Brown Administrtion announces two new cost-saving measures

Brown Administrtion announces two new cost-saving measures

Erin Hut, [email protected]

Wednesday, September 4, 2024 at 11 a.m.

Mayor Lisa Brown on Wednesday announced two new proposals to continue eliminating the City of Spokane's structural budget deficit.

Following positive conversations with Managerial and Professional (M&P) Association leadership, Mayor Brown is proposing a voluntary retirement incentive for City employees who meet specific criteria.

The agreement would provide a lump sum incentive contribution into an HRA/VEBA account for employees with specific City service credits:

• $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

Employees would be able to use these funds to continue their medical and dental plans under COBRA, pay for premiums for private medical or dental coverage, or pay for any other allowable expense under the terms of the HRA/VEBA plan.

If approved by the City Council, those taking advantage of the voluntary retirement incentive would need to apply by 5 p.m. on October 11, 2024. Approved employees would be required to separate from the City no later than December 3, 2024.

The additional cost-saving measure implemented by the Brown Administration is a six-month freeze of the 2025 cost-of-living-adjustments (COLAs) for Cabinet members.

These new proposals are just part of a variety of cost-saving measures already implemented by the Brown Administration, including:

• Voluntary retirement incentive for eligible Spokane Police officers

• Renegotiated IT contracts

• Elimination of the Reprographics Department

• Elimination of vacant positions deemed no longer needed

• Mandatory Cabinet furlough days

• Updated revenue forecasts based on actuals of 2024

As a result of these measures, the Brown Administration has already reduced the structural deficit from $25 million to $14 million, as of September 1.

"When I took office, I made a commitment to our residents to manage the City of Spokane's finances responsibly, and today's updated projection is a testament to that promise," Mayor Brown said. "Through careful planning and tough decisions, we have managed to bring our budget closer to balance and are continuing our work to ensure we get fully back on track."

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