Ignoring the advice of Spokane’s mayor, voters overwhelmingly approved a $5.8 million-a-year tax that will pay for more police and firefighters. Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart said voters decision to tax themselves reflected what he had heard from neighborhoods for the last several years. “I’m thankful the citizens voted for this because it’s always hard to vote for a tax,” said Stuckart, a candidate for mayor. The tax will allow the city to hire 20 new police officers and maintain 30 recently-hired firefighters currently funded by a federal grant about to expire. In the first count of votes Tuesday night, about 64 percent of voters approved the measure. The measure needed only a simple majority to pass. The proposal divided city government, with most of the Spokane City Council supporting it and Mayor David Condon opposing it.