City council approves 2025 Moses Lake budget

MOSES LAKE — The city of Moses Lake is projected to spend about $117.2 million in 2025, which will require using about $6.7 million from the city’s reserves. Moses Lake City Council members approved the 2025 budget at their regular meeting 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 no on the final budget. Martinez said she thought the budget was too dependent on property taxes, and city officials should’ve considered increases to the sales tax. 

As a homeowner, she said she thought property taxes are becoming increasingly difficult for homeowners to manage.  

“The burden is on the property owner. Growing up I was always made aware home ownership was the American dream,” she said. “Owning a home, when I finally got to as a single person, was huge for me. It meant security. Now what it means is that everybody who can possibly take a cut in taxes – it's almost as though home ownership is no longer a privilege, it’s more like we’re all being punished for owning a home.” 

Finance director Madeline Prentice said city revenues increased between the preliminary and final budgets.  

“(Projected) revenue is now at $110.45 million for the year,” she said.  

Council members approved the transfer of $500,000 to a rainy day fund for the city, Prentice said, and reallocated expenses from the general fund and about $3.5 million in expenses from the general fund 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 first deposit.  

Mayor Dustin Swartz said it had been a long process – he called it “drawn out” - but that the thoroughness meant council members got to 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 expenses were budgeted at $43.4 million, an increase from the preliminary budget. It includes police, animal control, the fire department, the parks department and community development.   

The budget includes money to hire three Moses Lake Police Department officers in response to a council request. Council members also decided to hire a lobbyist and authorized interim City Manager Mike Jackson to prepare a contract. Funding for an assistant city manager position was eliminated.   

City officials will conduct a study to determine the feasibility of forming a Regional Fire Authority, which could combine several fire and EMS organizations. During the discussion of the preliminary budget Jackson said a regional fire authority would save the city a lot of money. City officials allocated $75,000 to the study. 

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 for by the city.  

The city has received about $4.3 million in grants for the project and is applying for additional money. Officials estimated the city’s portion 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 in 2025 and eliminate one corporal position. Fire Chief Brett Bastian will be retiring in 2025, and $79,000 has been budgeted for associated costs.   

Money is allocated for finding additional sources of revenue, such as utility connection fees, traffic mitigation fees and “latecomer agreements,” which would allow the city to recover some costs of improvements from property owners who build near already-developed property. 

The budget also includes money to complete the futsal courts in Dano Park next year and $55,000 to replace components at the Surf ‘n Slide water park.   

City officials will look at ways to reduce water use, starting with the median strips 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 to East Nelson Road. The Nelson Road project is also among those listed in the Washington Department of Transportation 2025-29 proposed capital plan. 

Sewer work is planned along Westshore Drive, and $765,000 has been allocated to that.  Work will start in 2025 a pedestrian and bike path from Patton Boulevard to Grape Drive along State Route 17. For 2025 the project has been allocated $275,000.