Quincy 2026 budget includes streets, QPlex projects

QUINCY — The city of Quincy will operate on a budget of about $148.3 million for 2026. That includes money for street projects along 13th Avenue Southwest and M Street Northeast, the design and construction of a fieldhouse and other improvements in Lauzier Park and funding through sales tax for affordable housing assistance. 

Quincy city officials are allocating $13.5 million to the street reserve fund and about $4.3 million to the street fund. City Administrator Pat Haley said it’s going to be a busy year for street work. 

“Some of it supplemented by grants we’ve received from state funding agencies. Improvements will largely be made on 13th Street by Lauzier Park and M Street (which becomes Road 11 NW) on the north end of town from the high school, past the data centers to Adams Road,” Haley wrote in response to an email from the Columbia Basin Herald.  

The city’s current expense fund was budgeted at about $20.3 million. The current expense includes a lot of day-to-day operations, including the Quincy Police Department, a lot of city expenses and some employee salaries. Operation of the city water system was budgeted at $30.5 million. Quincy has separate wastewater treatment funds for industrial and domestic customers; the industrial sewer fund was budgeted at about $14.2 million and the domestic sewer fund at about $12.4 million.  

Some money is allocated for development around Lauzier Park and along M Street Northwest, Haley said.  

“There are a number of funds being used for these projects that include water, sewer and other below-ground infrastructure. Developers along M Street will also be responsible for their share of street improvements in front of their projects,” he said. 

About $14.4 million is budgeted for design and construction of the fieldhouse, known as the QPlex, in Lauzier Park. 

“We are still on track,” Haley said. “We are in the design phase and will soon approve the modified contract with the architect in mid-January. It is anticipated the project will go out for bid in the fourth quarter of 2026.” 

City officials budgeted $350,000 for its affordable housing sales tax fund. Haley said that stems from legislation approved in 2019. 

“This allows participating to retain sales tax for homeless shelters or rental assistance to prevent homelessness. The amount we are able to retain is approximately $80,000. We have made agreements for these funds with Serve Quincy Valley and Catholic Charities that can only be used in the Quincy city limits,” Haley said. “Both of those entities comply with legislative requirements of 60% or less of the area median income and must provide annual reporting on the usage of those funds. The contracts are renewed every year and the state program lasts for 20 years.”