Dec. 13—MOSES LAKE — The city of Moses Lake is expected to spend approximately $117.2 million in 2025, which will require approximately $6.7 million from city reserves. Moses Lake City Council members approved the 2025 budget during their regular meeting on Tuesday.
That’s a decrease from the preliminary budget, which was about $119.62 million. Council members held a workshop after the preliminary budget was presented in November and made some changes.
Council members Deanna Martinez and Don Myers voted against the final budget. Martinez said she thought the budget was too dependent on property taxes, and that city officials should have considered a sales tax increase.
As a homeowner, she said she thinks property taxes are becoming increasingly difficult for homeowners to manage.
“The burden is on the property owner. Growing up, I was always made aware that homeownership was the American dream,” she said. “Owning a home was hugely important to me when I finally had a home as a single person. It meant security. What it means is that anyone who can possibly stomach a tax cut – it’s almost as if owning a home is no longer a given is.” privilege, it’s more like we’re all being punished for owning a house.”
Finance Director Madeline Prentice said city revenues increased between the preliminary and final budgets.
“The (projected) revenue is now $110.45 million for this year,” she said.
Council members approved transferring $500,000 to a rainy day fund for the city, Prentice said, distributing general fund spending and about $3.5 million in general fund spending to the street department. That’s a one-time transfer, she said.
The Rainy Day Fund was established in 2023 and the $500,000 is the initial deposit.
Mayor Dustin Swartz said it had been a long process – he called it “protracted” – but that the thoroughness meant council members arrived at the end of it with all their questions answered.
“I think we have a pretty good idea of where we want to go next year to make it even better,” he said.
General fund expenditures were budgeted at $43.4 million, an increase from the preliminary budget. It includes police, animal control, fire, parks department and community development.
The budget includes money to hire three officers from the Moses Lake Police Department in response to a request from the council. Council members also decided to hire lobbyist and authorized interim city manager Mike Jackson to draft a contract. Funding for an assistant city manager position was eliminated.
City officials will conduct a study to determine the feasibility of establishing a regional fire department that could combine several fire and ambulance organizations. During the preliminary budget discussion, Jackson said a regional fire department would save the city a lot of money. City officials have allocated $75,000 to the investigation.
The city will build a roundabout at the intersection of Yonezawa Boulevard and Pioneer Way (State Route 17) in 2025. The project is budgeted at $6.5 million, but city officials are looking for funding to help reduce the portion paid by the city.
The city has received about $4.3 million in grants for the project and is asking for additional money. Officials estimate the city’s share of the cost will be up to $2.3 million, depending on the amount of additional grant money the city receives.
The MLPD will add a sergeant and eliminate one corporal position in 2025. Fire Chief Brett Bastian is retiring in 2025 and $79,000 has been budgeted for related costs.
Money will be allocated to find additional sources of revenue, such as utility connection fees, traffic mitigation fees and “latecomer agreements,” which will allow the city to recover some of the costs of improvements from property owners living near already developed building real estate.
The budget also includes money to complete the indoor soccer fields at Dano Park next year and $55,000 to replace parts of the Surf ‘n Slide water park.
City officials will look at ways to reduce water use, starting with medians on some city streets. The capital budget includes $70,000 to replace grass with plants that use less water.
The budget also includes $900,000 to replace water meters and $990,000 for pedestrian improvements on East Nelson Road. The Nelson Road project is also among those listed in the Washington Department of Transportation’s proposed 2025-29 capital plan.
Sewer work is planned along Westshore Drive, with a budget of $765,000. Work will begin in 2025 on a pedestrian and bicycle path from Patton Boulevard to Grape Drive along State Route 17. The project has been allocated $275,000 for 2025.
