HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Min 2026 03 31MOSES LAKE CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
CALL TO ORDER
The special meeting of the Moses Lake City Council was called to order at 6:04 p.m. by Mayor
Swartz in the Council Chambers of the Civic Center.
1. Fire Service Feasibility Study
Katherine Goetz and Chief Don Waller of Berk Consulting provided additional
explanation from slide deck presentation on March 24 regarding levy rate changing July
1 and levy options. Council discussed a hybrid option process, contracting out services to
the Fire District and de-annexation from the Fire District.
2. Comprehensive Plan Contract Amendment
Planning Manager Vivia Ramsey requested a $10,000 amendment for consultant Nexus
Planning Services for additional work on recent legislation expanding Categorical
Exemption regulations.
Action taken: Council Member Fancher moved to approve the Comprehensive Plan Contract
Amendment as presented, second by Council Member Graves. The motion carried 7 – 0.
3. Water and Irrigation Rights
FCS Consultant Chase Bozett presented slide deck summarizing research on the water
rate designs, usage rate data, and 5 rate schedule options. Council agreed to pursue
Option 4, providing savings for most customers. Option 4 results in the following annual
rate increases: 3% for Duplexes, 3.5% for Single-Family homes, 5.5% for
Commercial/Industrial, and 6% for Multi-Family homes.
4.Financial Sustainability Plan Follow Up
•Budget Comparisons with Other Cities - Management Intern Nathan Loutsis presented a
slide deck to analyze the comparison between the various departmental service costs of
Moses Lake and similar sized cities in Washington. Data showed Moses Lake spends
significantly more on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services per capita than other cities.
Based on assessed value, The Moses Lake Fire Department and Ambulance Budget were
higher, while the per call cost was average compared to other cities. The Police Budget
was comparable to other cities. The Public Works Budget was below average in
comparison to other cities.
•Balancing Act Budget Simulation Results - City Manager Rob Karlinsey distributed
binders to Council at the meeting containing results from 117 submissions to the
simulation platform and showed Council how to navigate results in the platform.
•Town Hall Public Input Results - Assistant City Manager / Technology & Support
Services Director James Richmond provided a slide deck to show results from the survey
and dot exercise conducted March 16. Written comments were handed out to Council at
the meeting.
•Additional Data and Charts – Assistant to the City Manager Liz Murillo-Busby provided
a slide deck to show comparisons of assessed values, sales tax, property tax, median
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CITY COUNCIL MINUTES – March 31, 2026
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household income, with original cities as well as Pasco, Kennewick, Richland, and
Wenatchee. A Price of Government graph illustrated commercial and residential utility
and property tax history in relation to population and income in the City.
•Scoring Criteria for Enhanced Programs – City Manager Rob Karlinsey provided a slide
deck showing a chart of the 2026 Budget by Service Levels and explained the enhanced
programs scoring criteria with council agreeing to score the programs on a 1-7 scale with
7 representing the best performing program. Council will be completing individual
scoring of enhanced programs on April 14.
ADJOURNMENT
The special meeting was adjourned at 8:29 p.m.
______________________________________
Dustin Swartz, Mayor
ATTEST____________________________
Debbie Burke, City Clerk
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REF. NUMBER
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DOCUMENT COMPLETED BY ALL PARTIES ON
16 APR 2026 16:54:50
UTC
SIGNER TIMESTAMP SIGNATURE
MAYOR DUSTIN SWARTZ
EMAIL
DSWARTZ@CITYOFML.COM
SENT
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VIEWED
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SIGNED
15 APR 2026 23:29:12
IP ADDRESS
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LOCATION
MOSES LAKE, UNITED STATES
RECIPIENT VERIFICATION
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EMAIL
DBURKE@CITYOFML.COM
SENT
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VIEWED
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SIGNED
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IP ADDRESS
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RECIPIENT VERIFICATION
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