Spokane Valley manager outlines preliminary 2026 budget with heavy public-safety spending

City Manager John Holman presented the Spokane Valley preliminary 2026 budget to the City Council on Oct. 14, describing a plan that holds recurring revenues slightly above recurring expenditures, preserves a healthy fund balance and channels most new recurring spending to public safety.

Holman said the city’s total projected revenues for 2026 are about $129 million and total expenditures about $134 million, with the gap covered largely by planned drawdowns from reserves for one-time capital projects. “As the preliminary budget shows right now, our general fund recurring revenues exceed our recurring expenditures by about $121,000,” Holman said.

Holman emphasized fiscal policies the council has followed for years: maintain a minimum general fund ending balance of roughly 50% of recurring expenditures and minimize long-term debt. He told the council the city’s…