked request list primaryQueensgate Shockley–White Bluffs score 4.5; Alla Vista–Gala Way 5.0
  12. NTS 2024 ranked request list primaryFirst Queensgate request; Broadmoor/Canyon selected 2024
  13. RMC 3.04 — Purchasing; 3.04.070 public works contract authority primary
  14. RCW 39.04.152 — Small works roster thresholds primary$350K cap through Dec 31, 2026
  15. RMC 12.06 — Complete Streets primaryDesign standards AASHTO/ITE/NACTO/WSDOT/MUTCD
  16. RMC 11.01 — Adoption of Washington Model Traffic Ordinance primary
  17. WAC 308-330-265 — Traffic engineer authority over traffic control devices primary
  18. Richland City Council minutes, June 20, 2023 — Vision Zero Res. 2023-89 primary7-0 consent
  19. City of Richland — Traffic Safety page (Vision Zero, policies) primary
  20. Richland Comprehensive Safety Action Plan (2024, DKS Associates) primaryRes. 2024-30; Queensgate intersections only
  21. Ordinance 2026-12 budget carryover packet, May 19, 2026 primary$780,000 NTS line; 7-0
  22. RMC 3.24 — Street Fund and TBD fund restrictions primary
  23. NTS 2026 ranked request list with budget notes primary$880K budget, $7,500 per hump
  24. Tri-Cities Observer — Richland pauses one-way project (Nov 2023) lean not assessedPrecedent for council pausing a staff street project
  25. Tri-Cities Observer — Speed cameras and Richland news (July 2026) lean not assessed
  26. Richland City Council minutes, Dec 2, 2025 primaryVanDyke on NTS progress
  27. Tri-Cities Observer — Council changes public comment policy (Aug 2026) lean not assessed
  28. NonStop Local — Carlo D’Alessandro named Public Works Director (Aug 2024) lean not assessedAppointment and background
  29. City of Richland — Deputy City Manager (Joe Schiessl) primaryOversees Public Works
  30. City of Richland — City Manager (Jon Amundson) primary
  31. Tri-Cities Observer — Council appears to ignore charter on City Manager severance (Jan 2025) lean not assessedAmundson contract renewal 5-0
  32. RMC 2.28 — Personnel system; unclassified/at-will positions primaryDepartment directors at-will; City Manager appoints
  33. City of Richland — Traffic and Streets staff directory primaryDeskins, Whittier, Boothe
  34. City of Richland — Council appoints Todd Samuel to Position 4 (Jan 2026) primaryInterim until Nov 3, 2026 winner takes office
  35. TCAJOB — Richland council vacancy after election of deceased candidate lean not assessedLandsman backstory
  36. Tri-City Regional Chamber — Council swears in three, selects mayor and mayor pro tem (Jan 2026) lean not assessed
  37. NPI Cascadia Advocate — August 2026 top-two results lean not assessedPosition 4 primary: Saltz, Lipton advance; Samuel eliminated
  38. RCW 35A.13.120 — Council-manager non-interference (code-city parallel) primaryRichland is a charter city; cited for the general principle
  39. Richland CivicClerk portal (agendas/minutes) primaryAug 18 / Aug 25 / Sept 1, 2026 files (IDs 13835, 13836, 13832) unread — check manually

Lean labels describe the source, not the claim.

Starting points submitted with this question

 

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