Thank you to everyone who has signed and shared the petition. Your support continues to make a difference—and today, I want to share some important updates I’ve learned after speaking with Connie, our Moses Lake librarian.

🔍 Here’s what I’ve learned:

The City of Moses Lake owns the library building, but the NCW Library District provides the staff, books, programs, resources—everything that makes the library what it is.
In 2018/2019, a building study was done. The report (delivered in 2020) stated that significant updates were needed—most importantly, a new HVAC system.
The city acknowledged these needs and agreed to complete the repairs. To this day, they haven’t.
The library doesn’t receive funding from the city beyond a small portion of property taxes paid by homeowners. And notably, the library district hasn’t requested a levy in over 40 years.
So why is there talk of closing the library?

From what I’ve gathered, some believe the city council may be upset that the library pushed back on the proposed Narcan machine. There’s speculation this may be playing into current decisions. Personally, I believe part of it may be retribution—but the bigger issue appears to be that the city doesn’t want to pay for the needed building repairs.

If that’s the case—then give the library a new building. Don’t let it disappear entirely. But right now, the only option being floated is not renewing the city’s contract with the NCW Library District this October.

That’s not a solution. That’s an avoidable loss for our entire community.

 
📚 A reminder for those who may not know:
The library building is city-owned, but the district provides everything inside. Ending the contract would cut off library services for Moses Lake.

And yes—the library welcomes everyone. People of all ages, income levels, and housing situations. That’s its job. That’s what makes it a true community space. We understand some may feel uncomfortable with that, but the impact of the library is overwhelmingly positive.

If you haven’t visited lately, please go. The space looks amazing with new shelving, and the district has plans to invest over a million dollars in further improvements—if the library stays open.

 
📢 Flyers are now available!
If you're a local business and would like to post one, please reach out to me (Sarah Delacruz) on Facebook.

We still need more signatures. We need to keep the momentum going. Let’s keep showing our city leaders that the Moses Lake Library is valued, needed, and supported by the people it serves.

I do plan on more updates and hope to speak directly with at least one or two of our city council members on the subject. 

I am also researching who mandates that the library is the cities hot/cold weather shelter. Thanks for the support