SPOKANE, Wash. — According to a spokesperson from the City of Spokane, two other city spokespeople are being let go due to budget constraints.
Spokane Police Department spokesperson Julie Humphreys and Neighborhoods, Housing and Human Services and Community and Economic Development spokesperson Brian Walker are the first to have their positions eliminated as the city deals with a $50 million budget deficit.
Both Humphreys and Walker held exempt positions and were not represented by city unions.
The city says decisions about future cuts are ongoing and if more layoffs are recommended, city unions will be consulted and any affected employees will be notified by the end of September.
Since the beginning of her term, Mayor Lisa Brown has held monthly budget meetings with the City Council.
In July, Brown asked all city departments to see what impacts a 10% budget reduction would look like.
"It's a really, really difficult situation right now," Spokane City Councilmember Michael Cathcart said.
In July, Cathcart said he supported the idea of layoffs. As the city's finance chair, he also recognizes layoffs are part of many difficult decisions that will balance the city's budget.
"Most of city government spending is personnel, and that's kind of, generally, how it works," Cathcart said. "And I don't want to see anybody lose their job, but if we're going to have layoffs, and I do believe that that's the only way we're going to solve this, the best thing we can do is to let our employees know now so that they have adequate time to go seek other employment."