SPOKANE, Wash. – Mayor Lisa Brown wants a new public safety levy to be considered by voters in August. City Council is set to vote on whether the levy will appear on the August ballot late Monday.
According to the mayor’s office, the proposed levy would lift the current levy lid by $1 per $1,000 in assessed property value on Spokane properties. The city estimates that this will lead to a $31.42 monthly charge for the median homeowner.
Brown’s office states that the lift would fund the replacement of a fleet of fire department vehicles, reinstate the department’s fire academy, increase Spokane Police Department bike and foot patrols, in addition to launching or restarting several behavioral health programs.
Beyond the fire and police departments, the funding would purportedly increase staffing for the Office of the Police Ombudsman and the parks department.
An additional funding boost for electric home monitoring is also included in the mayoral proposal.
It has been a difficult year for levy proposals in the broader Spokane region, However,
City Council will discuss a resolution to add the levy to the August ballot starting at 6pm tonight.
