(The Center Square) – Spokane COPS, a local police nonprofit, won’t receive funding next year under Mayor Lisa Brown’s proposed 2025-2026 budget. The city council has a plan, but it requires $200,000.
Spokane Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, started serving the community in 1992, running several shops with about 20 volunteers, four paid staff and about $500,000. The city and the Department of Corrections provide annual funding, but next year things will change.
COPS didn’t make it into Brown’s biennial budget, and Executive Director Jeff Johnson said they might have to close because of it. The administration wants to put out a Request for Proposals, making the process competitive, but that’ll take time, more than COPS can afford.
Council President Betsy Wilkerson and Councilmember Michael Cathcart want to buy the nonprofit some more time. Both are proposing that the administration provide $200,000 for a four-month extension, according to a Nov. 25 Finance & Administration committee agenda.
“If the extension is not executed by the mayor by December 9, 2024, the resolution authorizes the council president to execute the extension,” according to the agenda. “Administration is requested to complete a procurement process for similar services by May 1, 2025.”
The proposal comes after dozens of Spokanites testified during Monday’s council meeting to support continued funding for Spokane COPS as the Brown Administration pushes for an RFP.
Johnson told The Center Square that he wasn’t aware of any organization that provided a similar service. He understands Brown is trying to balance the deficit while remaining fair, but the nonprofit has served the community for over 30 years; he thinks they deserve the contract.
A four-month extension would provide him with some extra time and funding to continue until the RFP wraps up, but there is the issue of where the money would come from.
Spokane Communications Director Erin Hut told The Center Square that the funding for the RFP could come from staff vacancy savings at the city, but that won’t cover the extension; according to the agenda, the council hasn’t identified where the $200,00 will come from.
The nonprofit’s current contract expires on Dec. 31, so the council and administration need to act fast. The officials are slated to finish amendments and adopt a 2025-2026 budget on Dec. 9, so they need to identify the funding by then, or Spokane COPS may face an unfortunate reality.
Councilmember Jonathan Bingle wants to continue funding the organization without a $200,000 four-month extension. He wants to provide complete funding for 2025, as the current contract allows for two 1-year renewals, but said he’d potentially vote for the extension if his amendment fails.
Johnson said Spokane COPS initially requested $475,000 for next year.
Councilmember Paul Dillon told The Center Square he also supports the extension, meaning if he, Cathcart, Wilkerson and Bingle all vote yes, the resolution will pass by majority. However, Dillon has some questions about the nonprofit’s finances.
According to Spokane COPS’ 2022 tax exemption filing, the role of executive director comes with a salary of approximately $120,000.
“The administration is still reviewing the resolution and its contents,” Hut wrote in a statement, “but the mayor does support the concept of collaboration between police and community to improve safety and leveraging volunteer support in those efforts.”
