Spokane voters will decide on a $5.8 million-a-year levy to pay for firefighters and police, a tax that six of the seven members of the City Council support but Spokane’s mayor opposes.
The levy would collect 30 cents for every $1,000 of assessed value, or $60 for a $200,000 home, and would pay for 30 firefighters, 20 police officers and other crime prevention services.
Citing slower growth in sales tax collections, City Council President Ben Stuckart said the city may not be able to continue budgeting for 10 new police officers a year without a new tax. He said the area could be heading for an economic slowdown and there might not be extra money to invest in public safety.
But Mayor David Condon, who opposes the proposal, said if the city needs more officers and firefighters, it should use existing resources to pay for them.
“We shouldn’t be taxing our citizens more if we think we’re going into a recession,” he said.