SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown hosted a virtual town hall Wednesday morning to provide updates on the "State of Community Safety" in Spokane. Key topics included the passage of a new community safety sales tax, recent progress from the CORE pilot program, and the city's enhanced efforts in public safety, homelessness, and behavioral health response.
The new community safety sales tax, which passed by a wide margin, is expected to fund significant improvements across various safety and human services programs in Spokane. This tax will fund not only police and fire department needs but will also support Spokane's Neighborhood Resource Officer program, the police ombudsman office, and therapeutic programs within the municipal court. The tax adds $1 for every $1,000 spent on non-essential goods, excluding necessities like food and prescriptions.
During the town hall, Mayor Brown emphasized the impact of the Crisis, Outreach, Response, and Engagement (CORE) program, a 30-day pilot aimed at enhancing downtown Spokane’s safety. Over the four-week period, the CORE program made more than 200 contacts, serving 143 unique individuals through increased police visibility via foot and bike patrols. The initiative aims to reduce minor crime and disorder in downtown Spokane, and Wednesday’s town hall hinted at the possibility of the program’s extension given its initial success.
Additional public safety enhancements discussed included the fire department’s behavioral response unit and the expansion of the CARES team, a homeless outreach program. The CARES team, previously operating with just one staff member, has expanded to a team of four to better meet the needs of individuals experiencing homelessness and divert them from emergency rooms. This expansion comes alongside new shelter resources and increased inclement weather shelter capacity, which now includes 133 beds across five locations, to provide safer options for Spokane’s homeless population as colder months approach.
Mayor Brown underscored the importance of ongoing partnerships and investments in addressing homelessness, behavioral health, and community safety. The mayor’s town hall highlighted Spokane’s comprehensive approach to improving quality of life and safety for all its residents through strategic funding, interagency cooperation, and community engagement.
Watch the full town hall meeting here: