Liberty Lake council directs staff to develop Town Square library concepts; says tax hike triggers public vote

The Liberty Lake City Council asked staff on Feb. 25 to develop two proposals for a library at Town Square — one that is library-only and one that pairs a library with a community center — and agreed that any project that would require a property-tax increase must be submitted to voters.

Council members voted to have staff return with formal work orders to develop the concepts after a multi-hour workshop that revisited a years-long effort to expand library services and create civic space at Town Square. Councilmember Dan Dunn moved the motion asking staff to prepare the two concepts; the motion to prepare a work order passed 7-0. Later, Councilmember Chris Kennedy moved that whatever the council decides should be presented to the public for a vote; the council amended that motion to require a voter measure if the chosen plan would require a property-tax increase, and the amended motion passed 4-3.

Why it matters: The decision frames how the city will proceed from a decade of study and prior failed ballot measures. Council members and community speakers raised trade-offs including building size, operational responsibility for a potential public market, parking, the cost to adapt a recently purchased building on Mission (the “Legacy Church” building) and how to phase or finance a broader Town Square redevelopment.

Council and staff described three principal questions shaping the next steps: whether the expanded library and community functions should…