Liberty Lake council adopts 2026 budget 4–2 after debate over $12,000 GSI membership

The Liberty Lake City Council adopted the city’s 2026 budget (Ordinance 3-13) on Dec. 8, 2025, by a 4–2 vote after a sustained discussion about whether to include a $12,000 membership in GSI, a regional economic-development organization. Council members voted by position: Ball, Dunne, Kurtz and Kennedy voted yes; Mayor Pro Tem Cargill and Spencer voted no.

City staff presented two adoption pathways: adopt the budget as submitted with the GSI membership included, or adopt an amended version that removes the $12,000 line item. Mark and Kyle (city staff) told the council they had signature copies ready for either route. "We can adopt it with the GSI membership of $12,000, or we can adopt it subject to its removal," a staff member said.

Supporters argued the membership delivers indirect benefits — business expansion and retention, access to ADO pass-through funding opportunities, legislative briefings and marketing reach — that justify the cost. Council member Dunne said he supported keeping GSI in the budget, pointing to reduced membership costs from an earlier $25,000 figure and to benefits to local businesses: "I speak in support of including GSI in the current budget… the indirect benefits are reflected in the performance of the businesses in our community." Opponents said the fee is unfair relative to other jurisdictions and questioned direct return on investment.

Council debate also addressed the overall size and structure of the budget. One council member noted the proposed $19.3 million budget represents an approximate 12% increase year-over-year and, even excluding roughly $4 million in one-time costs, would spend about $2 million more than projected revenues next year; figures were presented during the meeting by a council member who summarized the binder numbers and per-resident breakdowns. Concerns were expressed about per-citizen allocations and whether the city should pursue additional revenue strategies rather than rely on reserves.

After discussion and no citizen comments on the budget, the council voted to adopt the ordinance. The council agreed to continue discussions on the capital facilities plan, which staff said could be revisited separately. The budget ordinance covers appropriations, salary schedules and fund allocations for the period Jan. 1, 2026–Dec. 31, 2026.

What’s next: staff indicated two executable versions of the budget were prepared (with and without GSI); the council adopted the budget and will continue to deliberate separately on capital plan items where necessary.