Mayor Brown, Council President Wilkerson propose sunset provision for

Mayor Brown, Council President Wilkerson propose sunset provision for Community Safety sales tax proposal

Erin Hut, Communications Director, 509.625.6740

Thursday, September 12, 2024 at 10:17 a.m.

Mayor Lisa Brown and Council President Wilkerson announced Thursday their intentions to establish a Community Safety Fund and a 10-year sunset provision for the proposed Community Safety measure.

The proposed sales tax, set at one-tenth of one percent, would generate funds for vital investments in the City of Spokane's community safety system.

If passed by voters, this sales tax would cost Spokane residents and visitors about $1 for every $1,000 they spend with necessities like food and prescription drugs exempted. The tax would generate an estimated $7.7 million annually with 15 percent of funds going to Spokane County.

Mayor Brown and Council President Wilkerson are proposing the roughly $6.5 million collected each year by the City of Spokane be put into a dedicated Community Safety Fund to increase transparency and segregate the use of the funds exclusively for improving community safety.

The Brown Administration intends to use those to funds to re-launch the Spokane Police Department's Neighborhood Resource Officer, stand up a traffic safety unit, replace the Spokane Fire Department's outdated vehicles and equipment, reinstate the Fire Academy, increase staffing in the Office of the Police Ombuds, and sustain Municipal Court operations to reduce strain on the jail, failure to appear rates, and re-arrest.

"By proposing a sunset provision on this sales tax proposal, we ensure it is only in place when truly necessary. My administration has made significant progress reducing our structural budget deficit outside of this proposed sales tax, but implementing it for the next few years will ensure our ability to make new public safety investments our community wants," Mayor Brown said.

"This proposal will ensure transparency, accountability, and the opportunity to give taxpayers confidence that this potential sales tax will be carefully reviewed and justified in its use," Council President Wilkerson said.

Establishment of the Community Safety Fund and the sunset provision must be done via City ordinance. The proposal is set to go before the Spokane City Council in the coming weeks.

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