Certain Moses Lake fees set to rise in 2022
Fees to use the Moses Lake Ice Rink will change at the beginning of the new year, as noted in the chart above, with the exception of the senior admission rate, which Moses Lake City Council opted to keep at $3.
City of Moses Lake/Courtesy photo
The city of Moses Lake has a new fee schedule effective Jan. 1, after city council members voted unanimously Tuesday to accept most of the rates proposed by city staff, with most increases coming to those developing property in the city.
“Currently, the city is covering costs typically the responsibility of developers,” Moses Lake Community Development Director Melissa Bethel said in a memo recommending the rate changes. “The average staff cost to take a land-use decision file from application to decision is substantial and calculations are arrived by using averages of staff time per hour for applications.”
Documents provided by the city indicate multiple fee increases for developers or residents working on property improvements. The increases in overall fees are intended to pass the cost for processing applications for permits and other land and development-related services to developers rather than Moses Lake taxpayers paying for the administration of those processes. Samples provided in the staff report show the fees assessed in 2021, as compared to those approved to begin in the new year. In some instances, the fee increases are $50-$100; however, some increase by as much as six times the current rate, as in the case of an application for a variance – or a request to deviate from current zoning requirements – which will see a change from $100 per application to $616 per application. In comparison, the city of Leavenworth, Washington, charges $1,650 for a variance, as does the city of Quincy.
In a memo explaining how city staff determined the new fees for development processes, Bethel indicated city staff conducted an analysis of regulatory requirements and the cost to the city for processing permits and other applications associated with development. The average cost for staff time for each land use application was between $840 and $1,088, the memo said.
Parks and recreation fees were also adopted by the council, with changes to the cost to access the skating rink operated by the city. The issue was tabled at the council’s meeting Nov. 23 while staff gathered more information for council members.
Multiple city council members expressed concern Tuesday about city staff’s proposed doubling of the senior rate to use the city skating rink.
It was noted the fees for seniors to skate were doubled from $3 to $6 when just a few years ago there was no fee to use the skating rink. The fee will also increase for adults and youth, though skate rental will go down by $4. After discussion, the council voted to accept the fees recommended by staff, except for the raise for senior admission to the skating rink, which was adjusted to match the youth rate.
Some increases in recreational fees were necessary due to growing expenses incurred by the city, said Moses Lake Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Interim Director Susan Schwiesow.
The state of Washington has increased its minimum wage each year since 2017 from $11 per hour to its current minimum hourly rate of $13.69.
“I think the other part of the rates is also recapturing the fact that there are increased costs,” Schwiesow said. “Parks and Recreation is operating the same services, but the minimum wage has increased, and so those rate increases reflect trying to recapture that same amount of revenues in return for the expenses.”