Spokane mayor proposes $2.89 billion city budget

Spokane’s proposed 2027-28 budget totals $2.89 billion, with public safety, housing and economic development receiving top billing. Mayor Lisa Brown’s plan seeks to close a $90M shortfall in the general fund while maintaining city staffing. Higher collections from sales and property taxes help support the proposal.

The plan projects revenue growth of 11 percent alongside a 13 percent increase in spending. Public safety measures include patrol teams traveling downtown by bicycle and on foot. It also funds continued work by the Spokane Safe and Healthy Task Force and would form a new city office focused on measuring results and improving operations.

Brown’s proposal builds on community-safety efforts that include crisis outreach, the return of neighborhood resource officers and restoration of the traffic safety team. The final version does not include preliminary reductions involving the HEART program. Spokane City Council members will examine the proposal next before deciding on the city’s spending plan for the upcoming cycle.