SPOKANE, Wash. — Mayor Lisa Brown and Spokane City Councilmember Jonathan Bingle took the stage at Spokane County Jail on Thursday to debate the pros and cons of Proposition 1.
If approved, Prop 1 would increase Spokane’s sales tax by one-tenth of a percent to fund community safety initiatives.
The increase would cost an extra dollar for every $1,000 spent.
Mayor Brown originally brought this tax increase to City Council in July for a vote and Councilmember Bingle voted against it.
Mayor Brown said the money generated from the tax would go toward new equipment for the fire department and to reinstate the fire academy, as well as toward bringing back SPD’s Traffic Safety Unit and relaunching the city’s Neighborhood Resource Officer Program.
Councilmember Bingle argued that increasing police officers won’t do any good if there is no room in the jail for them to place people who have been arrested.
“If we added 50 officers on the street tomorrow, you would see a small decrease in crime, because there would be that deterrent factor. But again, until we have an actual jail, a fully coordinated jail, with all the services necessary to house people in crisis, or help people in crisis, then we’re not going to be able to make a serious dent in public safety,” he said.
Mayor Brown said the tax increase is crucial to enhancing community safety in several ways.
“It’s being able to sustain, on the ground, foot and bike patrol presence downtown that we’re putting in place right now. At the same time, it’s telling neighborhoods, ‘You get your Neighborhood Resource Officers back,’ It’s going to create a better system,” she said.
Councilmember Bingle is in favor of drafting a new measure that includes adding a new jail, but Mayor Brown said the city doesn’t have time to wait.
“Our fire academy needs to happen next year because we need that pipeline of firefighters. Our police officers deserve to have the funding that will actually enhance the number of police officers,” she said.
A sales tax increase for a new jail was on the Ballot in 2023, but it did not pass.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Proposition 1: Increased community safety tax for Spokane on November ballot
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