(The Center Square) – After nearly two years in office, Mayor Lisa Brown reflected on the state of the city on Monday during an address to the Spokane City Council, drawing criticism from residents present.
The 30-minute speech highlighted the administration’s efforts over the past year amid ongoing budget gaps. Despite balancing a $25 million deficit in her first year in office, Brown faces another $13 million shortfall heading into 2026, which she attributes to uncertainty with President Donald Trump’s policies.
However, sales tax growth began plateauing long before Trump won the 2024 election. Voters allowed Brown to raise taxes last November after she said the shortfall could result in job losses across public safety. Last week, she sent an email noting that about 30 to 50 employees’ jobs are currently at risk.
“Closing the deficit, estimated right now at $13 million, will be challenging, but I believe we can do it while minimizing impacts to both the services our residents rely on and the staff who deliver those services,” Brown said on Monday. “We will address our budget while keeping community safety at the forefront.”
She claimed the Spokane Police Department may be able to fill all of its funded positions by May and applauded cuts that helped bridge the last deficit. One of those measures was closing the city’s largest homeless shelter, which cost taxpayers about $1 million per month to operate, in favor of a new idea.
Brown praised the rollout of her scattered-site shelter model on Monday. Each facility supports about 30 individuals at a time instead of hundreds. These shelters currently provide about 209 beds, but that still results in a net loss compared to the hundreds of beds eliminated by closing the Trent shelter.
Recent surveying efforts recorded a decrease in unsheltered homelessness in January. Still, critics argue this is likely because it’s hard to track people from the Trent shelter since it closed. Local law used to require the city to replace beds eliminated through shelter closures, but the council repealed that rule when it passed Brown’s proposed HOME ordinance, which overhauled the response to homelessness.
“I hold Mayor Lisa Brown responsible for much of this mess,” Spokanite Will Hulings testified on Monday. “Since taking office and shutting down the Trent shelter, downtown Spokane has spiraled out of control.”
The council also replaced the city’s camping ban in June with a proposal from Brown that allows people to avoid citations if they move down the street or accept services. Police Chief Kevin Hall recently said that SPD hadn’t cited anyone or issued any referrals, arguing that the ban is unenforceable as written.
Brown said amendments are on the way to address the issue. Brad Barnett, president of the Spokane Business Association, called on the mayor to enforce the rule of law during his testimony. The SBA and other groups are fed up with the crisis downtown and emphasize accountability through enforcement.
Another resident, Earl Moore, agreed, arguing that the homelessness crisis isn’t improving; instead, it is moving around the city and occupying viaducts. She criticized the mayor for expanding her cabinet despite ongoing budget challenges, compounded by conflicts with regional public safety partners.
“Some of you on this council believe that the homelessness in our city [has] improved. You are sorely mistaken,” she said. “You’re creating havoc. My goodness, you have created so much havoc in this city.”
