(The Center Square) – Despite reservations, the Spokane Valley City Council agreed to participate in a new regional public safety task force on Tuesday, following its launch without the municipality last month.
The Safe & Healthy Spokane Task Force will offer policy and funding proposals next spring to align the region and bolster its public safety and emergency response systems. The effort follows the failure of a $1.7 billion tax proposal in November 2023 that would have funded the construction of a new jail.
Critics said that the tax would have generated more than enough revenue for the jail without requiring an expansion of the region’s behavioral health response. The task force plans to address that with the help of local officials, medical professionals, service providers and businesses across Spokane County.
Deputy City Manager Erik Lamb was one of the only unconfirmed members when business leaders and local officials launched the effort on September 30. They held the first meeting days later without him, as one council member expressed concerns about protecting local taxpayers from the city of Spokane.
“It’s a very defensible position to say that Spokane, at least right now, is not a reliable or a good regional partner, you know, which is very concerning,” Councilmember Laura Padden said on Tuesday, “so any effort to work with them in this regional effort is fraught with some pitfalls and dangers.”
Councilmember Jessica Yaeger recently expressed distrust of the city of Spokane to The Center Square after Mayor Lisa Brown had sent the Valley and the county a $57 million tax bill. The dispute was over a wastewater facility that the previous mayor had agreed not to impose utility taxes on their residents.
Padden, Yaeger and City Manager John Hohman all cited that concern again on Tuesday, as well as the city of Spokane’s conflict with the region’s emergency dispatch network. According to reporting by The Center Square, Spokane is standing up its own dispatch service with a $100 million price tag attached.
Still, there was a clear consensus among the Valley officials on Tuesday to sit down at the table. Mayor Pam Haley said the task force will likely present an action plan with a tax proposal attached. If voters approve that measure, every city in Spokane County will have to pay up, including Valley taxpayers.
“I want the residents to know that we’ve got your back,” Deputy Mayor Tim Hattenburg said Tuesday. “Our voices will be heard, and we will not approve anything that we don’t think helps our community.”
Tuesday’s discussion appeared as a non-action item on the agenda, but after signaling support across the dais, Hohman said he would notify the planning team of the Valley’s intent to participate.
According to the task force roster, there are no longer any unconfirmed members as of Oct. 21, when it was last updated. While elected officials took part in the planning process, the only ones who actually sit on the task force are judges, with the rest being stakeholders and representatives of the cities.
The members will convene for their next meeting on Oct. 30 after a two-day summit to establish several subcommittees. The roster includes 36 individuals as of the most recent update, most of whom represent law enforcement, the courts and local nonprofits and businesses across the county.
“The only leverage that we have when it comes to the jail is to be able to be there to speak on our behalf, to introduce ideas, to vote against bad ideas or for good ideas,” Councilmember Al Merkel said. “I just don’t see any rational reason to not attend this because it’s going to happen one way or another.”
