SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown and the City Council will remove the Community Safety Levy from the August ballot. The City Council voted unanimously to remove it from the ballot on Thursday.
“The topic of a new property tax has been unsettled due to lack of information that, as a Council, we wanted,” said Council President Betsy Wilkerson. “Since the April vote, we’ve been listening to the voices of the community and additional conversation with my fellow Council Members, moving to remove this measure from the August ballot is a smart decision. We simply need more input and more information.”
In a press release, Brown said the decision came as her administration holds “productive meetings with the public.”
“The City of Spokane’s budget deficit is real and the desire to make significant investments in our community safety response remains, but I feel the responsible choice is to provide an opportunity for additional analysis. My administration has had several productive meetings with the public and we find value in expanding input to ensure a responsive and comprehensive plan for our future,” Mayor Brown said. “We will continue down this path, while also identifying how the City tightens its own belt to usher in a new era of fiscal responsibility.”
The proposed levy would tax homeowners $1 for every $1000 of assessed value. According to the mayor's office, for a median priced home in Spokane, this would equate to an increase of $30 every month. It is expected to raise $38.5 million every year for the next five years, totaling $192.5 million.
In March, city leaders announced that the city is facing a $50 million budget deficit. Part of that deficit comes rising costs in public safety, with the police budget rising year after year.
Brown says most of the money would go towards closing the existing budget gap and funding existing contracts, but 1/3 of the money will go towards expanding public safety services.
This would fund programs like additional body cameras for Spokane Police, a pilot program for pre-trial monitoring services, and improving the city's fleet of fire engines.
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