Mayor (2026)	Fred Brink took office Jan 1, 2026, beat May Hays 3,412–1,3447,8
Council seat	Dan Richey appointed to Position 6, 5-1 vote, Feb 24, 202611,12
Water/sewer deal	Frank Tiegs LLC prepaid $6.62 million for 1,000 units, Jan 2023, Resolution 07-2313,14
Zoning change	Ordinance 03-25 made data centers permitted in Urban Transition zone, Feb 20259
Land sale 1	Frank Tiegs LLC sold seven parcels to TC West Richland I LLC for $82,728,295, July 202618,19,20
Land sale 2	TC West Richland I LLC sold the land to WKC31 Development LLC for $263,725,350, effective July 1618,19,20

West Richland is a code city with a mayor-council government. The mayor runs the departments and appoints department heads and Planning Commission members. The council confirms board appointments by majority vote^4,5,6.

Brent Gerry was mayor during 2025 and signed Ordinance 03-25 and Resolution 38-25^9,10. Brink's election was certified November 25, 2025^7,8.

For the Richey appointment, Bloom, Cole, Fetto, Smart and Stoker voted yes, Moran voted no, Stoker moved and Smart seconded. Brink gave Richey the oath on March 3, 2026^11,12.

The ranch land belongs to the Lewis and Clark Ranch, held by Frank Tiegs LLC. Resolution 07-23 was moved by Smart and seconded by Fetto^13,14.

On the last public zoning layer, from 2020, all seven parcels later sold were listed as Urban Transition^9,15.

On May 5, 2026 the council adopted the ranch subarea plan and its zoning. Ordinance 07-26 repealed the Urban Transition district and listed data centers as permitted in the new Mixed Use Light Industrial (MU-LI) zone. Ordinance 08-26 set Phase 1 of the ranch at 769.92 acres, with no MU-LI zone inside it^16,17.

The seven parcels sold totaled 995.19 acres across Sections 27, 28, 29, 33 and 34. None of them lies inside Phase 1^17,21.

On September 1, 2026, Community and Economic Development Director Eric Mendenhall told the council the property had been sold to Trammell Crow²².

The table below lists each decision in the chain, who put a name or a vote on it, and which department's review appears in the public record. A blank review column means no department review was found in the packets, minutes or registers searched.

Decision	Date	Body or office	Who signed, moved or voted	Department review on record	Sources
Resolution 07-23: Tiegs prepays $6.62 million for 1,000 water and sewer units	Jan. 17, 2023	City Council	Smart moved, Fetto seconded; unanimous	Payment shown in an April 2026 Public Works staff report	13,14
Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) request L0621, "West Richland Data Center Campus," 912 megawatts (MW)	Sept. 6, 2024	Benton Rural Electric Association (REA)	Signer not in posted records	None in posted records	23
State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) checklist for code change TXT-0001-2025	Jan. 15, 2025	Applicant, Frank Tiegs LLC	Keith Tiegs, "Authorized Representative"	Not applicable	24
Ordinance 01-25: utility facilities in all zones	Jan. 21, 2025	City Council	Passed 5-2; Smart and Stoker voted no	Council subcommittee recommended it Jan. 7, 2025	25,26
SEPA Determination of Non-Significance (DNS) SEPA-0002-2025	Jan. 29, 2025	CED	Mendenhall, as SEPA responsible official	Ecology's register lists no comment letters or appeal	24,27
"Do pass" recommendation on TXT-0001-2025	Feb. 4, 2025	Council subcommittee	Unanimous, per staff reports; members not named in any record found	No notice, agenda or minutes in the city's Agenda Center	28,29
Recommendation of TXT-0001-2025	Feb. 13, 2025	Planning Commission	Brady moved, Utecht seconded; "passed unanimously" with O'Neill, Aldrich, Brady, Utecht and Sloughter present	Staff report in the packet	28,30
Ordinance 03-25: data centers permitted	Feb. 18, 2025	City Council; Mayor	Bloom moved, Smart seconded; unanimous voice vote with Bloom, Brink (remote), Fetto, Hays, Moran, Smart and Stoker present; Gerry signed; Clerk Haug attested; City Attorney Foltz approved as to form	Staff report; Mendenhall presented	9,31,32
Water right change applications BENT-25-01 to -12	Apr. 7 and Aug. 6, 2025	Landowner; Public Works	Keith Tiegs; Public Works Director Slade for the city	Not applicable	33
Ranch plan preferred alternative	July 31, 2025	Planning Commission	Sloughter moved, Utecht seconded; unanimous, six present	None posted; Keith Tiegs spoke for the applicant	34
Ranch plan preferred alternative	Aug. 12, 2025	City Council	Fetto moved, Moran seconded; 6-0, Stoker excused		35
Resolution 38-25: 2026 legislative priorities, including a data center line	Oct. 21, 2025	City Council; Mayor	Consent agenda, Bloom moved, Smart seconded, unanimous; Gerry signed; Haug attested; Foltz approved as to form	Staff draft in Oct. 7 packet; author of the line not in posted records	10,36,37
Resolution 51-25: third amendment to water agreement with Richland	Dec. 16, 2025	City Council	Moran moved, Bloom seconded; unanimous, Hays excused	Slade staff report	38,39
Approval of the BENT-25 changes	Jan. 13, 2026	Benton County Water Conservancy Board	Chair's signature (read as Darryll Olsen) and Scott Revell; third line blank		40
Approval of the BENT-25 changes, as modified	Mar. 30, 2026	Department of Ecology, Central Region	Heather Simmons, Section Manager		41
Ranch plan recommendation	Apr. 9, 2026	Planning Commission	Peterson moved, Aldrich seconded; "passed unanimously" with O'Neill, Peterson, Utecht and Aldrich present; Retter absent		42
Resolution 16-26: staff-time agreement with TC Northwest Development, Inc.	Apr. 21, 2026	City Council, consent agenda	Moran moved, Stoker seconded; unanimous, all seven present, Bloom chairing; mayor's line on the resolution signed "For" by a person not named; Brink signed the agreement page; Mark Netherland signed for the company	Mendenhall staff report, reviewed by Brink	1,13,43
Resolution 18-26: last 286 prepaid units may go to the survey parcels	Apr. 21, 2026	City Council, consent agenda	Same vote; Keith Tiegs's signature notarized Apr. 10, Brink's Apr. 27	Slade staff report, reviewed by Brink; Utility and Street Subcommittee (Smart, Stoker, Richey) recommended	13,44
Resolution 20-26: Keene Road reimbursement up to $2 million	Apr. 21, 2026	City Council, consent agenda	Moran moved, Stoker seconded; unanimous	Slade staff report	13,43
Ordinance 05-26: budgets $150,000 from the company	Apr. 21, 2026	City Council; Mayor	Stoker moved, Moran seconded; unanimous; Brink, Haug and Foltz signed	Finance Director Gwinn's report, reviewed by Brink	43,45
PLAT-008-2026 "Trammell-Crow Exempt Parcel Segregation Authorization" letter	May 5, 2026	Community development director, by code	Signer not in posted records		46,47
Ordinances 06-26, 07-26 and 08-26: ranch plan and zoning	May 5, 2026	City Council; Mayor	06-26 Fetto and Moran; 07-26 Bloom and Fetto; 08-26 Moran and Smart; all seven yes each time; Brink signed; Haug attested; Michael J. Rio signed "31981 for" Foltz	Mendenhall staff report, reviewed by Brink	16,48,49
Deeds and water option for the sale	July 10 to 16, 2026	Private parties	Keith Tiegs for Frank Tiegs LLC; Michael C. Nelson as chief executive officer (CEO) of TC West Richland I; no signer for WKC31	Recorded July 28, 2026	19,20,50
Release of the six survey parcels from the Tiegs mortgage	July 13, 2026	AgWest Farm Credit	Brandon Nickels, Authorized Agent		51
Resolution 46-26: new council rules	Aug. 4, 2026	City Council	Bloom moved, Smart seconded; 4-2, Bloom, Fetto, Moran and Richey yes, Smart and Stoker no, Cole absent		52,53
Water right S4-33044(B2)	Aug. 25, 2026	Ecology, Office of Columbia River	Scott Turner, Operations Section Manager		54
Salary Commission confirmations	Sept. 15, 2026	City Council, consent agenda	Stoker moved, Smart seconded; unanimous	Haug memo, reviewed by Brink	55,56

The 2025 code change, step by step

Keith Tiegs signed the SEPA checklist for the code change on January 15, 2025. Mendenhall signed the DNS on January 29. The SEPA comment and appeal period closed at 5 p.m. February 13. The commission hearing, a separate chance to testify, opened at 6 p.m. that evening. Ecology's register lists no comment letters or appeal²⁴.

City code lets the council, the Planning Commission, or the director after commission review start a text amendment. It lists no route for a private party, so a private request would have to be taken up by one of them. No record found shows which one did; request R1 asks⁵⁷.

Staff reports say a council subcommittee voted unanimously on February 4, 2025 to recommend "do pass." The staff report calls it the "Council Community and Economic Development Subcommittee," and the ordinance recital calls it the "Planning and Economic Development Subcommittee"²⁸.

The city's Agenda Center has no notice, agenda, roster or minutes for that subcommittee meeting²⁹. No record found names its 2025 members. Smart's campaign site said in December 2025 that he "serves on the West Richland Community Development subcommittee," and the city's draft 2026 table puts Fetto and Smart on Planning and Economic Development. Neither record says who sat on the subcommittee on February 4, 2025^58,59.

The same subcommittee recommended Ordinance 01-25 on January 7, 2025 and power generation as a conditional use on April 29, 2025^26,60.

The staff report said data centers "bring daytime jobs, are a significant source of utility and sales tax revenue." It also said "details will not be provided at this time do to request from applicant"²⁸.

The commission hearing on February 13, 2025 opened at 6:09 p.m. and closed at 6:14 p.m. The minutes record no public testimony. Brady moved and Utecht seconded, and the motion "passed unanimously" with five members present. Peterson and Retter were absent and excused³⁰.

The council hearing on February 18, 2025 ran from 6:14 to 6:15 p.m. with no comments. Gerry opened and closed it. Bloom moved, Smart seconded, and the voice vote carried with all seven members present^31,32.

On the video of that meeting, Mendenhall said Tiegs had "something in the works that might come our way" (12:47) and cited "about two employees per acre" (13:11)³².

Both agendas went online ahead of the meetings, the commission's on February 6 and the council's on February 14, and both meetings offered public comment^61,62.

City code calls text amendments "legislative in nature"⁵⁷. The Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) says state statutes "do not specify how legislative public hearings should be conducted," while the rules for quasi-judicial hearings are "much stricter." Courts, it says, "simply assess whether the legislative body had the authority to act in the way that it did, and whether such action was arbitrary and capricious"⁶³.

This research found no Washington case voiding a legislative hearing because it was short or drew no testimony.

The draft ordinance in the commission packet was prepared with recitals describing commission and council votes, ahead of both meetings²⁸. Gerry signed Ordinance 03-25, Haug attested and Foltz approved it as to form⁹.

The ranch plan and the 2026 zoning

The Planning Commission recommended the preferred alternative on July 31, 2025, with Sloughter moving and Utecht seconding. Keith Tiegs "spoke on behalf of the applicant Frank Tiegs LLC"³⁴. The council adopted it August 12, 2025, 6-0, with Fetto moving, Moran seconding and Stoker excused³⁵.

The March 10, 2026 final draft of the subarea plan lists data centers among the uses allowed in MU-LI, on plan page 18⁶⁴.

The ranch hearing notice went up March 30, 2026, ten days before the April 9 commission hearing. The notice does not mention data centers⁶⁵. On April 9 the commission voted unanimously with four members present. Retter was absent⁴².

The April 21 and May 5, 2026 staff reports, prepared by Mendenhall and reviewed by Brink, carry the line "MULI Regulations (Data Centers): Allowed in MULI zone near Phase 1." It sits under the heading "Public Comment at Planning Commission Hearing"^13,49.

On May 5, 2026, all seven council members voted for Ordinances 06-26, 07-26 and 08-26. Brink presided and signed. Haug attested. Michael J. Rio, who holds Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) number 31981, signed "31981 for" City Attorney Jessica Foltz^16,48,66.

Ordinance 07-26 requires a buffer of at least 200 feet where a data center site abuts residential or mixed use zoning or uses. It also requires an independent noise and air quality study before any data center is approved, whether or not it sits next to homes¹⁶.

Trammell Crow's agreement with the city, April 2026

Resolution 16-26 approved a reimbursement agreement with TC Northwest Development, Inc., a Delaware corporation. A 2017 Port of Seattle release says Trammell Crow Company created TC Northwest Development as a wholly owned company^1,67.

The agreement is dated April 15, 2026, takes effect April 1 and runs three years. It estimates costs "not to exceed $150,000" and requires the company to pay for any added work it requests. Mark Netherland signed for the company as Senior Vice President¹.

State law lets cities collect "reasonable fees from an applicant" to cover the cost of "processing applications, inspecting and reviewing plans"⁶⁸. The TC Northwest agreement covers work before any application, so its terms come from Resolution 16-26 rather than a fee schedule. The council approved a similar reimbursement agreement with Frank Tiegs LLC for the ranch EIS on consent January 21, 2025²⁵.

Mendenhall's staff report, reviewed by Brink, said the company "is conducting a feasibility analysis for a large industrial complex" and that staff expected "an estimated 30 hours per week in technical assistance"¹³.

The mayor's line on the signed Resolution 16-26 is signed by someone on Brink's behalf, followed by "For." The same signature is on Resolution 18-26 and on the signed September 1, 2026 minutes. No record states who signed^1,22,44.

The "approved as to form" line on Resolutions 16-26 and 18-26 is also signed by someone other than Foltz, over her printed name. The April 21 minutes list Michael Rio as city attorney that night^1,43.

Ordinance 05-26 booked the $150,000. Finance Director Erin Gwinn prepared the report and Brink reviewed it. The packet's Exhibit B labels the lines "TC Northwest Development." The signed copy, scanned April 30, labels them "Trammel Crow"^13,45.

Resolution 18-26 lets Tiegs allocate its last 286 prepaid units to four areas, among them "Parcels 1 through 6" of a survey whose title block reads "CLIENT: TRAMMELL CROW COMPANY." The 286 units equal about 132,132 gallons a day of water and 44,500 gallons a day of sewer capacity⁴⁴.

City code requires the community development director's approval for an exempt parcel segregation⁴⁶. A Tiegs quitclaim deed recorded May 18, 2026 cites a May 5 city letter titled "PLAT-008-2026 Trammell-Crow Exempt Parcel Segregation Authorization." The letter was not found in the city's posted records⁴⁷.

Record of Survey 6280 was recorded May 8, 2026, made "at the request of Trammell Crow Company." None of its seven sheets carries a city approval block²¹.

City departments, one by one

Community and Economic Development: Mendenhall is the SEPA responsible official under city code and "the director" who decides Type I and II permits. City records give his title both as Community Development Director and as Community and Economic Development Director^27,69,70.

Public Works: Director Roscoe C. Slade III signed the BENT-25 water applications for the city on August 6, 2025 and prepared the staff reports for Resolutions 51-25, 11-26, 18-26 and 20-26^13,33,38.

Finance: Director Erin Gwinn prepared Ordinance 05-26⁴⁵. City Clerk: Stephanie Haug attested each ordinance, and city code puts newspaper publication under the clerk^9,16,71.

City Attorney: Jessica Foltz is City Attorney under contract through Rio Foltz PLLC, a firm she and Michael J. Rio started in 2023^66,70,72.

Building and fire: Todd Blevins is listed as Building Official. Fire District 4's April 2, 2026 minutes call him "City Fire Marshal"^70,73. Under city code, the Building Official issues a certificate of occupancy only after all city departments approve⁷⁴.

No Public Works, engineering, building, fire, police or finance comment on TXT-0001-2025 or the ranch plan appears in any posted packet or on the SEPA register. Records requests R10 and R11, below, would show whether any exists.

Bodies outside City Hall

Benton County commissioners took no action naming the ranch, Tiegs, the buyers or a data center on any of their agendas from June 2024 to October 6, 2026. Only agendas were searched, not packets⁷⁵.

Benton REA, not Benton Public Utility District (PUD), serves the site^76,77. Benton REA filed BPA request L0621 on September 6, 2024 for 912 MW. It is in "STUDY," with a requested in-service date of March 1, 2028, and names no end customer²³.

The Benton County Water Conservancy Board approved the twelve BENT-25 changes on January 13, 2026. The chair's signature and Scott Revell's are on each decision. The third board member line is blank on all twelve⁴⁰.

Ecology approved water right S4-33044(B2) on August 25, 2026: 12.758 cubic feet per second (cfs) and 3,539.85 acre-feet a year for municipal supply, signed by Scott Turner. The report names Phase 1 and does not mention data centers⁵⁴.

At the Port of Benton's October 15, 2025 commission meeting, a speaker on the Atlas Agro item said "Trammel Crow wants to build a data center out there. 500 acres to start, one of the 1000 total," and "sales and purchase agreement with [Tiegs] LLC." The transcript does not identify the speaker⁷⁸.

Those words come from a machine transcript of the Port's audio, at about 21:35. No one has confirmed the voice by listening. The approved minutes, signed by Commission Secretary Roy D. Keck, do not mention Trammell Crow or Tiegs. They do say the Atlas Agro project could serve "multiple large-scale users, such as data centers"^78,79.

What the mayor and council members have said on the record

NDA means nondisclosure agreement. Quotes from meetings come from the city's YouTube recordings, read in YouTube's transcript panel and checked against the minutes. The captions are machine-made, so names follow the minutes. Filler words, stutters and false starts are dropped and caption misspellings such as "moratorum" are fixed; any other cut is marked with an ellipsis^80,81,82,83.

Stoker made no recorded remark on data centers in the minutes or videos of August 4, August 18, September 1 or September 15, 2026^22,56,84,85.

Official	Date	Words on the record	Source
Mayor Fred Brink	May 5, 2026	"There is 100% transparency."	86
Brink	Sept. 1, 2026	"Please contact Mr. Mendenhall directly. He is going to have the information. He's going to know it before I know it because he has to come to me to tell me what's going on so I can share it with everyone else." No stated position for or against. Absent September 15.	22,82
Mayor Pro Tem Richard Bloom	Feb. 18, 2025	Said equipment-based tax revenue from data centers "will depreciate."	32
Bloom	May 5, 2026	"there currently isn't any light industrial in phase one for data centers"	86
Bloom	Aug. 18, 2026	Citing what his son tells him from Cheyenne: "there's not that much of an impact. It's a big freaking building." Called groundwater withdrawal "the bigger issue."	81
Bloom	Sept. 15, 2026	Said city code already covers noise, lights and water discharge, with state rules on top, and cited 30 years in environmental compliance at sites including Rocky Flats and Hanford: "I'm not overly concerned." On revenue: a data center "is one chunk of property tax that we will get," and "it helps us balance books. So, we're not motivated against them." Said council members would be "in non-compliance with freedom of information act" if they signed an NDA.	83
John Smart	Apr. 21, 2026	Had "personal emails from five different residents concerning the potential for densification and in a data center."	3
Smart	Aug. 4, 2026	Asked residents to "come to us with some science, some data, some observations."	80
Smart	Sept. 1, 2026	If concerns can't be mitigated "to my satisfaction, I will not be supporting" a data center, and "if it's mitigated, it's mitigated."	82
Smart	Sept. 15, 2026	"I'm neither a proponent or an opponent of data centers." Also: "You can't just deny somebody the use of land for no reason." And: "I certainly haven't signed any NDA."	83
Kate Moran	Sept. 1, 2026	The minutes say she "clarified that Council had learned of the Trammell Crow property sale that evening and emphasized that Council had not withheld that information from the public." On video: "we're not keeping secrets, trust me."	22,82
Moran	Sept. 15, 2026	"NDAs, no. I will never sign an NDA." On the company's record: "There is a difference between having an assumption and seeing a pattern in front of you." On legal risk: "we're a small city in comparison to massive corporations that have a lot of money and can do a lot of damage to us legally."	83
David Cole	Aug. 18, 2026	On regulating data centers: "we could use some suggestions on what that looks like at least I could."	81,85
Cole	Sept. 15, 2026	"I'm not aware of any NDA and I wouldn't sign one." Agreeing with a resident that a project "should be a win for everybody involved." The minutes confirm the NDA remark.	56,83
David Fetto	Sept. 15, 2026	"I have not signed an NDA." On data centers: "I'm concerned," but "I also want to hear what it's going to do for us and how if we can mitigate it." Said he first learned of the land sale "the night that Eric [Mendenhall] mentioned it at city council."	83
Ken Stoker	Aug. 4 to Sept. 15, 2026	No recorded position. Voted no on Ordinance 01-25 and Resolution 46-26.	25,53,56
Dan Richey	Aug. 4, 2026	Council members "have received 95 letters that I know of. Of those 95 letters, 18 of them are from West Richland."	80
Richey	Aug. 18, 2026	"I'm not convinced yet that a moratorium is needed. We don't have a project ... Right now you're just speculating." Said what happened at Boardman, Oregon is "not applicable to the state of Washington" and that he planned to visit a data center.	81,85
Richey	Sept. 15, 2026	Took no position. "I may not always like what you say, but I certainly respect and appreciate that you say it."	83
Former Mayor Brent Gerry	Nov. 15, 2025	A news story said he "declined to answer follow-up questions about the project, and released a statement via the city that there would be no further discussion about the data center." The statement was not found.	87

Sign-offs still to come

Under current code, a data center in the Light Industrial (LI) or MU-LI zone is a permitted use, which the code handles as a Type I permit. The director decides it against the written standards, with no notice and no hearing, and an appeal goes to court under the Land Use Petition Act (LUPA), chapter 36.70C of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW). Ordinance 07-26's 200-foot buffer and independent noise and air study apply to that permit^16,69,88.

TXT-0006-2026, with a DNS signed by Mendenhall on July 16, 2026, would give a hearing examiner conditional use permits, most preliminary plats, major plat revisions and major variances. Its checklist set a September 10 commission hearing and an October 6 council hearing. Neither agenda includes it^56,89,90.

The October 6, 2026 consent agenda carries Ordinance 28-26, which creates a hearing examiner for code enforcement appeals. It also carries Ordinance 27-26, a code enforcement text amendment that adds section 17.54.460 to the West Richland Municipal Code (WRMC), two days before that change's noticed October 8 commission hearing. Slade prepared both and Brink reviewed them. The regular agenda has no data center item^56,91.

The council also called a 5:15 p.m. executive session for October 6 on "the legal risks of a proposed action or current practice." The agenda does not name the subject, and nothing in the record ties it to data centers⁹².

Brink's nominee for Planning Commission Position 5, Tyler Aspinwall, is on the same consent agenda. Commissioner Colton Brady appears on every roster through April 9, 2026 and is not listed by May 14, when staff mentioned an open vacancy. No record gives the reason^56,93,94.

A building permit vests under the rules in effect when a fully complete application is filed. A moratorium adopted before that date can stop a project, as the Court of Appeals held in Potala Village v. Kirkland (2014)^95,96.

Applicant	Frank Tiegs LLC, named on SEPA checklist for 2025 code change24
Council hearing	February 18, 2025; Mendenhall cited Tiegs project and jobs estimate32
Legislative priorities adopted	October 21, 2025, on consent, backing data centers with SMR10,36,37
Status, Jan 2026	Mendenhall: city had not received any applications2
Status, April 2026	Mendenhall: no application received; interest in Lewis and Clark Ranch3
Trammell Crow statement	Said studying feasibility of Lewis and Clark land, by Nov. 15, 202587,99

The staff report said data centers "bring daytime jobs, are a significant source of utility and sales tax revenue," and that details "will not be provided at this time do to request from applicant"²⁸.

At the February 2025 hearing, Mendenhall said Tiegs had "something in the works that might come our way" and cited "about two employees per acre" for data centers³².

Staff's draft 2026 legislative priorities included the line "The City of West Richland supports data centers and colocations with SMR generation that include industrial symbiosis." SMR means small modular reactor^10,36,37.

On January 6, 2026, Mendenhall told residents "the city has not received any applications yet," adding "we don't do that until we actually have an application in"².

On January 13, 2026, asked whether the Tri-City Development Council had seen the light industrial area, Mendenhall said "Last year I had a meeting with Carl and David." He said they suggested no changes and that Carl raised a heating district and "industrial symbiosis." Matching the names to TRIDEC's Karl Dye and David Reeploeg is an inference⁹⁷.

On April 21, 2026, Mendenhall told the council: "To be clear, the city has not received any application for a data center project." He added, "There is interest in the [Lewis] and Clark Ranch"³.

At the May 5, 2026 adoption, Bloom said "there currently isn't any light industrial in phase one for data centers." Brink said "There is 100% transparency"⁸⁶.

On September 15, 2026, Mendenhall said "any of that kind of fear-mongering really that's being spread out there is just that. We are going to have a complete public and open process with this project should one come in"⁸³.

At the same meeting he said a moratorium's studies, staff time and consultants "would be a taxpayer burden, not a developer burden," and left the choice to the council⁸³.

Benton REA says that under its "board-approved policy," a requesting data center "must pay for the infrastructure required specifically to serve its load." No adoption date or vote is public⁹⁸.

No later public statement from Trammell Crow or its companies was found in council minutes, news coverage or filings checked through October 4, 2026. The September 2026 Herald story on the sale described the buyer as "a company identified as the data center arm of real estate giant Trammell Crow"; the part visible without a subscription does not say who made that identification¹⁰⁰.

Supporters, conditional backers and the power cooperative in public comment

Josh Lozano, Benton REA's director of energy policy, spoke at the August 18, 2026 council meeting. He said "existing members will not be responsible for subsidizing data centers or any large load for that matter." Citing a study, he said "properly structured data center loads can actually generate revenue" above the utility's cost of service^81,85.

He closed with the cooperative's approach: "Protect existing members, preserve reliability, and require large loads to pay for themselves"⁸¹.

On September 15, Deputy General Manager Troy Berglund said the cooperative "cannot discriminate when a new potential load or business or home or anything comes to inquire about electric service." He said the board's policy puts "all costs, all risks associated with that project" on the data center^56,83.

Derek Warcheck, a business agent for United Association Local 598, a plumbers and steamfitters union local, told the council the same night: "I am for this project as I currently already have 350 members, 120 registered apprentices building, maintaining and retrofitting the data centers in Quincy, Umatilla, Hermiston and Boardman, Oregon." He added that "people are going to hate what they don't understand"^56,83.

Andrew Rice, a construction worker, said "I spent 10 years driving to Quincy to feed my kids." The minutes say he backed local construction work "that would reduce the need to commute to Quincy"^56,83.

Ken Polenski of Benton County said "This is not just a ramrodding type of project" and "I'm for the data center." He added, "I came from a community that started saying no to projects, and the community dried up." The minutes say he "opposed imposing a moratorium at this stage"^56,83.

Two speakers backed growth only with conditions, the minutes say. Randy Walli "supported growth if the City conducts due diligence, establishes safeguards." Pablo of Benton City took no side and spoke for "requiring developers to pay for energy and infrastructure costs"⁵⁶.

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce wrote on July 24, 2026 that "For the Tri-Cities, data centers can be a good fit if growth is carefully managed." It added that projects "should be supported because they benefit the community, not just because the industry is expanding." The post does not name West Richland¹⁰¹.

First objection	July 9, 2025 email from Herb and Susan Johnson warning data centers "will multiply traffic"102
EIS mentions	Zero in main Final EIS volume, once in Appendix T, three times in Appendix U102,103,104
Public comments, Sept 15	Fetto counted 44 on data centers; Smart counted 47, four on other subjects83
Petition 1	Started June 3, 2026, seeks 1-year moratorium; 3,706 signatures by Oct 4, 2026106
Petition 2	Started March 5, 2026, asks council to reverse zoning decision; 702 signatures by Oct 4, 2026107

Ken Humphreys wrote on July 30, 2025: "Who do you think will win that competition (e.g., an AI data center or a West Richland development)?" The Final EIS responses to both his letter and the Johnsons', numbered 16a and 19d, do not use the words "data center"^102,103.

On April 21, 2026 Smart said he had "personal emails from five different residents concerning the potential for densification and in a data center"³.

At the May 5, 2026 adoption, resident Jerry Boggs said: "It seems inevitable to me that [Trammell] Crow will reach some type of agreement with the Frank [Tiegs] LLC and that at some point you will be facing an application for a huge data center"⁸⁶.

City staff referred to the company by the name on the agreement. Gwinn named "TC Northwest Development" on April 21, and that night's packet printed "CLIENT: TRAMMELL CROW COMPANY" on a survey exhibit. In the council minutes and captions reviewed from October 7, 2025 to May 5, 2026, no city official said "Trammell Crow" aloud^3,13.

On August 18, a resident the minutes name only as Anna asked the council for a data center moratorium, wanting time "to research potential impacts and establish local policies before an application is submitted"⁸⁵.

At the September 10 Planning Commission meeting, the minutes say Liz Emmons (spelled Emmens there) asked that "large-load data centers be classified as conditional uses rather than permitted uses, allowing each project to receive individual review." She also asked for standards on water, power, wastewater, noise, emissions, lighting and decommissioning¹⁰⁵.

Tony Carr told the council he was giving the clerk "a moratorium supporting evidence package." He said: "We are asking for a narrowly defined pause on accepting qualifying large load data center applications while West Richland completes its comprehensive plan and decides in public whether these facilities should require conditional use review and stronger standards." The package is not in any posted packet^56,83.

Carrie McCammon (the minutes spell it McHammond) warned that a "technically complete application" could lock in today's rules. A moratorium adopted before vesting, she said, "would preserve the city's ability to finish that work. It would not decide the project's outcome"^56,83.

Alyssa Huckaby said: "If the city plans for an industrial development at an unprecedented scale, it should adopt safeguards proportional to that scale before an application locks in today's rules." She added, "Many residents say they did not understand that the 2025 code amendment made data centers a permitted use in the light industrial and urban transition zones"⁸³.

Huckaby asked for a moratorium and a public work plan covering "conditional use review, applicant paid project analysis," decommissioning and public reporting^56,83.

Christine Bays asked for "a narrowly tailored moratorium on the acceptance, processing, and vesting of applications for large load data centers" in the Lewis and Clark Ranch area. Answering the worry that limits would reach every business, she said, "An ice cream shop should not be subject to the standards designed for major electrical demand, backup generation, cooling systems, noise, water use, or decommissioning"^56,83.

A resident the minutes name only as Tyler asked for "enforceable cost allocation and financial security requirements for infrastructure, cancellation, decommissioning, and site restoration," the minutes say⁵⁶.

Neither petition appears in the five council and commission packets from August 18 to October 6, 2026 checked for this brief, and no record found shows either was delivered to the city^{55,56,84,85,105,107}.

Pasco moratorium	Ordinance 4850, six-month halt on data center applications, passed 6-0 July 20, 2026, Mayor Grimm absent108
Richland Atlas Agro vote	Resolution 2025-146 approved 6-0 Dec. 2, 2025; BPA agreements approved 5-0 June 16, 2026109,110
Benton REA records stance	Cooperative says it is "not subject to the Washington Public Records Act," per Berglund87
Water option volume	Up to 850 million gallons/year from Yakima River, option runs through Dec. 31, 202750
Moran penalty	$200 fine, PDC case 193546, for 2025 F-1 filed late on Aug. 11, 2026133,134
2018 GMHB ruling	Board ruled petitioners "failed to meet their burden of proof," March 26, 2018144

Neighbors, water, power

Prosser's code and Benton City's zoning title do not mention data centers^111,112. No data center incentive appears on any Benton County commissioner agenda from June 2024 to October 6, 2026.

Benton County is not a "rural county" for the state data center sales tax exemption, at 131.28 people per square mile^75,113. This brief found no tax abatement from the city, the Port of Benton, the Port of Kennewick or TRIDEC; that finding was not rechecked in the final fact check¹¹³.

Benton REA's bylaws point toward chapter 23.86 RCW, which would give members a records route under RCW 23B.16.020. That reading is an inference, not a confirmed fact¹¹⁴.

Benton REA's officers in July 2026 were President Scott Fisher, Vice President Mike Freepons and Secretary/Treasurer Bill Shibley¹¹⁵.

In August 2025, while the city prepared its Final EIS response on power, Mendenhall asked Benton REA's Troy Berglund for help, writing that a reply "Coming from BREA [Benton REA] would be solid and less likely to raise eyebrows to the response." Berglund's August 20 reply, printed in Appendix U, does not mention request L0621, which Benton REA had filed in September 2024^23,104.

The Final EIS added "a check in with Benton REA at every 2,000 ERUs allocated for development in Phase 1, to confirm power supply will be available." ERU means equivalent residential unit¹⁰³.

The July 15, 2026 Water Option Agreement gives TC West Richland I an option, by notice on or before December 31, 2027, to negotiate a water contract with Tiegs for water from the Yakima River or other sources off the property. No water is supplied between November 30 and February 1, and amounts shrink under government curtailment. Tiegs keeps its Yakima River rights, certificate S4-83859-J. The option's benefits run with the land. Keith Tiegs and Michael C. Nelson signed it⁵⁰.

The Herald printed notice of S4-33044(B2) the weeks of May 12 and 19, 2024, listing 12 cfs and 3,000 acre-feet; Ecology's report says no protests were filed. A second notice ran September 4 and 11, 2025, with larger amounts. Ecology's report mentions only the first^54,116.

The BENT-25 changes add a new Well 13 in Section 35 and Well 12 as sources on twelve city water rights, with no increase in annual quantity. On four permits, Ecology extended schedules to 2037 and 2038 "to include the Lewis & Clark Ranch area"^40,41. No BENT-25 file read mentions a data center, Trammell Crow or the buyer companies^33,40,41.

The county reappointed board chair Olsen on May 24, 2022 and Revell on June 11, 2024, to a term ending May 31, 2030. Matt Berg was reappointed June 2, 2020^117,118,119. The board must follow the Open Public Meetings Act and the Public Records Act; the State Auditor raised its minutes in a November 26, 2025 letter^120,121.

Ecology's map service still lists S4-83859-J under the MacKay name, with no change filing on it by Tiegs and no record for a Trammell Crow company¹²².

On December 16, 2025 Slade's report on Resolution 51-25 tied the Richland water agreement to "7,000+ residential dwelling, commercial, and industrial units in the Lewis and Clark Ranch area"³⁸.

Fire District 4

Mayor Brink also holds Fire District 4 Commissioner Position 3, a seat he has held since January 1, 2022. His F-1 personal financial affairs statement, filed April 9, 2026, lists both offices^8,123.

He moved motions at district meetings in 2026 and gave the city liaison report at some of them, including May 7. On April 2 the liaison report came from Councilmember Fetto^73,124.

An Attorney General's opinion, AGO 2016 No. 7, quotes a 2001 informal letter that found the offices of city council member and fire district commissioner incompatible. The letter itself was not read. The same opinion cites a 1978 opinion that found mayor and port commissioner incompatible. No opinion found in this research addresses a mayor holding a fire commissioner seat, and no challenge to Brink holding both was found¹²⁵.

On March 19, 2026 Fire Chief Carlyle reported that "the City has indicated that the District will be responsible for purchasing a one-acre parcel" for a new station. On April 2 he called the district's interlocal agreement with the city "significantly outdated"^73,126.

On June 5, 2025 the chief reported meeting Mendenhall "regarding the Lewis and Clark Ranch expansion," and on June 19 he "Participated in the EIS kickoff." The 2024 and 2025 minutes do not mention Tiegs, Trammell Crow or data centers^127,128.

Overlapping boards and conflicts checks

Salary Commissioner George "Ted" Wallace is Benton REA's District 7 trustee. The council confirmed him December 5, 2023 on consent, Moran moving and Fetto seconding^129,130,131.

On September 15, 2026 the council confirmed four more Salary Commission members: Josh Lozano, Benton REA's Director of Energy Policy; Michael Van Beek, a Fire District 4 commissioner; Billie Paden-Lilly, the district's finance manager; and Harry Mays^55,56.

The city's 2026 outside delegate list has no seat on Benton REA, Benton PUD or the Port of Benton. Brink sits on the TRIDEC board for the city⁵⁹.

No F-1 filed by a West Richland council member or mayor for 2022 to 2025 reports income, business, property, creditors or gifts tied to Frank Tiegs LLC, Trammell Crow, CBRE, the buyer companies or AgWest. Planning commissioners do not appear to file F-1s⁸.

Former Councilmember May Hays listed Benton REA as her employer on her F-1s for 2021 and 2022. Her F-1s for 2023 to 2025, the period that includes the February 2025 vote on Ordinance 03-25, do not list it^8,31.

No F-1 from Richey is public through the October 3, 2026 data load. State law calls for one within two weeks of appointment; a Public Disclosure Commission data lag is possible^8,132.

Moran's F-1 filing reports no tie to the developer, landowner or buyers^8,133,134.

Apex Companies, formerly PBS Engineering and Environmental, has worked for Tiegs, drew the Trammell Crow surveys, and is a paid city consultant on the State Route 224 project. No tie to any named official was found^13,55,135.

No itemized campaign contribution from the developer, landowner, Benton REA, Apex or PBS to any West Richland race appears in PDC data¹³⁶.

No recusal or conflict disclosure appears in the minutes of any data center vote from February 2025 through May 2026. The F-1 and campaign finance checks above found no reported tie that would call for one^{8,30,31,42,43,48,136}.

Council rules and notice

Resolution 46-26 took effect September 1, 2026. Its Rule 11 says committee meetings "shall not be subject to the Open Meetings Act" unless given delegated powers, and requires staff to keep agendas, notice and minutes^52,53. The rules in force in February 2025 had no committee section¹³⁷.

That tracks state law as MRSC describes it. A council committee is covered by the Open Public Meetings Act when it acts on behalf of the council, conducts hearings, or takes testimony or public comment, and "when a committee is not doing any of those things, it is not subject to the OPMA." MRSC adds that opening such meetings anyway is "usually good public policy"¹³⁸. No record found shows what the February 4, 2025 subcommittee did beyond its recommendation.

No hearing notice for TXT-0001-2025 appears in the city's News Flash archive or among the dozen West Richland notices in the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association archive for January to March 2025. Absence from two archives is not proof^116,139.

City code requires notice on the website and to "the news media" for legislative actions. RCW 35A.63.070 requires a newspaper notice ten days before a hearing on a comprehensive plan or a part of it; whether that applies to a zoning text amendment is not settled here^140,141. City code names the Tri-City Herald the official newspaper⁷¹.

The Herald published the Ordinance 03-25 summary February 20, 2025. By arithmetic the 60-day window to appeal to the Growth Management Hearings Board closed April 21, 2025¹¹⁶. For the May 2026 ordinances, summaries ran May 8, and by the same arithmetic the window closed July 7, 2026¹⁴².

Appeals and court records

The state's Environmental and Land Use Hearings Office index shows no case for S4-33044, the BENT-25 changes, Trammell Crow, or West Richland after 2017. The search matches case titles, so a new appeal may not show¹⁴³.

A statewide superior court name search on October 4, 2026 for Keith Tiegs, Frank Tiegs, Eric Mendenhall and Fred Brink found no case tied to these decisions. Cases naming the city or the companies need a search by the Benton County Clerk.

The 2017 hearings board case

In GMHB case 17-1-0004, filed October 12, 2017, petitioners challenged the public participation process for the city's 2017 Comprehensive Plan, chiefly the maps shown at meetings and the adoption hearing¹⁴⁴.

"Daniel Richey appeared for the Petitioners," the order says. It gives no middle initial. Other records make it likely, but not certain, that he is Councilmember Daniel F. Richey¹⁴⁴.

This site published an earlier brief on the February 2025 hearing in September 2026¹⁴⁵. A separate corrections note covers it. The records checked for this brief change these points:

• The 2025 mayor's race was 3,412 to 1,344, not 2,500 to 930⁷.

• The April 9, 2026 commission vote was unanimous with four present (O'Neill, Peterson, Utecht, Aldrich), not 3-0. A line in the minutes "excusing" Utecht is a slip; he spoke at the hearing⁴².

• Seven people spoke at the April 21, 2026 hearing, not eight⁴³.

• The August 12, 2025 vote was 6-0, Stoker excused, Fetto moving and Moran seconding³⁵.

• Staff did name data centers in 2026: in writing in the staff reports and aloud on April 21^3,13.

• The April 21 consent agenda also passed Resolution 16-26, the staff-time agreement with TC Northwest Development¹.

• Trammell Crow's name was in city records from April 2026, on the signed Ordinance 05-26 and a survey exhibit in the April 21 packet, and in May on Survey 6280 and the PLAT-008-2026 letter^13,21,45,47.

• The earlier brief said Trammell Crow had filed no pre-application. None was found for this brief either, but the earlier brief missed that its affiliate signed an agreement to pay for city staff, consultant and attorney time, effective April 1, 2026; no record shows an invoice paid^1,45.

• Trammell Crow's statement was in print by November 15, 2025, not first in December⁸⁷.

• A machine transcript of the Port's audio contains the remark; the approved minutes do not mention it. "Declined questions" and the city statement rest on one news story^78,79,87.

• Recording 2026-018770 is a Water Option Agreement; it does not mention the prepaid units⁵⁰.

• The sale was seven parcels and 995.19 acres in Sections 27, 28, 29, 33 and 34, not five parcels and about 1,061 acres^18,19.

• None of the sold parcels is in Phase 1; the Section 34 corner of Phase 1 was not sold^17,21.

• The deeds name their signers: Keith Tiegs, and Michael C. Nelson as CEO of TC West Richland I^19,50.

• BPA's own spreadsheet lists 912 MW for L0621²³. Benton REA's website now cites an undated "board-approved policy"⁹⁸.

• Ecology approved S4-33044(B2) on August 25, 2026; it is not pending. Its priority date is November 28, 2011. October 2022 is when the four cities' public works directors signed to split off West Richland's share, per the Final EIS^54,103.

• TXT-0006-2026 does exist, as SEPA record 202603014⁸⁹.

• Agenda notice for the February 2025 hearings is confirmed, but no published hearing notice was found. The April 2026 ranch hearings did have a website notice^61,65,116.

• "Data center" appears zero times in the Final EIS main volume, once in Appendix T and three times in Appendix U^102,103,104.

• Richland's Atlas Agro vote was 6-0, not 7-0¹⁰⁹.

• The MU-LI band runs along the southern edge of the subarea, north of the old railroad line, east to the Phase 1 line¹⁶.

Other places where records do not line up:

• City code lists no route for a private party to start a text amendment, yet the SEPA checklist and the staff report name Frank Tiegs LLC as the applicant. Request R1 asks for any director's recommendation under that code section^24,28,57.

• The November 15, 2025 story is by Tri-City Herald reporter Wendy Culverwell, but the copy found online is credited to The Olympian, another McClatchy paper⁸⁷.

• The Final EIS numbers the Humphreys letter 19; Appendix U numbers it 20^102,103.

• Ordinance 05-26's Exhibit B reads "TC Northwest Development" in the packet and "Trammel Crow" in the signed copy^13,45.

• The AgWest release covers the six survey parcels, but its parcel-number list leaves out one sold parcel and adds four that were not sold⁵¹.

• Both deeds recite $10. The prices come from the Assessor's sales history and the excise tax stamps, $1,472,568.65 and $4,694,316.23. Each tax equals 1.78 percent of the price. By this brief's arithmetic that matches the state rate for farmland, 1.28 percent, plus the city's 0.5 percent^{18,19,20,146,147}.

• The 2024 Puget Sound Energy release names a Mike Nelson as Trammell Crow's Seattle office market leader. Whether he is the Michael C. Nelson who signed rests on name and office only¹⁴⁸.

Each item says what is unknown, what was searched, and the route to an answer. R and O numbers refer to the records requests listed after this section.

• Who signed "For" the mayor on Resolutions 16-26 and 18-26 and on the signed September 1, 2026 minutes. Searched: the 2026 resolutions, minutes and videos. Route: ask Clerk Stephanie Haug; R5.

• Who changed Ordinance 05-26 Exhibit B from "TC Northwest Development" to "Trammel Crow," and when. Searched: packet, signed copy, minutes. Route: R21, or ask Finance Director Gwinn.

• Who signed the May 5, 2026 PLAT-008-2026 letter. Searched: city site, SEPA register, packets October 2025 to June 2026, all seven survey sheets. Route: R20.

• What staff did for TC Northwest under Resolution 16-26, with invoices and hours. Searched: packets and budget ordinances. Route: R5.

• Who sat on the subcommittee that voted "do pass" on February 4, 2025, and whether that meeting had notice or notes. Searched: 110 packets for 2024 and 2025, Agenda Center, the meeting video, Smart's campaign site. Route: R3.

• When and why Commissioner Brady left, and whether Sloughter or Brady attended April 9, 2026. Searched: 2026 packets and minutes. Route: clerk; R22.

• Whose voice is on the Port of Benton audio. Searched: machine transcript, approved minutes. Route: a person listens to the recording from about 21:00 to 25:30.

• What the October 29 and November 4, 2025 purchase contracts say, and whether the city held copies. Searched: county records, which cite them only in 2026-018770. Route: R7.

• Whether Public Works, City Engineer Drew Woodruff, the Building Official, police or finance reviewed the code change or the ranch plan. Searched: packets, SEPA register, Fire District 4 minutes. Route: R10, R11, O4.

• Whether Tiegs assigned any of the 286 prepaid units to the sold parcels. Searched: recorded instruments and packets. Route: R9.

• When Benton REA's board adopted its data center policy, by what vote, who signed request L0621, and under which statute the co-op is organized. Searched: every document on the co-op's site, newsletters, annual reports, bylaws. Route: O11, O10.

• Who governs TC West Richland I and TC Northwest Development today, and who owns or runs WKC31 Development. Searched: registry mirrors; the state and Louisiana searches sit behind bot checks. Route: O10, O15.

• Who held the third Water Conservancy Board seat on January 13, 2026, and why the line is blank. Searched: all twelve decisions and county agendas 2024 to 2026. Route: O13.

• Whether any lawsuit names the city, Frank Tiegs LLC or the buyer companies, and whether anyone appealed S4-33044(B2). Searched: ELUHO index and a name search of four people. Route: O12, O8.

• Whether the Herald ran a hearing notice for February 13 and 18, 2025. Searched: WNPA and News Flash archives. Route: R1, R2, R18.

• Whether any sold parcel takes in the Mixed Use Transition strip or the small Urban Transition block next to the MU-LI band on the city's September 28, 2026 zoning map. Searched: county and city map layers (2020 only), the map file. Route: R24¹⁴⁹.

• Who proposed the "supports data centers" line in the 2026 legislative priorities. Searched: October 7 and 21, 2025 packets. Route: R23.

• What statement Gerry released in late 2025, when Mendenhall met TRIDEC staff, and what Bloom wrote to the mayor in January 2026 about a resident's data center email. Searched: city site, packets, captions. Route: R6, R7.

• The excise tax affidavits and any current-use continuance signed by WKC31. Searched: Assessor roll and deeds. Route: O2.

• The subject of the October 6, 2026 executive session, the fate of Ordinances 27-26 and 28-26, and whether the approved September 15 minutes fix a line saying Brink, listed absent, read the consent titles. Route: the October 6 agenda and minutes; R17.

• Who encouraged Salary Commission appointees Van Beek and Paden-Lilly to apply. Searched: their letters. Route: ask the clerk.

• Whether the Daniel Richey in the 2017 case is the councilmember. Searched: the final order and the case page. Route: ask him; R25.

• Tony Carr's moratorium evidence package and the open comments from the 2026 city survey. Searched: the October 6 packet and the survey dashboard. Route: R15, R19.

• The 2001 Attorney General's office letter on council and fire commissioner offices. Searched: quoted only in AGO 2016 No. 7. Route: O16.

City requests go to Public Records Officer Stephanie Haug, City Clerk. Benton REA says it is not subject to the Public Records Act, so a member demand under co-op law is the only route there. Court records fall under court rules.

• R1 | CED; City Clerk | TXT-0001-2025 application, fee receipt, notice mailings, website and news media notices, any affidavit of publication, comments, staff notes | Oct. 1, 2024 to Mar. 31, 2025

• R2 | City Clerk | Affidavits of publication and newspaper invoices for hearing notices (TXT-0001-2025, April 2026 ranch hearings) and for summaries of Ordinances 01-25, 03-25, 05-26 to 08-26 and 10-26 | Jan. 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026

• R3 | City Clerk | Notices, agendas, attendance and notes for subcommittee meetings of Jan. 7, Feb. 4 and Apr. 29, 2025 and Mar. 3 and May 19, 2026; committee assignment lists 2024 to 2026 | Dec. 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026

• R4 | CED | Department of Commerce expedited review request and grant, 2025 notice and feedback, adoption transmittals for Ordinances 03-25 and 06-26 to 08-26 | Jan. 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026

• R5 | Finance; CED; Public Works | Executed Resolution 16-26 agreement and who signed "For" the mayor; invoices, payments, staff time, consultant bills, drafting file | Jan. 1, 2026 to date

• R6 | CED; Public Works | Pre-application records for any industrial or data center proposal on the ranch; records of Mendenhall's TRIDEC meeting | Jan. 1, 2024 to date

• R7 | Mayor Brink, former Mayor Gerry, all seven councilmembers, Mendenhall, Slade, Foltz, Rio, Haug | Email, texts and calendars with Trammell Crow, CBRE, Tiegs, TRIDEC and the buyer companies; any copy of the 2025 purchase agreements; the late-2025 city statement; Bloom's January 2026 reply | Jan. 1, 2024 to date

• R8 | City Clerk; City Attorney; Human Resources | Any nondisclosure agreement offered to or signed by a city official about a data center, Trammell Crow or the ranch | Jan. 1, 2024 to date

• R9 | Public Works | Water and sewer availability letters, capacity studies, any Tiegs notice assigning prepaid units to the survey parcels, executed Resolution 18-26 amendment, Well 13 status | Jan. 1, 2024 to date

• R10 | CED; Building Official and Fire Marshal; Public Works | Communications with Fire District 4 on a data center, fire flow or the ranch; draft revised interlocal agreement; one-acre station site | Jan. 1, 2024 to date

• R11 | CED; Public Works | Department routing and comments (Public Works, City Engineer, Building, Police, Finance) on TXT-0001-2025, TXT-0006-2026, the ranch EIS and Ordinances 06-26 to 08-26 | Oct. 1, 2024 to date

• R12 | Mayor; CED; Public Works | Communications with Benton REA or BPA about large loads, a data center or L0621 | Jan. 1, 2024 to date

• R13 | City Clerk; City Attorney | Rio Foltz engagement letters, conflict waivers on data center matters, authority for Rio to sign for Foltz | Jan. 1, 2023 to date

• R14 | CED | Any written designation of the SEPA responsible official or of a signer for exempt segregations | Jan. 1, 2023 to date

• R15 | City Clerk; councilmembers | Tony Carr's evidence package; council email and letters containing "data center" | June 1, 2026 to date

• R16 | CED; City Clerk; Public Works | Who directed TXT-0006-2026, why it was pulled from the September 10 and October 6 schedules, its link to Ordinance 28-26; TXT-0009-2026 notice records | Jan. 1, 2026 to date

• R17 | City Clerk | Any record naming the subject of the October 6, 2026 executive session | Sept. 15 to Oct. 6, 2026

• R18 | City Clerk; information technology staff | Website logs for posting hearing notices on TXT-0001-2025, TXT-0006-2026 and TXT-0009-2026; official posting places | Jan. 1 to Feb. 28, 2025; July 1 to Oct. 6, 2026

• R19 | City Clerk | Export of the spring 2026 city survey, questions and open comments | Jan. 1 to May 31, 2026

• R20 | CED | The PLAT-008-2026 letter, application, signer and reviewer notes; the April 2025 Fire District 4 station short plat for comparison | Jan. 1, 2025 to May 31, 2026

• R21 | Finance; City Clerk | Drafts of Ordinance 05-26 Exhibit B and any email on the label change | Apr. 1 to May 15, 2026

• R22 | City Clerk; CED | April 9, 2026 commission recording and recorder notes; Brady's departure notice | Apr. 1 to May 31, 2026

• R23 | City Clerk; Mayor's office; Public Works | Drafts and email on the 2026 legislative priorities, including exchanges with the city's lobbyist | Aug. 1 to Oct. 31, 2025

• R24 | CED | The geographic information system (GIS) layer behind the September 28, 2026 zoning map | Current

• R25 | City Clerk | Resolution 15-12; minutes and executive session agendas mentioning GMHB case 17-1-0004 | Oct. 1, 2017 to Apr. 30, 2018

• O2 | Benton County Treasurer | Excise tax affidavits 196837 and 196838; any current-use continuance | July 2026

• O3 | Benton County Public Works | The county's July 31, 2025 EIS comment file and later road review of the ranch | Jan. 1, 2025 to date

• O4 | Fire District 4 | Its Draft EIS response, level of service and capital documents, draft interlocal agreement, ranch and data center correspondence | Jan. 1, 2024 to date

• O6 | Benton PUD | Communications about the site, Trammell Crow or L0621 | Jan. 1, 2024 to date

• O7 | Benton Clean Air Agency | Any notice of construction or contact about generators at the ranch | Jan. 1, 2024 to date

• O8 | Department of Ecology | S4-33044(B2) mailing list and date, any appeal, the 2025 notice text and any protests; files for S4-83859-J | Jan. 1, 2024 to date

• O9 | Department of Commerce | Planning submittals for Ordinances 03-25 and 06-26 to 08-26 | Jan. 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026

• O10 | Secretary of State, Corporations | Annual reports and governors for TC West Richland I, TC Northwest Development and Frank Tiegs LLC; Benton REA's articles | Current filings

• O11 | Benton REA (member demand) | Board minutes adopting the large-load policy and approving L0621; the cost-recovery agreement | Jan. 1, 2024 to date

• O12 | Benton County Superior Court Clerk | Civil cases naming the city, Frank Tiegs LLC, TC Northwest Development, TC West Richland I or WKC31 | Feb. 2025 to date

• O13 | Benton County Water Conservancy Board | BENT-25 files, minutes of Oct. 28, 2025 and Jan. 13, 2026, attendance, the third seat | Jan. 1, 2025 to date

• O14 | State Auditor's Office | The November 26, 2025 letter to the Water Conservancy Board | 2025

• O15 | Louisiana Secretary of State | Any registration for WKC31 Development LLC (search by hand) | Current

• O16 | Attorney General's Office | The June 27, 2001 letter on council member and fire commissioner offices | 2001

• AGO: Attorney General opinion

• AI: artificial intelligence

• BPA: Bonneville Power Administration

• CED: Community and Economic Development (city department)

• CEO: chief executive officer

• cfs: cubic feet per second

• DNS: Determination of Non-Significance (SEPA)

• EIS: Environmental Impact Statement

• ELUHO: Environmental and Land Use Hearings Office

• ERU: equivalent residential unit

• F-1: the state's personal financial affairs statement

• GIS: geographic information system (digital maps)

• GMHB: Growth Management Hearings Board

• LI: Light Industrial zone

• LLC: limited liability company

• LUPA: Land Use Petition Act

• MU-LI: Mixed Use Light Industrial zone

• MW: megawatt

• NDA: nondisclosure agreement

• OPMA: Open Public Meetings Act

• PDC: Public Disclosure Commission

• PUD: Public Utility District

• RCW: Revised Code of Washington

• REA: Rural Electric Association

• SEPA: State Environmental Policy Act

• SMR: small modular reactor

• TRIDEC: Tri-City Development Council

• UA: United Association, the plumbers' and pipefitters' union

• WNPA: Washington Newspaper Publishers Association

• WRMC: West Richland Municipal Code

• WSBA: Washington State Bar Association