Moses Lake fiscal sustainability discussion kicks off

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake City Council and city officials are starting a process to determine what services the city should be providing – and paying for – and which could be reduced if necessary. It’s part of city officials’ attempt to eliminate a budget deficit in the city’s general fund, a deficit that’s projected to increase over time without changes to the way the city is spending its money.  

City manager Rob Karlinsey said at the Feb. 24 council meeting the process starts with the council setting its priorities, with Moses Lake residents getting a chance to review those priorities. Those decisions will determine where and how the city spends its money in 2027. 

“We’ll take the month of March to involve the public and come back in April for some decisions,” Karlinsey said. 

For 2026, the city will have a deficit of about $1 million in its combined general fund and street fund, which is being made up 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.  

City officials have proposed what they call “service-level” budgeting, separating services into three categories. Finance Director Madeline Prentice said city officials tentatively assigned services into the three categories, core services, basic and enhanced.  

Core functions are things the city has to provide, some of them mandated by state or federal regulations. The process prompted a question from council member Mark Fancher. 

“This has nothing to do with the next step – how we’re going to fund whatever we’re going to do?” Fancher asked. “I believe the idea here is, if it’s (a core service), we’re funding it in some capacity. If it’s (a basic service), I would assume we’re still probably (funding it), and if it’s enhanced, we’re having to take a hard look at it.” 

Where city services fit in those categories is the challenge, said Mayor Dustin Swartz. He cited the city’s hiring a lobbyist, which is not required but has the potential to help get more money for city projects. 

“In that case I would argue the objective there is to get a return that’s much bigger than the investment,” Swartz said.  

Council member Victor Lombardi said it’s likely a majority of city services will turn out to be either core or basic services. Basic services are things that are not required, but that cities typically provide, like a park system, Karlinsey said. 

The city, however, has options for most city services, even the mandated ones. City officials are studying restructuring the fire department, including starting a separate fire district or a regional fire authority. Deputy Mayor Don Myers cited snowplowing as an example.  

How to prioritize some services led to discussion. Fancher said he thought animal control was a very important service in a town with a lot of pets. Myers said while animal control is important, in his opinion it’s just as important to have a school resource officer program. Karlinsey said he suggested categorizing animal control as a basic service because it’s something cities are better off providing. 

“There isn’t anybody else that’s going to come in and take care of animal control for you without the city paying for it,” Karlinsey said.  

There are cities that don’t have a school resource officer program, Karlinsey said, which led him to make that a lower priority. Swartz said the SRO program, in his opinion, was something the city needed to do.  

“Unfortunately, the landscape is such that a police presence is probably needed now more than it was (in the past) in schools,” Swartz said.  

City employees compared Moses Lake’s assessed valuation and local tax rates with other localities around Grant County and a couple of cities of comparable size. Moses Lake’s assessed valuation is relatively high, but Karlinsey said that comes with expectations.  

“Probably the reason why we have a higher assessed value per capita is because we have all this industry, and that doesn’t come for free,” Karlinsey said. “We still have to police it, provide roads, fire protection, that sort of thing. Where much is given, much is expected.”

    Crews work on a Moses Lake street in August 2025. Street maintenance and its costs are part of a wide-ranging discussion on fiscal sustainability in Moses Lake.