The Liberty Lake City Council spent its Nov. 24 special workshop scrutinizing a proposed 2026 budget that staff described as a viable, multi-year plan with a proposed general-fund total roughly $19.9 million. Staff told council the package includes a market-based salary adjustment (staff proposed 3%), a step increase program (2% steps for eligible employees), and a cost-of-living adjustment based on CPI (2.7%). Staff quantified the salary impact at about $61,000 per 1% and roughly $183,000 for a 3% market adjustment.

City Administrator Mark and finance staff walked through line-item requests and two slides of proposed new spending. Notable proposed additions included an accounting/timekeeping software replacement (net new cost roughly $20,000 after offsets from retiring Springbrook and Attendance on Demand), ClickFix as a service-request manager (a net increase of ~$3,200), an asset-management module (CityLogix; $19,050 annual software with portions shifted to stormwater), and a proposed digital-forensics software package in public safety (staff estimated ~$23,000 in software costs plus hardware).

Council members repeatedly returned to compensation and retention. Several asked how Liberty Lake compares to peer cities and whether the AWC salary survey sample was appropriate; staff explained most peer comparables were on the East Side of the mountains and that the city could commission a targeted market study if council desired. Discussion included anecdotal turnover in public works and police, with staff warning that growing divergences in pay could increase attrition.

Public-safety staffing was also a key line-item. Staff proposed adding one law-enforcement officer in 2026 to backfill a detective promotion and maintain patrol strength; deputy police leadership described higher workloads for detectives tied to internet and crimes-against-persons investigations. Council discussed fleet rotation (approximately 32 vehicles; multiple units have high mileage) and the related vehicle replacement plan.

Council reviewed a set of smaller operational and capital items—maintenance seasonal workers for parks/streets, a proposed upgrade to the Trailhead pro-shop position (from part-time to full-time at roughly $74,000 gross with $32,000 offsets), park bench and pavilion replacements, and continued funding for public-art projects that staff say are funded within the 2% sales-tax allocation for arts.

On public art, staff explained a program increase of about $127,000 in 2026 primarily reflects rolling over incomplete projects from 2025 and anticipated new projects; staff said the increase is covered by the 2% sales-tax set-aside and program rollovers. Councilmembers debated whether to preserve art funding (arguing permanent community benefit) or to prioritize salary increases and reserves in light of an uncertain economic outlook.

Council considered broader fiscal directions as well. Mayor Pro Tem moved to direct staff to prepare a version of the general-fund budget with a 2% across-the-board reduction (roughly $394,000). Supporters argued staff are best placed to make technical choices about where a small reduction would cause the least operational harm. Opponents said the council, not staff, should make priority decisions and that a flat 2% direction would amount to a political abdication of those value judgments. The motion resulted in a tie and failed.

Multiple attempts to make line-item cuts were raised by individual members (including removing the public-art $127,000 increase and rejecting the golf-professional upgrade) but either failed to receive seconds or were defeated in votes during the workshop. The meeting produced some reductions (notably the drone show removal), and staff will return with precise line-item figures and updated budget documents for the second reading.

What happens next: staff will update the budget to reflect tonight’s direction and provide clarifying numbers for items council asked about (drone cost, finalized event breakdowns, any offsets). The council scheduled follow-up budget work and a second reading before the end of the year. Any final adoption will occur after the second reading and any amendments passed by the council.

Quotes from the workshop: "For the purposes of the impact per 1% increase ... that impact is $61,000," said finance staff. "We're still gonna increase; all we're doing is talking about how much we're going to increase it by," Mayor Pro Tem said, framing the deliberations as choices about the size of the increase rather than a decision to cut services.

The workshop was procedural and deliberative; no final budget adoption occurred on Nov. 24.