Moses Lake and NCW Libraries agree to one-year extension while facilities assessment proceeds

Moses Lake City officials and representatives of NCW Libraries agreed on a one-year extension of the city9s use agreement for the Moses Lake library while the city completes a facilities assessment and the library board continues longer-term financing discussions.

City Manager Rob Carlinsi told the council the city had reviewed janitorial, utilities and maintenance costs and concluded reimbursements were falling short, proposing "to increase that by $5,000 a year from about 47,000 to $52,000 per year" to move closer to cost recovery.

The library9s executive director and board members cautioned that the district9s taxing structure covers 30 branches and that any levy-rate change would affect the entire system. "We can't increase the rate for just 1 location. We have 30 locations that we would have to increase the rate for," Barbara Walters, executive director of NCW Libraries, said, explaining that the district is limited by state law and levy rules.

Why it matters: the city owns and maintains the library building and pays for building-level maintenance, while the library district funds staff, materials and most operating costs. That division of responsibility has created recurring disputes about how reimbursement is calculated when cities face tighter budgets.

Key details: council staff said the library reimbursed the city $47,792 this year and that the city9s budgeted net cost for building maintenance is about $20,000; council members said actual building-related costs were likely in the low-to-mid $50,000 range. Library board members said the district has set aside about $1.3 million for an interior 91reimagining spaces92 project for system branches, but that funding is restricted to interior work and cannot be used for structural elements the city owns.

Council and library representatives also disputed the building square footage used for reimbursement calculations. City measurements indicated a smaller footprint (about 10,443 square feet) than the historical figure (11,948 square feet) used in prior reimbursements; councilmembers discussed retaining the historical figure for one year to keep the payment more palatable.

Councilmember remarks emphasized a desire to avoid an adversarial process and to keep the library in the city. The council asked staff and the library to undertake a community-informed facilities assessment and to return with findings and options. Library staff said any levy increase to cover city-level costs would require a district-wide vote and multi-county coordination and therefore could not be implemented immediately.

Outcome and next steps: councilmembers reported a working consensus to extend the current one-year agreement through the end of the year, "based on what the library board had already budgeted" and using the historical square footage for calculation to buy time for the facilities assessment and community outreach. The library board must still take any formal change to its levy to a vote at a regular board meeting.

Funding and constraints: library officials reiterated that the district9s maximum levy authority is set in state law and that the district currently levies well under the statutory maximum. Library staff said they are considering whether to place a levy increase before voters but cautioned that the timing of elections and the current economic climate make that a heavy lift.

The council and library agreed to coordinate outreach around the facilities assessment and to reconvene once the assessment yields cost and lifespan data for the building.