MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake City Council voted Tuesday to continue providing a stipend of $30 per meeting to council members.

Moses Lake city code requires the council to review stipends paid to Moses Lake city council members, including its mayor and deputy mayor, every even numbered year. City staff prepared a report comparing the stipend structure for Moses Lake to four comparable cities with similar forms of municipal governance, finding Moses Lake elected officials receive comparable or higher monthly stipends than its peer group.

Staff also noted Moses Lake was the only city in the peer group that provided a per meeting stipend for its members. The city council considered whether to eliminate the per meeting stipend, which is optional and which several council members stated they do not use.

Council member Karen Liebrecht, she said she uses the stipend, advocated for per-meeting reimbursement, arguing it allows more people to become involved in the city council. Because she runs a small business, for example, she has to pay another person to fill in for her when she goes to meetings, she said. Having the stipend helps to mitigate that cost, she added, allowing her to take part in her city’s government.

The council voted unanimously in favor of maintaining the current stipend structure.