SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane Public Schools and Spokane's Parks and Recreation Department are both seeking to ask taxpayers for more funding in 2025. However, this time, they're looking to join together in a partnership both sides say could save taxpayer money.
"We're always better together. A partnership always gets us to something we didn't really think we could get to," said Spokane Parks and Recreation Director Garrett Jones.
In February, voters failed to approve an SPS bond. A parks department levy has been tabled twice already. The two are now working together in a joint study to rework these common tax problems.
"We're two of the largest government entities in our area and between the two of us there's a wide range of properties, facilities, a wide range of programming," said SPS Superintendent Adam Swinyard.
The joint workgroup has been researching how the two can share those assets and resources as they both prepare to ask for more money.
Swinyard says it's just smarter government if they work together to reduce redundancies, create efficiencies and maybe add value to what voters will be asked to fund.
"A dollar saved for Spokane Public Schools or a dollar saved for the City of Spokane, either way it's a dollar saved for taxpayers," he said.
Voters will still see two separate tax measures; Jones told the parks board in mid-November that's a legal requirement. However, he feels the scale of what both sides are trying to do is only achievable through collaboration.
It's a sentiment others on the board share.
"They have the facilities and Parks. In my opinion, we have the programming ability. Combine that, we can generate something we won't be able to do on our own," said Parks Board President Bob Anderson.
There are also common issues the partnership seeks to tackle, like a need for more space and updated infrastructure. Swinyard says the district is seeing an historic number of kids in after-school activities. Parks Department is seeing more adults join recreation activities.
In the November 14 parks board meeting, Jones told members they could bring parks programming into the schools or hire more park rangers to patrol within district boundaries to alleviate concerns about public safety.
The partnership also aims to encourage more outdoor extra-curricular activities.
"We want kids out of their homes, off devices, together in real life participating in things we know are really good for them," Swinyard said.
Jones says in bringing the study results, expected early next year, to their individual boards they may be able to highlight the potential added value to 29 neighborhoods across the city.
Swinyard says it's still premature to guess what voters may see on the ballot with the two measures, as the study continues. Though Jones told the parks board it may be around March when the two sides decide which ballot the measures will appear on.
The partnership and a website are expected to go live for public feedback early next year, though city council must still vote to defer the parks levy. That vote is expected to happen on December 2.