Moses Lake enters capital facilities analysis stage

Another aspect of Moses Lake’s ongoing comprehensive planning process came before the city council recently. The capital facilities plan is one part of the city’s comprehensive plan, which is headed for adoption in October.

A draft of an updated plan for Moses Lake’s capital facilities will be presented to the city council and planning commission later this month, said Kevin Gifford, a senior associate at BERK Consulting Inc., which is working on the city’s planning needs.

The capital facilities plan is a balancing act of the city’s level of service and capital needs of its facilities — parks, fire, police, water, sewer and transportation. The idea is to get the facilities up to current standards and identify funding for them.

The capital facilities planning process was discussed during a workshop of the city council May 11, prior to its regular meeting. It was one of many in which the council will review a single element, such as the capital facilities plan, of the overarching comprehensive plan.

The consultant determines the level of service of the city’s capital facilities, or their performance ability relative to the city’s wants and needs. Guiding the assessment are metrics such as population and staffing levels, performance standards of transportation and utilities and emergency response times, Gifford said. These will be used to make projections into the future and identify potential gaps or deficiencies.

BERK has been working to determine which level of service standards are up to date, which capital needs are anticipated, what conditions make urban grown areas difficult to serve, how much revenue is needed to fund these improvements and what additional sources of funding may be necessary to accomplish this, he said.

The city’s water plan was created in 2016, he said, and is due for an update in the coming years to match Department of Health requirements. The sewer plan was made in 2015 and is also due soon for an update for Department of Ecology requirements.

BERK is currently working on a funding analysis for these facilities, Gifford said.

Analysis and capital planning is ongoing for transportation, he said, and a six-year transportation improvement plan is currently under review by Moses Lake’s planning commission.

Also in progress is a parks plan update, including an inventory and needs analysis. A public input session on it was held Thursday. Adoption of the parks plan is expected in January.

Fire department performance standards will also be updated based on emergency response time goals, Gifford said. This will also include the development of an updated equipment replacement schedule.

Upcoming annexations will play into the need for police expansion and more department staffing, he said.

To determine appropriate budgets for this, BERK is analyzing city budgets over the past 15 years, he said. Future revenues will be projected based on historical trends and anticipated population growth.

The city’s water and sewer utility rate study will also help determine these numbers, he said.

The next step is to consolidate the level of service standards and capital projects lists to update these capital facilities elements.

Perhaps a level of service analysis for the school district should be included in the capital facilities plan, said City Manager Allison Williams.

Typically, school funding operates independently from the city, Gifford said, so the school district sets its own timelines for development.

“It is a bit of a delicate dance,” he said. “You don’t want to step on the school district’s toes in the way of their own planning process, but at the same time they should be included.”

After the capital facilities plan draft is reviewed, by the end of May, the council will be able to discuss it further as the city proceeds through its planning process.