Moses Lake looks to plan ahead for financial sustainability

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake residents will be asked to weigh in on the opportunities and choices — possibly some tough choices — facing the city in 2026 and beyond. City manager Rob Karlinsey said residents will be asked for their thoughts on the future during the budget process and in early 2026.  

At issue is the city’s General Fund, which pays for services like the police and fire departments, parks and some of the cost of maintaining streets, among other things. In 2025, the city spent about $3.5 million more from its general fund than it received in revenue, he said.  

“The good news is, we have a decent fund balance in the general fund. We have more than our policy requires,” Karlinsey said. “(Council policy requires) us to have 15% of annual operating expenditures in reserves. So, at the end of each year, we have at least 15% of what we’ve spent. (For Moses Lake), that means you need $6 million in reserves, and we have more than that — $10 or $11 million in reserves.” 

That money will be eaten up quickly if the city continues deficit spending, he said.  

Getting the General Fund back in balance will mean some staff won’t be replaced as they retire or get employment elsewhere. Karlinsey estimated that it would affect the equivalent of about 12 positions. 

He cited the Moses Lake Fire Department as an example of the challenges facing the city and its residents.  

“We have nine firefighter positions that are being funded with grant money,” he said. “That grant runs out at the end of July 2026, and then either those positions go away, or we’ve got to find another funding source.” 

Karlinsey said the city should be able to pay for the firefighters through the second half of 2025 with an offset from anticipated staff reductions elsewhere. However, a plan needs to be established to ensure community safety for the future as Moses Lake grows. 

“If we’re going to open a third fire station, we need those positions,” he said. 

The proposed General Fund budget for 2026 might still spend more money than the city gets in revenue, he said, but the shortfall should be less.  

City officials will schedule a town hall to get the public’s opinion on priorities, and are thinking about an online forum that would ask people to write their own sample budgets using the city’s income and expenses.  

Staff and elected officials will begin working in early 2026 on a financial sustainability plan, which will examine spending and revenue to manage the city’s General Fund budget over a six-year period. 

“We’re going to have to take a deeper dive into the way we provide our services, and it’s going to mean (examining) both sides of the ledger, both revenues and expenses,” Karlinsey said. “For example, we’ll be doing a fee study — not a tax study, but fees like we charge for building permits and planning permits and other fees. Are we recovering our costs adequately through the fees we charge?”