Council reviews draft 2026 state advocacy agenda; prioritizes sewer emergency and I-90 interchange

Moses Lake City Council members on Monday reviewed a draft 2026 state advocacy agenda and gave staff direction to prioritize a supplemental funding request for an urgent sewer line replacement and to elevate the May Valley I-90/Hanson Road interchange as a near-term advocacy item.

Brianna Murray, a contract lobbyist with Gordon Thomas Honeywell Government Relations, presented the city's draft state advocacy agenda and advised the council to keep the list focused given the short 60-day 2026 legislative session. "My recommendation for you all going into this short legislative session is to keep your legislative agenda as focused as possible," Murray told the council, adding that "as a general rule of thumb, that means no more than 3 to 5 top priority items." She described the 2026 session as a mid-biennial year dominated by budget adjustments and said the capital budget offers the best chance for project funding.

Top priorities in the draft agenda included: - An urgent sewer line replacement funding request, listed at $2,300,000, submitted as a supplemental capital ask because the break was described as unexpected and the project was presented as shovel-ready with in-house design underway. Council members and staff said the city can fund the work itself but that state funds would reduce the impact on other planned projects such as replacement of the Wheeler Lift Station. - Long-term work on water availability for the Moses Lake community, described by Murray as a multi-year effort that would involve both legislative and state agency engagement. - Multi-year transportation items including the May Valley I-90/Hanson Road interchange at Hanson Road (raised because of load limits affecting emergency response), a planned new Moses Lake crossing, and safety/channelization improvements to Broadway Avenue (State Route 171). Murray also included a request for WSDOT engagement on permission or signage for a "Welcome to Moses Lake" sign at a pedestrian crossing over I-90 on the city's west side.

Council discussion led to several adjustments. The council asked staff to move the May Valley I-90 interchange to the second slot on the top-priority list and to remove two items'Broadway Avenue channelization and the "Welcome to Moses Lake" signage'from the formal top-priority list and instead direct staff to pursue those matters with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) at the agency level. Council members also asked Murray to refine language on PFAS testing and remediation after council members raised that state and federal regulatory scopes differ for certain chemicals.

City Manager Rob Carlinzi and others said the sewer line project is well-advanced in design and noted the city could deliver the work without state assistance, but that partial state funding would reduce impacts to other capital work. Murray advised that the city list a full need ($2.3 million) while remaining flexible in negotiations: "If you don't ask then you don't get," she said.

Council members and staff also discussed outreach strategies with state legislators and agreed to schedule pre-session briefings. Staff noted they will continue agency-level conversations with WSDOT even if items are removed from the one-page top-priority list. Murray said she would refine the draft agenda language and return with an updated draft for council approval in early November so outreach can begin well before the January 2026 session.

No formal council vote occurred on the overall agenda at the meeting; council direction focused on restructuring priorities, refining PFAS language, and pursuing early engagement with state agencies and the city's three primary legislators.