Council OKs budget
During a Spokane City Council Legislative Session on Dec. 9, the council voted to adopt the 2025-26 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,” City Council President Betsy Wilkerson said in a news release. “… We are committed to maintaining a service-oriented approach regarding our neighborhoods, parks, public safety, infrastructure, and the overall health of our city.”
Items from the budget that were described as “wins” for both the council and administration include:
- Funding RV abandonment towing and disposal
- Allocation of $3.2 million to fire department overtime during the biennium
- Funding three additional Code Enforcement positions for litter control and incorporating a downtown four-person team
The council also voted to approve the C.O.P.S. contract extension for three months to March 31 at $125,000. The administration is requested to complete a procurement process for similar community policing services by April 1.
This budget took effect Jan. 1.
Participation changes
The City Council on Dec. 9 approved amended rules of procedure that provide more opportunities for community members to weigh in on policy proposals.
Under the new rules, which began at the start of the year, community members will be able to give verbal testimony at the council’s regular standing committee meetings. Those meetings will be held at noon Mondays, and testimony will be open in-person and virtually. Sign-up instructions will be included on the committee agendas, which are posted online.
“I’m excited about the new weekly opportunities to hear from community members,” said City Council President Betsey Wilkerson. “Community stakeholder feedback is critical for creating good policy, and these new rules allow us to hear from folks earlier and more frequently in the legislative process, ultimately allowing us to create legislation that better meets community needs.”
The revised rules will provide an opportunity for written public comment to be included in final legislative agenda packets.
To be included in the agenda packet, written testimony must meet the following criteria:
- Be delivered via email at testimony@spokanecity.org
- Include a title that clearly identifies the agenda item(s) to which the commenter is submitting testimony (e.g., “Written Testimony on Resolution 2025-0001”).
- Include the name of the submitter;
- Be limited to 250 total words, excluding the email sender name, recipient, date and subject line; and
- Be received in the testimony@spokanecity.org inbox no later than 5 p.m. the Wednesday preceding the legislative meeting on which the item is to appear on an agenda.
Church vandalism decried
City Council members Paul Dillon and Lili Navarrete of District 2 issued statements in response to vandalism of the Plymouth Congregational Church located in Spokane’s South Hill Neighborhood over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The church’s electronic sign tells passersby along Walnut Street that “We stand with Israel.” But the message had been vandalized with graffiti declaring Israel’s actions in Palestine a “genocide.”
“While we support the exchange of ideas and philosophies, the destruction of any property, including religious or sacred property, is unacceptable,” Dillon wrote. “… These types of crimes negatively impact the entire community and affect many people’s perceived safety, inclusion, and ability to participate freely in the Spokane Community’s civic sphere.”
Navarrete said: “The recent vandalism at Plymouth Congregational Church is not only disturbing but despicable … Places of worship should be sanctuaries of peace and acceptance, and such acts of vandalism can cause deep emotional pain to those who find solace within those walls. We stand united in our call for justice and urge anyone with information to come forward.”