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Liberty Lake staff roll out draft 20-year capital facilities plan with large unfunded projects and library sizing questions
Summary
Staff presented a draft 20-year Capital Facilities Plan that prioritizes streets and flags large unfunded projects (including a library estimated in the multi‑million dollar range). Council and residents pressed for updated facility sizing standards and financial scenarios; staff said the CFP is a living document to be refined next month.
City staff presented a draft 20-year Capital Facilities Plan (CFP) at the April 14 council workshop, describing priorities, assumptions and funding gaps the city will need to resolve as it prepares the document for inclusion in the comprehensive plan.
Ben (city staff) said the CFP is intended as a snapshot of foreseeable needs through approximately 2046 and does not include inflation adjustments; numbers are shown in 2026 dollars. The plan ranks capital classifications with streets highest, and identifies several large, currently unfunded projects — notably a potential new library and public safety expansion — that create pronounced spending spikes in the multi‑million dollar range.
Residents and councilors questioned the library sizing and underlying assumptions. Craig Forbes and Lynn Atkins urged use of a clear level-of-service standard rather than carrying forward a 2018 numeric result. The staff response: library sizing was taken from an approved 2018 study and that the CFP is a ‘living document’ that will be refined; if the council prefers, staff can update the sizing methodologies and timelines before adoption.
On funding, staff mapped known funding streams (general fund, special projects, REIT) to categories and identified a large “unknown” portion representing future-growth projects (additional traffic signals, a possible fourth park, and other expansions). The plan assumes some projects could be phased or funded with bonds/levies, but staff said those options remain policy choices for future councils.
Council asked for additional detail on financing scenarios at next week’s finance workshop; staff said the CFP will be returned next month with updates and a proposed action item to adopt a final CFP for inclusion in the comprehensive master plan.
Authorities and provenance: the presentation referenced Department of Commerce definitions for capital projects and multiple supporting master plans (parks, sidewalks, stormwater) used to size elements in the CFP (see timeline SEG 2218–SEG 2730).
