Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown discusses budget deficit and homelessness in State of the City speech

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Mayor Lisa Brown discussed the city's budget deficit and her plan to tackle homelessness at the 2024 State of the City on Tuesday morning.

The Mayor's address comes after a recent announcement that the city could face a nearly $50 million budget shortfall at the end of the year.

In an attempt to curb the deficit, she said the city has already cancelled this summer's Fire Academy, and that her administration continues to suggest additional cuts.

"We are making unilateral reductions in the budget, including renegotiating technology contracts and leaving positions vacant," said the Mayor.

Mayor Brown also discussed her administration's plan to address Spokane's growing homelessness crisis. She said her current focus is on the Division Street corridor and connecting unhoused individuals with the services they need.

She said the city had made an agreement with the Washington State Department of Transportation to make the Division Street corridor a zone for "encampment resolution."

"That way with this designation, it frees up additional funds we can use and the model that we're using is a contractor interviews people in the corridor and begins to navigate them to services," said Mayor Brown.

She also mentioned the city's recent receipt of a $1 million opioid settlement, half of which will go toward Spokane Fire Department's CARES program, which responds to behavioral and drug crises around the city.

"This is a team that follows up after an emergency response a person with a substance use disorder to navigate them into appropriate services so they're not back calling 9-1-1 again," said Mayor Brown.

The State of the City took place the morning after Spokane City Council voted to add Mayor Brown's $192.5 million public safety levy to the August ballot.

A majority of the funding would go to Spokane Fire Department and would fund expanded behavioral health response through the city's CARES program, neighborhood resource officers, fleet and equipment upgrades, extreme weather shelters and other public safety projects.

The levy, if passed, would cost property owners an average of $31.42 a month.

Spokane City Treasurer Michael Baumgartner spoke out against the levy after Mayor Brown's Tuesday morning address.

"Senior's can't afford it," said Baumgartner. "It's not surprising that Lisa Brown wants to increase taxes. What is surprising is that the tax increase is so massive and permanent."

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Baumgartner calls for collaborative approach to address city issues

PREVIOUS COVE RAGE: Spokane City Council votes to include public safety levy on August ballot

COPYRIGHT 2024 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.