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Lobbyist: Legislature approved Moses Lake funding for Well 29 PFAS work and a pump for Well 17
Summary
City lobbyist Brianna Murray briefed council on the 2025 Washington legislative session, including appropriations of $810,000 for Well 29 and $172,000 for a pump for Well 17 and deadlines for spending those appropriations.
Brianna Murray, the city’s government‑relations lobbyist, told the Moses Lake City Council on Tuesday that the Legislature appropriated two city requests in the 2025 capital budget: $810,000 to address PFAS contamination at Well 29 and $172,000 for a new pump at Well 17.
Murray said both requests were included in separate project lists in the final capital budget; that circumstance initially created confusion for some community members but both items are in the final appropriation. She urged the council to get projects under contract by June 30, 2027, to preserve the funds; the funds become legally available July 1, 2025, and typically have two biennia to be spent unless reappropriated by the Legislature.
In a wider briefing Murray summarized the 2025 session context: Washington operates on a two‑year biennium and the 2025 session lasted 105 days. The state adopted an operating, capital and transportation budget; she said the operating budget faced a multi‑billion‑dollar shortfall and the Legislature combined spending cuts with roughly $4.3 billion in new tax revenue for the 2025–27 biennium. The transportation budget included a 6‑cent gas tax increase, with 2.5% of that revenue dedicated to cities and counties for maintenance and preservation, Murray said.
Murray also highlighted House Bill 1253, which she said allows cities and public utility districts to enter agreements with private entities to construct power generation and transmission facilities — a tool she said could enable public‑private partnerships for energy projects. She noted the capital budget was relatively stable compared with other state budgets and recommended that Moses Lake continue to pursue capital requests there.
Council members asked about spending deadlines and options for future appropriations. Murray advised the council that funds become available July 1, 2025, and recommended getting contracts in place by June 30, 2027; she also outlined strategies for stacking or sequencing future requests in 2026 and 2027 to build momentum and prepare larger requests.
The council did not vote on policy; the session briefing was informational.
