County Sheriff: Brown’s public safety tax will make Spokane more dangerous

(The Center Square) - The City of Spokane and Spokane County are going head to head at the ballot this November, each hoping to pass its own tax measure.

Illegal drug use, homelessness and violent crime are among the top concerns to public safety in both Spokane and unincorporated areas of Spokane County. The jails and juvenile facilities are all dated, underfunded and at capacity for the most part, leaving a lack of options.

Both municipalities intend to pass their own sales taxes this year; however, the county’s is a simple renewal of its Juvenile Detention Facility & Jails Sales Tax, while the city’s Community Safety Sales Tax is an entirely new measure that would impose an additional cost on taxpayers.

If passed, the county’s renewal would maintain its current level of funding at roughly $15 million annually for the maintenance and operations of its detention facilities. The sales tax costs consumers $1 for every $1,000 spent. It generated $101.7 million from 2016 to 2023, according to internal documents, with about 46% going toward the adult facilities.

Mayor Lisa Brown’s proposal calls for the same $1 for every $1,000 spent, but the county would receive 15%. Still, the city expects the measure to generate about $7.7 million annually, meaning the county would only receive around $1.15 million.

Brown’s measure comes as the Spokane faces a $50 million structural deficit heading into next year. She hopes the sales tax will plug some of the holes after she pulled another proposal from the August ballot due to several concerns and a general lack of support.

If the county fails to pass its renewal, but the city passes its increase, Detention Services, which is used by both, could face upwards of a 92% funding cut. Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels told The Center Square that this would undoubtedly make matters worse for everyone.

“I get that she’s trying to cover a huge budget shortfall,” Nowels said, “but Mayor Brown taking one-tenth of this 1% is really going to reduce the county’s capacity to do the whole broad spectrum of what needs to be done in this community to improve public safety.”

Last November, the county failed to garner enough support to pass another tax measure that would have funded the construction of a new jail, which both municipalities desperately need. Nowels said he’s talked with the Spokane Police Department multiple times, including Interim Chief Justin Lundgren, who’s transferring to the Sheriff’s Office, about the lack of capacity.

However, the county still has some options on the table, including expanding the language of this tax renewal to include the financing and construction of new facilities, which is consistent with state law ; and according to recent meetings, the county’s elected officials intend to do so.

The renewal will likely never amount to enough to build a new jail. However, it could be used for various capital needs to expand its current capacity and replace sections of existing facilities.

According to The Spokesman-Review, around 2,700 felony offenders were released from jail without posting bail over the last three years, of which over 200 were accused of crimes such as rape, murder and child molestation. Nowels said this is directly related to a lack of capacity.

Still, Brown’s proposed increase lacks guardrails to ensure that the revenue is only used for public safety purposes, such as law enforcement funding, detention facilities and the like. Instead, the city’s news release said it would use the money for replacing outdated vehicles, neighborhood resource officers and “community resilience,” which could include traffic calming projects.

“If Lisa Brown supported [the failed measure] and we got that passed,” Nowels said, “she would be receiving just about as much money into the city’s coffers as she’s getting by taking this one-tenth of 1%, and she’d have a jail.”

The county’s renewal and the city’s proposed measure still require approval from the city council and Spokane County Board of County Commissioners before they can go on the November ballot.

Nowels said if the county fails and Brown succeeds, violent crime will increase, and the region as a whole will suffer the consequences.