Moses Lake Community Coalition highlights youth prevention work; councilors press for budget clarity

Megan Watson, coordinator of the Moses Lake Community Coalition, and Matt Pollock, the coalition’s executive chair, presented the group’s first-quarter report to the Moses Lake City Council, outlining new youth drop-in opportunities and the start of the Guiding Good Choices parenting program.

The coalition said it developed those activities based on data from the Healthy Youth Survey showing limited access to “positive pro social activities” for young people and concerning levels of youth depression. Watson said the drop-in programs are intended as “safe spaces where young people can learn new skills, connect with caring adults, and find a place to belong.” She added the coalition had recruited two new volunteers to lead the groups.

The coalition also reported beginning implementation of Guiding Good Choices, which it described as “an evidence based parenting program” aimed at families with middle-school students to strengthen family management and communication.

Council members asked several questions about the coalition’s finances and public communications. Council Member Mark Lombardi raised line-item concerns after reviewing the coalition’s budget summary: “Salary, benefits, and administration totaled $132,000,” he said, and observers at the meeting calculated that represented roughly “83 percent” of the coalition’s reported budget. Coalition leaders said $130,000 of that funding is an automatic CPWI (Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative) disbursement from the state Health Care Authority and that additional funds came from rollover city funds and a $5,000 grant from Thriving Together. Watson said some future-line budget items — such as $21,000 listed for locking medication boxes and bags — were placeholders tied to potential additional funding, not money already in hand.

Council members also flagged inaccuracies on the coalition’s draft website. Pollock acknowledged the site contained “filler text” from the designer and said the coalition had not publicly promoted the site because content was still being populated.

The presentation prompted a mix of support and criticism from council and the public during the meeting’s public-comment segment. Board members and presenters emphasized the coalition’s role as a coordinating entity rather than a direct service provider, saying much of the coalition’s work is to organize local partners such as schools, the Boys & Girls Club and the library.

The coalition urged continued community involvement in prevention, and listed upcoming events including a town hall in partnership with the University of Washington’s CLEARS project, a youth summit and an opioid-provider meeting in early May.

The council did not take a formal vote on the coalition’s report during the meeting.

Funding, transparency and program scope were the principal topics of council questioning; coalition leaders said they would continue to refine public materials and work with partners to expand prevention activities.

The coalition’s written quarterly report was provided to council and entered into the meeting record.