SPOKANE, Wash. – Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown released plans that would incentivize city workers to retire voluntarily.
The proposed plan would be for a certain criteria of city employees who voluntarily retire and meet specific criteria.
City employees that would qualify for this are:
$10,000 for employees with at least 10 but less than 15 years of service $15,000 for employees with at least 15 but less than 20 years of service $20,000 (maximum) for employees with 20 years or more of service
The incentive is available to be applied for by Oct. 11 by 5 p.m. and would be required to leave their position by Dec. 3.
This plan would help the Brown administration address the budget deficit the city is currently under.
Another way the Brown administration is tackling the budget issues is with a six-month freeze of the 2025 cost-of-living-adjustments for Spokane’s cabinet members.
These two new efforts also work in tandem with cost saving efforts that are already in place like retirement incentives for Spokane Police officers and removing vacant positions deemed no longer needed.
The Brown administration says the result of these measures is cutting the deficit by $11 million dollars as of Sept. 1.
