[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6315243,"mediaKeyId","2380600-a52a75d0eee6da162446b3e4c3b3dd57","parentId",2380600,"title","Lake Forest Park pauses EV charging roll-out after cost review; public works director recommends engineering study","audioSeconds",364,"startMs",1853000,"endMs",2217000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2380600-a52a75d0eee6da162446b3e4c3b3dd57&start=1853&end=2217","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2380600-a52a75d0eee6da162446b3e4c3b3dd57/thumbnail_1853000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6315243/Lake-Forest-Park/King-County/Washington/Lake-Forest-Park-pauses-EV-charging-roll-out-after-cost-review-public-works-director-recommends-engineering-study","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6315243-b4acac41f138b7b1a0d56b1760a05839/orig.mp4?Expires=1774943743&Signature=Jm89Zf3ErbsGnnSojxYiuPDgkIsv9IG7Jwf4L9fdqoNRpadJsWsA~jv2TyB9mVtALvqwyPX4UFbHmyb4J~OJZZcBK8QCMBDM3ydmLRYOnYIwF2N8lY~ABLcqVE9MCo3TRysEWlP~2afE2bLI3yIssAbdHRAeTHrAoZPeXbqupnP4-kE3t2s11BvBHN6WWMo2J8Du~vTKg~hfYndXYK-TyG04cgy73S4hhG9b457txmsufIJJ4pxHShMyoqZTJqR5t~tBZl5Qfe6f-zch2wtJpEbYgbNQVDFrAgDuD1B7u3vemdGeOH4GygsELVY2fyOnTbrHNpgsgoxcvhzIGvxF3g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Lake Forest Park, WA","date","2025-02-24T16:12:11Z","article","Lake Forest Park’s public works department recommended pausing further work on a planned citywide electric-vehicle charging station installation after a cost review showed substantially higher expected expenses, Public Works Director Rebecca told the Budget & Finance Committee on Feb. 25.

Rebecca said the city had secured grant funding for charging equipment but that a deeper review of site electrical capacity, parking reconfiguration needs and transformer upgrades showed the total project cost could be far higher than the original estimate. \"We came in way over where we had originally anticipated,\" she said, and recommended staff \"draw back, regroup, really do an evaluation of this at some point, get some funding for some engineering, and then put together cost again and go for it again.\"

Why it matters: proceeding without a full engineering study risks escalating costs and missing grant requirements; staff said that some grants require completed installations and reporting by October of the award year, which constrains schedule if the city proceeds without a completed site study.

Key details and numbers

- Grant and match: Rebecca said the grant award for the charging stations was about $75,000, and that with an anticipated local match the project previously estimated to total about $210,000.

- Updated total estimate: Based on preliminary engineering questions and potential need for a transformer upgrade, Rebecca said staff now estimate the total cost could be around $900,000 if an electrical service upgrade is required.

- Study cost estimates: During discussion Rebecca provided a rough study estimate of about $100,000 to evaluate sites, electrical needs and design; another councilmember suggested a larger funding envelope (discussion referenced amounts up to $300,000 for study plus design), and staff said a firmer number will follow RFQ responses.

- Schedule implications: Rebecca said Seattle City Light review processes and potential transformer work could extend the schedule; she estimated permitting and utility coordination could take many months and “could be even up to a year.” She also noted the city’s ability to satisfy some grant deadlines depends on completing installations and reporting within the grant period.

Committee questions and options considered

Councilmembers asked whether the project could prioritize public works fleet chargers ahead of city‑hall public chargers to meet grant deadlines; Rebecca said the grants as structured require completed installations to meet reporting and that prioritization might not satisfy the grant requirements. Councilmembers asked about public–private partnerships; Rebecca said the city could explore partnerships with private property owners or regional consortiums but that details and interest levels would need to be vetted.

Staff recommendation and near-term direction

Rebecca recommended pausing active procurement for installation and redirecting the previously earmarked $210,000 within capital facilities into design and engineering to develop a grant-ready project. She told the committee she will return with firm study cost proposals after RFQ responses are received.

Ending

The committee heard a request to reallocate capital-design funding and to authorize an engineering study; no formal vote on reallocation was recorded in the transcript. Staff will bring firm cost proposals and RFQ results to an upcoming meeting before any construction authorization.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","February 20, 2025 Budget & Finance Committee","oneSentenceSummary","Public Works Director Rebecca told the council Feb. 25 that preliminary estimates for planned electric vehicle charging stations exceeded previous assumptions; staff recommended pausing installation, funding an engineering study, and reallocating existing capital funds to advance design and grant readiness.","taxTitle","Lake Forest Park, King County, Washington","taxId",71686,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6315248,"Lake Forest Park reviews December 2024 budget dashboard; traffic-safety revenues lag expected timing",1795,60000,1855000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2380600-a52a75d0eee6da162446b3e4c3b3dd57&start=60&end=1855","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2380600-a52a75d0eee6da162446b3e4c3b3dd57/thumbnail_60000.jpg","/articles/6315248/Lake-Forest-Park/King-County/Washington/Lake-Forest-Park-reviews-December-2024-budget-dashboard-traffic-safety-revenues-lag-expected-timing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6315248-ca89910def0a2d7914a8f4e51977c4b2/orig.mp4?Expires=1774943743&Signature=mlJcRHAZ3W-2Q4d1F2aQTXqrchoDNIWXOgn-JEnVm2uqJd9IyuhGqRS1BpX5E7hPcYPsyIA05i63~aWfCasHwq66Kp89wkZMrN4pG77BvDGUZzsErzBuHPFT2D8jTKHRoq5EkaKtYdq3xf3QzEV5YsZf4Og7pHst4qXqTFnJmhdJiliot6ZjJBBkDwGrH~Gk9tUhmuD2wqSd77hnKT5JSyWzvgkOj0QIi8SrXemJ7Pcqko7Hi1HzTHPf-b~RH6l7QBSm9ziFlfAgrOWvGl~JcYXGSyoZI1nmDZfCsvCNTd5Zl7MQjLbvzk7AAWZm~veV2TsldYVEA27LOL7rgKZ1NA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Lake Forest Park’s Budget & Finance Committee reviewed the city’s December 2024 budget-monitoring dashboard on Feb. 25, hearing that most departments remained within adopted biennial appropriations but that several funds show timing-driven variances.

Finance Director (city staff) told the committee the city adopts budgets on a biennial basis covering Jan. 1, 2023, through Dec. 30, 2024, and that the dashboard reflects that two-year period. The director said operating departments “stayed within” budget for the most part, with a few “yellow” areas tied to ongoing activities such as police hiring.

The nut graf: the presentation showed the city generally met conservative revenue assumptions adopted two years ago, but staff cautioned some fund balances and capital projects reflect timing differences — not necessarily permanent shortfalls — and that traffic-safety citation receipts are subject to a lag because the city recognizes revenue on a cash basis.

Most-important findings

- Overall spending: Staff said most operating departments ran within adopted appropriations. The finance director highlighted police, sewer operations and street maintenance as the larger expenditure drivers.

- Fund percentages: The sewer utility appeared at about 104% of budgeted activity while the street fund showed roughly 95% (staff noted those percentages reflect the relationship of expenditures to the adopted two-year budgets). The finance director described these as “checks and balances” to examine revenue vs. expense timing.

- Traffic-safety fund timing: The committee discussed a newly created traffic-safety operations fund (Fund 002). The finance director said the December report contained only October and November activity for that fund and that January and February numbers — which were not in the packet — were “drastically different.” The director explained the city recognizes citation revenue when paid: “We are cash basis, meaning if that fine is paid … we won't be showing any of those dollars until there's a decision from that [hearing],” and that many tickets were pending hearings or other processing, which paused recognition of revenue.

Staff provided specific cash figures from the narrow window in the report: $112,799 was recorded for the period shown in the packet, and later months (December and January combined) increased receipts to more than $656,000, illustrating the timing effect staff described.

- Line-item revenues: Several revenues performed at or above conservative projections. Real estate excise tax came in about 99% of budgeted expectation, passport services performed strongly, and business and construction permit revenues exceeded budgeted assumptions in the biennial period. Sales-and-use tax and other lines were near projections and described by staff as intentionally conservative.

- Capital projects and timing: Staff walked the committee through capital projects on the dashboard: drainage construction on 30 Fifth Avenue (design/construction), overlay and ADA ramp work, I‑90 corridor design, SR‑104 design and the roundabout project (a 2025 project with grant funding expected from a TID and WSDOT). Staff explained many capital budgets show large adopted amounts with only design-phase costs expended to date and recommended a clearer CIP view separating design vs. construction budgets for future reporting.

Committee questions and follow-up directions

Councilmembers asked whether citation revenue is recognized at citation issuance or when drivers pay. The finance director reiterated the city’s cash-basis recognition and explained that hearings and court processing can freeze recognition until resolution. Councilmembers also asked for the more complete January–February numbers and for a capital dashboard that splits design and construction budgets and shows milestones; staff agreed to return with a CIP-style breakdown at an upcoming meeting, likely in April.

Ending

Staff emphasized the conservative revenue assumptions adopted in the two-year budget and thanked department directors for operating under lean conditions. The committee did not take formal policy action in the packet discussion; staff were directed to return with expanded traffic-safety revenue numbers and a CIP-style capital project presentation that separates design and construction phases.

","At its Feb. 25 Budget & Finance meeting, Lake Forest Park finance staff reviewed the city’s December 2024 budget-monitoring dashboard, noting generally stable department spending, timing-driven shortfalls in some funds and a lag in traffic-safety citation revenue due to cash-basis accounting and hearing delays.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Lake Forest Park pauses EV charging roll-out after cost review; public works director recommends engineering study

Lake Forest Park reviews December 2024 budget dashboard; traffic-safety revenues lag expected timing