Brian Coddington, Communications Director, 509.625.6740
Monday, May 10, 2021 at 3:55 p.m.
The City of Spokane will receive more than $40 million in federal COVID relief funding this week, the first of two equal installments over two years.
Mayor Nadine Woodward sent a letter to the federal congressional delegation in February requesting the passage of legislation that provided cities with direct, flexible financial resources for our region. The relief funds, which will total nearly $81 million in equal payments of $40.4 million this week and next May, provide substantial flexibility to meet local household, small business, impacted industries, and essential worker needs. City tax revenue decreased 1.75 percent from 2019 to 2020 while expenses increased 2.3 percent.
“This much-needed support helps sustain the delivery of critical services to our community, which has been deeply impacted by rising costs of service and decreasing revenues due to the shutdown of our economy for public health reasons,” Woodward said. “Spokane’s regional economy has been especially damaged due to our large hospitality and medical workforce – the employees whose jobs can’t be done by simply setting up a home office.”
U.S. Treasury Coronavirus State and Local Recovery Fund dollars will be directed to meet community needs following a public process. Federal funding can also be used to expand City programs and services that were curtailed in response to the pandemic budget impact and to invest in critical infrastructure needs.
Spokane County and Spokane Valley, which also signed Woodward’s letter, will also receive a total of $101.5 million and $16 million, respectively, in two equal installments. In addition to these funds, further relief will be arriving in our community under the umbrella of the American Recovery Plan, including direct relief to school districts, service providers, and others.
