Quincy 2026 budget includes streets, QPlex projects
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 days, 8 hours AGO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | January 5, 2026 5:25 PM
QUINCY — The city of Quincy will operate on a budget of about $148.3 million for 2026. That includes money for street projects along 13th Avenue Southwest and M Street Northeast, the design and construction of a fieldhouse and other improvements in Lauzier Park and funding through sales tax for affordable housing assistance.
Quincy city officials are allocating $13.5 million to the street reserve fund and about $4.3 million to the street fund. City Administrator Pat Haley said it’s going to be a busy year for street work.
“Some of it supplemented by grants we’ve received from state funding agencies. Improvements will largely be made on 13th Street by Lauzier Park and M Street (which becomes Road 11 NW) on the north end of town from the high school, past the data centers to Adams Road,” Haley wrote in response to an email from the Columbia Basin Herald.
The city’s current expense fund was budgeted at about $20.3 million. The current expense includes a lot of day-to-day operations, including the Quincy Police Department, a lot of city expenses and some employee salaries. Operation of the city water system was budgeted at $30.5 million. Quincy has separate wastewater treatment funds for industrial and domestic customers; the industrial sewer fund was budgeted at about $14.2 million and the domestic sewer fund at about $12.4 million.
Some money is allocated for development around Lauzier Park and along M Street Northwest, Haley said.
“There are a number of funds being used for these projects that include water, sewer and other below-ground infrastructure. Developers along M Street will also be responsible for their share of street improvements in front of their projects,” he said.
About $14.4 million is budgeted for design and construction of the fieldhouse, known as the QPlex, in Lauzier Park.
“We are still on track,” Haley said. “We are in the design phase and will soon approve the modified contract with the architect in mid-January. It is anticipated the project will go out for bid in the fourth quarter of 2026.”
City officials budgeted $350,000 for its affordable housing sales tax fund. Haley said that stems from legislation approved in 2019.
“This allows participating to retain sales tax for homeless shelters or rental assistance to prevent homelessness. The amount we are able to retain is approximately $80,000. We have made agreements for these funds with Serve Quincy Valley and Catholic Charities that can only be used in the Quincy city limits,” Haley said. “Both of those entities comply with legislative requirements of 60% or less of the area median income and must provide annual reporting on the usage of those funds. The contracts are renewed every year and the state program lasts for 20 years.”
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Bad debt, charity care expenses rising at local medical facilities
MOSES LAKE — For everyone in healthcare, from patients to hospitals to medical professionals, the challenge is who pays the bill. Sometimes the answer is that some or all of the bill doesn’t get paid, and the hospital or clinic has to absorb the costs. Janette Townsend, chief financial officer at Confluence Health, and Alex Town, chief administrative officer at Samaritan Healthcare, said it’s becoming a bigger problem. “Both bad debt and charity care have gone up in the last few years,” Townsend wrote in response to questions from the Columbia Basin Herald. “Bad debt has increased 214% and charity care has increased 63% from 2023 to 2025.”
Two dead in early morning Moses Lake house fire
MOSES LAKE — Identification is pending for two people killed in an early-morning fire Wednesday in Moses Lake. Moses Lake Fire Department Chief Art Perillo said the fire was reported about 1:50 a.m. near the intersection of Miller Drive Northeast and Highland Drive Northeast. The report said people were still inside the residence, he said. Crews from MLFD and Grant County Fire District 5 responded. “Upon arrival, crews found the residence heavily involved in fire and immediately initiated fire suppression and search operations,” Perillo wrote in a press release. “While crews were able to bring the fire under control quickly, two occupants were found deceased inside the home. Two additional occupants were able to escape the residence.”
Ballots coming Jan. 21 for Wahluke EP&O levy election
MATTAWA — Ballots will be mailed to Wahluke School District voters Jan. 21 for a special election to decide the fate of a four-year educational programs and operations levy. If it’s approved, the levy would replace the four-year levy approved by voters in 2022. The levy rate would remain unchanged.