The Battle for the Benton County Courthouse
Taxpayers mount a legal challenge to halt a $125,000 bond issue, alleging backroom deals and corrupt influence by county commissioners.
A Superior Court judge is deciding the legality of a $125,000 bond issue authorized by County Commissioners Alex McNeill and Jim Clements to build a new courthouse in Prosser. Taxpayers from the east end of the county filed for an injunction, claiming the commissioners were not legally seated when they passed the resolution and that there was underlying collusion and fraud. Testimony included claims that Commissioner Clements admitted he would push the deal to punish voters for their lack of support during the recent election. Opponents argue that when the successor to the commission, E. C. Houston, filed his oath and bond, McNeill’s term automatically terminated, rendering the subsequent vote void.
“Had either one of them fallen for the Clements-McNeill scheme, that looked so good but smelled so bad, the chances of the taxpayers heading it off would have been pretty slim.”
This fight highlights long-standing regional rivalries in Benton County and the perennial struggle to hold local officials accountable for public spending. The 'under-the-table' accusations and use of court injunctions to stop infrastructure projects remain a common feature of Washington civic life.
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