Public safety sales tax proposal to go to Moses Lake voters in November

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake residents will be asked to accept or reject a proposal to increase the city’s sales tax by one-tenth of one percent to pay for additional public safety services. The “public safety sales and use tax” proposal will be on the November general election ballot.  

Moses Lake City Council members approved the proposal unanimously at the June 9 council meeting. The vote was 7-0. 

 “A 0.1% sales tax would generate approximately $1.2 million per year and would go towards police department operations, including retaining police officers for patrol, responding to 911 calls, and criminal investigations,” it was stated in city press release issued Friday. 

Council member Mark Fancher said that given the city’s financial situation, the sales tax was the least objectional choice. The option of a sales tax increase was discussed while council members were working on the city’s fiscal sustainability plan. 

“I went on the record then, and I will now, I don’t like having to charge more taxes to anybody, said Fancher. “But at least in this case everybody that impacts law enforcement – all of our visitors, our people that live in the UGA – all of those people are paying part of the nickel here. Anybody that shops in this community, goes to dinner, they’re all paying a piece of this, as opposed to the route we didn’t want to go with property tax that only (affected) a few people.” 

Fancher said it’s important to talk to residents about the cost of law enforcement, and that it’s expensive to operate a police department. 

“What do we get? What do we get in return for it?” he said. 

City attorney Katherine Kenison said the proposal stipulates that the money would have to be spent on public safety services.  

Council members spent most of the spring working on the fiscal sustainability plan, prompted by a deficit in the city’s general fund, which pays for a lot of city operation, the Moses Lake Police Department included. For 2026, the city will have a deficit of about $1 million in its combined general fund and street fund, which is being paid for with reserve funds. That’s less than the 2025 deficit, but Karlinsey said in an earlier interview that city officials want to eliminate it. 

City officials hired a consultant to make a six-year revenue forecast, which projected that deficit would grow if city officials didn’t make some changes. 

A survey was conducted as part of the fiscal sustainability planning; the results showed residents would support a sales tax increase to pay for public safety services.