(The Center Square) – When Jeff Johnson walked into city hall on Monday, he knew the future of his organization lay in the hands of the seven elected officials before him, but he left with a chance to show its worth.
Johnson, executive director of Spokane Community Oriented Policing Services, or Spokane COPS, made his case during Monday’s city council meeting. The nonprofit faced the chopping block in Mayor Lisa Brown’s 2025-26 budget proposal, but now they have three more months.
Spokane COPS has operated alongside the community and police for over thirty years, relying on hundreds of volunteers and a handful of paid staff. On Monday, a rally followed Johnson in support, with one claiming it provides the city with a $17 return on every tax dollar spent.
Over a dozen testified, calling on the council to continue funding. Some, along with the administration, are concerned about the nonprofit’s finances, locations being inaccessible and its metrics; however, the volunteers and supporters argued otherwise, pleading for a chance.
“We’re not loaded by any means, nor are we sitting on any sort of an egg nest,” Johnson said. “In fact, we’ve been going backward.”
He argued that Spokane COPS, due to reduced funding from the city, had to cut two paid victim advocates, and while some programs lost financial backing, volunteers continued the work. He disputed claims the nonprofit wasn’t providing metrics, echoing others who preached its value.
Spokane allocates upwards of $500,000 annually for the nonprofit, which used to be a sole source contract, meaning it didn’t have to compete for the funds. According to a 2022 tax filing, the most recently available, Johnson’s position came with a salary of around $120,000.
He addressed the concern Monday, noting that three years later, the amount is about $30,000 less, with much of the remaining funding put toward other paid employees. Brown wants to make him compete for funding through a Request for Proposals, or RFP, as most contracts do.
“I got a request from the city asking for a copy of our 2023 insurance information,” Johnson said. “What for? I’m sure you asked that for all of your other vendors.”
Councilmember Michael Cathcart raised concerns about asking for metrics, not because the data isn’t valuable, but for reasons similar to what Johnson stated. Cathcart has asked the city to do a financial audit on their other contractual obligations, mainly homelessness, for five years.
The next day, Councilmember Lili Navarrete called for those same metrics around homeless service providers. While an advocate of the homeless community, she said the taxpayer deserves to own the value of what they’re paying for, down to how every dollar is spent.
“I’m still struggling to get access to data that shows what’s been occurring over those five years,” Cathcart said. “To talk about metrics in this way is a little bit hypocritical when we are not providing those metrics on all our other contractual relationships.”
Brown’s budget proposal included $450,000 for a community policing service through 2026, essentially cutting funding in half. Councilmember Kitty Klitzke expressed interest in Spokane COPS expanding its funding model so it’s not almost entirely reliant on local tax dollars.
An RFP and increased reporting would allow the city to track its investment and provide the best value to residents, but Johnson feels like the city is questioning his integrity. The nonprofit’s current contract expires at the end of 2024, meaning it may close for good if it doesn’t win the RFP.
However, Cathcart and the volunteers questioned the outcome of the RFP, adding that Spokane COPS is a one-of-a-kind service. Councilmember Jonathan Bingle thinks the nonprofit is approaching the end of its life, not because of value but because of the budget.
The extension approved on Monday will allow Spokane COPS to continue operating for another three months with $125,000. The proposal would have provided $200,000 for four months, but an amendment approved during the briefing meeting saw that trimmed down.
After the extension, whoever wins the RFP will have around $325,000 for the next two years, far less than Spokane COPS currently operates under for a single year alone. Klitzke said it’s time to start accepting donations. She supports the nonprofit but values a fair, competitive process.
“I think that every single one of your volunteers and board members have lots and lots of friends that could also help out getting through this bridge funding,” Klitzke said. “But we are doing what we can in the budget restrictions that we have right now.”
