MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake City Council swore in one new member and two returning ones at its meeting Tuesday and passed the mayoral baton. Once that formality was taken care of, they addressed multiple issues regarding development.

Grant County Superior Court Judge Anna Gigliotti administered the oath of office to Council Members David Skaug, Don Myers and Victor Lombardi. Lombardi was elected in November to fill the seat formerly occupied by David Eck. Myers, who has served as mayor since 2022, gave up his seat in the middle to Council Member Dustin Swartz, who was unanimously elected mayor. Council Member Judy Madewell was chosen to succeed Deanna Martinez as deputy mayor.

Amy Dalluge, owner of Amazing Food Trucks, and co-owner Cedric Eklund addressed the council regarding difficulties they had had with the city’s permitting process. Following that, the council discussed Desert Point, a proposed multi-use development in the vacant 96-acre parcel east of the intersection of SR 17 and Yonezawa Boulevard. The development, according to documents presented by Bob Stowe of Stowe Development & Strategies, would include a big box store, several smaller retailers and a medical office, as well as 510 multi-family residential units. It would also require considerable infrastructure, which Stowe suggested the city could fund through a plan known as tax increment financing, or TIF.

With TIF, a municipality can designate a privately owned development like Desert Point as an “increment area,” according to information from the Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington. As the value of the property within that increment area increases, the property taxes will too, and that increase can be used to defray the costs of the public improvements needed for the project. However, under Washington law, TIF can only be used to fund projects that would not have occurred without public funds and in cases where the increase in the land’s value is greater than it would have been if the project had not gone forward.  

“Tax increment financing gives cities and counties an important, powerful economic development tool,” Stowe told the council through an online linkup. “It’s really designed for a specific project that’s ready to go because, regardless of whether or not the development materializes, the sponsoring jurisdiction is responsible for any public infrastructure that’s put in.”

The development would require several roads, as well as a roundabout at SR 17 and Yonezawa Boulevard, which the city had already planned to install. The roundabout is expected to cost about $5 million, City Manager Kevin Fuhr said, and about $9 million for the roads that would be needed.

“I generally have heartburn with the fact that the city is paying for a roundabout on a state highway,” Fuhr said. “We are working with the state to try to get funding for that roundabout.”

“It says if proposed development would occur without TIF, public tax dollars should not be used, because it will cost taxpayers more than it should for the resulting development growth,” Lombardi said. “Now, when I look at this, I see two issues. One, obviously, is the white elephant in the room, the roundabout. If that gets resolved, then this is just a normal development deal. In which case, the developer pays for the roads and the utilities.”

The council voted to continue to the next step, a feasibility analysis that would be sent to the state. The council could decide whether to go ahead with the project or not following the state’s response.

Joel Martin may be reached via email at jmartin@columbiabasinherald.com.

    Newly-elected mayor Dustin Swartz, standing left, trades places with outgoing mayor and council member Don Myers at the Moses Lake City Council meeting Tuesday. Outgoing Deputy Mayor Deanna Martinez, seated, also exchanged seats with the new deputy mayor, Judy Madewell.
  

    Amazing Food Trucks co-owner Cedric Eklund addresses the Moses Lake City Council Tuesday evening. Eklund and his business partner, Amy Dalluge, expressed frustration regarding permitting for businesses in the city.