The 2020 budget wish list

The Medical Lake City Council and staff discussed a wish list of projects they hope to include in their 2020 budget at a roundtable public workshop at City Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

City Administrator Doug Ross began by ticking-off a list of accomplishments from the previous year, among them the successful annexation of the city fire department with Spokane County Fire District 3, trail repaving, and a $250,000 Transportation Improvement Board grant.

One missed goal — a big one, according to Ross — was gaining additional reimbursement from the state Department of Social and Health Services for law enforcement services provided by the city.

DSHS maintains two facilities — Eastern State Hospital and Lakeland Village — within the Medical Lake city limits. What the city and DSHS consider fair reimbursement for police services to the facilities remains a perennial issue between the two publically funded entities.

“That is ongoing and will continue to be ongoing until infinity probably,” Ross said.

He mentioned the possibility of simply discontinuing law enforcement services to the facilities sometime in the future if a resolution wasn’t reached.

“I don’t know how we’re going to get them to understand,” Ross said. “Legally we really don’t have a hammer.”

The state Legislature in it’s last session appropriated $38,000 for Medical Lake for the current biennium as compensation for law enforcement services to Eastern and Lakeland — $26,000 less than the previous biennium.

The city will continue to push for reimbursement, Ross said.

“I feel if we can get that squared away you’re in pretty good financial shape,” Ross said told the council. “Because you’ve been conservative.”

The city is hoping to be reimbursed as much as $250,000 annually for providing police services to the state institutions, according to Ross. Medical Lake currently pays the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office just over $1 million annually for law enforcement services.

DSHS argues the city has yet to meet certain requirements established by the legislative appropriations bill for reimbursement, according to DSHS.

Other projects on last year’s wish list that didn’t get completed include a fourth aerator for Medical Lake that will likely be on the 2020 budget that begins on Jan. 1.

New for the coming budget year: the city maintenance department is asking for a new street sweeper, and the wastewater treatment plant would like a new truck and updated computer software.

One of the big issues the city hopes to tackle is finding a new Internet service provider for the city, something that “may benefit the whole community,” according to Ross, along with a city website “refresh” that would make it easier for city personnel to update and keep current.

“The main thing we lack is being able to put announcements on the home page,” Ross told the council. “Our Internet’s terrible. It’s a step up from dial-up.”

Ross said later that he’d been in discussions with Internet providers to locate atop the city water reservoir on Olsen Hill, and to give City Hall free service in return for the potential to charge other customers to piggy back on the service. But those talks had yet to go beyond “a surface discussion.”

Replacing the 12 faded trail signs is also a high priority for the parks and recreation department. Bids for replacement from a Seattle artist specializing in such projects are expected anytime, Ross said. Replacing the sign bases to make them look “fresh and new,” is also under consideration. While Ross noted that the project was “going to be expensive,” the messages on the currently faded signs wouldn’t change.

Adding lights on the trail on the western side of the lake was also discussed.

Councilman A.J. Burton raised the issue of the city’s deteriorating streets, suggesting a tax or some method to generate funds to pay for street repair be put before voters.

“Basically, they’re deteriorating faster than we can keep up with them,” Burton said. “Sooner or later we’re going to be driving on gravel.”

The city budget must be completed and approved by the council on or before Dec. 31

Councilwoman Jessica Roberts was absent for undisclosed reasons.

Lee Hughes can be reached at [email protected].