SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane's new mayor took to the Spokane Convention Center stage to share her plans for improving the city.
Addressing homelessness, filling the gap in the city's $50 million budget deficit and housing were all topics Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown discussed in her inaugural State of the City Address. During her address, Brown said the most polarizing topic in the city is how to address the growing population of unhoused people.
Brown said the city is moving away from large congregate shelters, claiming they are not successful for people in them. During its Monday night meeting, the Spokane City Council amended its contract with the Salvation Army for the Trent Resource and Assistance Center (TRAC), which is currently downsizing.
The city is adopting a model that starts with outreach to unhoused people, which Brown plans to launch a navigation center for.
"The idea here is that individuals will come and stay with their own space for a limited amount of time while they are assessed," Brown said. "And navigate it in coordination with our many nonprofit providers who provide different, but very important services in our community."
According to Brown, the city has already conducted a shelter audit, which gives the city an estimate of available shelter space in Spokane. The mayor said those recommendations will be released in the coming weeks.
The address comes just one month after Brown revealed the city of Spokane is facing a $50 million deficit in its 2024 budget. Part of that deficit comes rising costs in public safety, with the police budget rising year after year. Both the mayor and the city council are considering how to make up that deficit, including a levy they claim would raise nearly $200 million over the next five years.
Brown said the most important task for the city is balancing the budget, and believes the community safety levy is the place to start. The levy would tax homeowners $1 for every $1,000 of assessed value.
"We've essentially be living on borrowed funds for the last few years," she said.
Brown released a report documenting her first 100 days in office. To view the report, click here.
"At 100 days in, I want you to know I am honored and energized to have this job, because I love the city and all the people in it are worth it," she said.
WATCH: Spokane 2024 State of the City Address | Full Speech
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