Proposed Spokane Valley sales tax to boost police moves a step closer to voters
But the members of the public who spoke at Tuesday's meeting shared a wide range of reasons they support, and oppose, the effort to place a .01% sales tax measure on the ballot this fall to secure funding for an increase in the city's law enforcement.
Spokane Valley has long been considered a conservative stronghold, electing predominantly Republican or Republican-backed candidates to the city council and the state Legislature since the mid-1990s. City leadership has taken the fiscal and law enforcement aspects of the ideology to heart, highlighted by the council's 16-year-streak of voting against property tax increases and its ongoing efforts to bolster the Spokane Valley Police Department.
Those values have come head-to-head as the city enters phase two of its bid to hire more deputies dedicated to Spokane Valley. They'd like to hire four patrol deputies, a behavioral health deputy, a school resource officer and a sexual assault detective that would split time with the sheriff's office, but need to secure a funding source.
The council held a public hearing Tuesday on the plan for a funding source: a .01% sales tax within city limits that would generate an estimated $2.6 million annually. The city council voted 6-1 to advance an ordinance that would put the measure on the ballot for the August 5 primary election, but a final call on whether the question will be put to the voters won't be made until April 15.
If approved, the measure would increase the city's sales tax to 9% as of January 1, 2026, and the revenue generated would be dedicated to costs associated with providing public safety services, including "adding new police officers; paying public safety operations, maintenance and capital; providing for law enforcement staffing and retention," according to the current draft of the measure.
State law does allow for a portion of the proceeds to go to other city costs, which is noted in the draft.
Noticeably missing from the current iteration of the proposition is a sunset date for the tax. Councilman Al Merkel appeared to take issue with the omission of an end date and said he believes the city should find other ways to cover the costs, like cutting other services, before putting it to the voters to decide.
He is supportive of the efforts to bolster dedicated police staffing by 25 deputies called for in a consultant's 2023 analysis but believes those additions should be funded in their entirety first, then the city can find necessary cuts in the budgeting process.
"Policing is the one critical service that the city provides, and we should fully fund it with the revenues that we have now and then come to the citizens if we need revenues for like-to-haves, instead of needs," Merkel said.
Merkel's peers expressed a desire to have voters decide if they would be willing to foot the bill for additional law enforcement positions. Councilman Ben Wick said he opposes additional cuts to city services and highlighted the limited options to secure funding necessary to boost police staffing.
The council redirected funding from streets, city staffing and parks projects to hire 10 new dedicated deputies last year, and could look to end the city's pool and swim programs, parks maintenance and economic development efforts to fund the next round of officers if the measure does not pass, said Deputy City Manager Erik Lamb.
Other options to secure the funding would include property or utility tax increases, or additional business license fees, according to a city staff report.
"There are a number of other priorities that we're trying to accomplish for the city; economic development, for instance, helps all of our other jurisdictions," Wick said. "The property taxes for the library, fire: all of those are done and increased because of our economic development."
Mayor Pam Haley echoed Wick's sentiment, highlighting that the city's aquatics program helps save lives, and that she does not want to be forced to make cuts to it.
Members of the public who testified at the meeting in opposition to the measure were disgruntled with paying additional taxes in the city, while others cited concerns that additional police staffing would not address the city's public safety needs.
Those in the former crowd said they'd like to see the city find additional cost cutting measures, while those in the latter shared a desire to see investments addressing underlying contributors to criminal behavior, like a lack of housing, jobs and social services.
Pat Dempsey, vice chair of the citizen's advisory board at the sheriff's office, was one of few who testified in support of the measure. She said she also would like investments made in regional services for homeless people and those struggling with addiction, which is why she appreciates that one of the proposed deputy positions would be paired with a social worker.
"This is a way that we help support our homeless, which is one of our biggest issues in this county, in the city, is to help bring the support to the actual people that are homeless," Dempsey said. "These combinations of social workers and deputies together are doing a great job."
Councilman Rod Higgins reiterated for the public and his peers that Tuesday's vote only advanced the proposal to a second reading next week as the board continues to mull it over.
"Let's not get ahead of our skis here," Higgins said.
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