Lisa Gardner, City Council Communications Director, 509.625.6226
Wednesday, November 17, 2021 at 2:52 p.m.
Updated November 17, 2021 at 3:25 p.m.
At the upcoming Spokane City Council study session, Council Members will discuss the Administration's Proposed Final Budget. Council Members have already modified the Mayor’s budget to address four major concerns: funding new positions, status of vacancies, use of ARPA funds, and funding for labor agreements.
“With lost revenues, this budget proposes adding over 50 new positions,” says Finance and Administration Chair and Councilmember Betsy Wilkerson. “The city has been unable to fill over two hundred vacant positions that we already have. Also, we must separate American Recovery Plan Act requests from the budgeting process as these are one-time monies not for ongoing salaries. Being fiscally conservative I want to preserve the employees that we have and support them for the work they are doing and have been doing over the last year.”
Another concern of the Council is the Mayor’s proposed budget does not appear to set aside sufficient savings to pay for the numerous labor agreements that will be completed in 2022 and will require substantial back payments and future compensation costs.
“My priorities are to fund core city services, create value for citizens and work with the Administration to identify further savings to fully fund possible new labor agreement obligations,” says Public Safety and Community Health Chair and Councilmember Lori Kinnear.
Over the next few weeks Council will consider feedback and any additional information from the Administration to craft a final budget memo which will be enacted as an amendment to the pending budget proposal no later than December 13, 2021.
The study session will be held on Thursday, November 18th at 11:00 am and is open for public viewing via live stream on Spokane’s CityCable5 or via Spokane City Council’s Facebook page.
View the Spokane City Council Study Session notice.
