Lisa Gardner, City Council Communications Director, 509.625.6226
Tuesday, December 10, 2024 at 7:53 a.m.
During Monday’s Legislative Session, Spokane City Council voted to adopt the 2025-2026 Biennial City Budget and gave a final vote on the Community-Oriented Policing Services (C.O.P.S).
“Together with the Administration, we have finally agreed on a budget most reflective of our shared priorities,” said Council President Betsy Wilkerson. “Moving our budget to a biennial budget required us to think long-term about revenues, expenditures, and forecasts; therefore, it required diligent focus on advancing sustainable initiatives while being stringent on necessary drawbacks. Both the Council and Administration have worked diligently to prioritize the needs of the people of Spokane in our budget decisions. We are committed to maintaining a service-oriented approach regarding our neighborhoods, parks, public safety, infrastructure, and the overall health of our city.”
Key items from the budget that were wins for both Council and Administration include:
Also, during the Legislative Session, Council voted on the C.O.P.S contract, approving the contract extension for three months to March 31, 2025, at $125,000. The administration is requested to complete a procurement process for similar community policing services by April 1, 2025.
“This budget is our negotiated best effort to achieve public safety and acceptable service levels when we have less funds to work with,” said Council Member Kitty Klitzke. “I feel confident that C.O.P.S will continue to thrive as we support them through this transition to diversify funding services. Overall, responsible spending has been the focal point of this biennium budget, and we achieved that with the hard work of both the Council and the administration.”
This biennial budget will take effect on January 1, 2025, and encompasses 2025 and 2026. After January 1, the Council will look to the administration to implement the approved budget.
About the Spokane City Council
The City Council is the legislative body of the City of Spokane, which is home to more than 220,000 people and is located in the heart of the Inland Northwest. The City’s 2,000 employees strive to deliver efficient and effective services that facilitate economic opportunity and enhance the quality of life for all our citizens. For more information, visit SpokaneCity.org/CityCouncil/ and follow us @SpokaneCityCouncil on Facebook.
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