SPOKANE, Wash. – Mayor Lisa Brown declared a state of emergency in response to the opioid crisis on Tuesday. The City Council passed a resolution Thursday which partially approved the mayor’s order, but also made clear that council members want Brown’s office to observe certain limits.
The resolution opens by affirming the state of emergency, which will allow the city to allocate additional resources to respond to addiction and housing issues in Spokane.
However, the council also said that the mayor shouldn’t use general municipal funds or residual federal COVID-19 response dollars.
“Neither the mayor nor her delegate will enter into any agreement or contract that requires…the reallocation or commitment of general fund dollars or funds received by the City under the American Rescue Plan Act,” the resolution states.
While Brown’s executive order did contain language delineating her ability to direct additional resources to opioid addiction response, it did not specifically mention general funding or the American Rescue Plan Act.
