Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward reached out to elected officials from Spokane County and other area municipalities earlier this week to establish conversations about the impact of the City’s utility tax. City Council President Breean Beggs has also had initial communication with counterparts in other jurisdictions and has committed to joining the discussions when they are scheduled.
Spokane County, Spokane Valley, Millwood, and Liberty Lake all recently sent letters to the City of Spokane about its municipal code that levies a utility tax on users of the wastewater facility located within the city limits. The City of Spokane has not made any demands or specific collections proposals to date and is interested in discussing potential outcomes that might result in mutual regional benefit. In response to press releases issued this week by Spokane County, Spokane Valley, and Liberty Lake, Woodward and Beggs issued the following joint statement:
“We have both suggested that the interested parties sit down together and discuss a regional solution that benefits our collective communities. There are many regional challenges we are working on as partners and this conversation is an opportunity to put together our collective interests and wisdom in the interest of a better quality of life that benefits everyone.”
