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Liberty Lake council votes to remove proposed drone show from 2026 city birthday budget
Summary
Council voted to reduce the July 4/city birthday events line item by the cost of a proposed drone show; staff will report back with the final drone cost (estimates discussed ranged about $100,000–$160,000).
Liberty Lake City Council moved on Nov. 24 to reduce the proposed event budget for the city's anniversary by the cost of a suggested drone show, directing staff to report the approximate final figure.
Council members debated the proposal for several minutes, with some members citing potential savings and others saying they preferred one-time event upgrades (fireworks) or reallocations. Council member Kennedy said he preferred cutting the drone cost, which staff and council estimated in discussion at roughly $100,000 to $160,000; Parks staff later clarified a 20-minute drone show estimate at about $150,000 but said they would confirm the exact number.
A motion to reduce account 571004105 on page 76 by the drone-show amount was made and seconded (second recorded as Council member Kennedy). After discussion and a voice/roll-call process, the chair announced the motion had passed and asked Parks staff (Jen) to report back the short approximate figure; Jen said she could obtain that number before the end of the evening.
Council did not commit to permanently funding a drone show; staff described the drone idea as a staff suggestion rather than a required expenditure. The council also discussed using lodging/tourism funds for events and whether an operating or capital tourism fund should be tapped for one-time event upgrades.
Next steps: staff will provide the approximate drone cost to council and update the draft budget accordingly before the second reading.
