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Spokane council approves transfer to cover criminal justice assistance fund deficit amid debate over police wages and state drug-law impacts
Summary
The Spokane City Council voted 5-2 to amend the biennial budget to cover a shortfall in the Criminal Justice Assistance Fund, moving money that will affect police base wages and fund jail costs; councilors debated causes including interfund charge increases and state-level changes to drug laws.
The Spokane City Council on Thursday approved Ordinance C 36 7 56, a special budget amendment to resolve a deficit in the Criminal Justice Assistance Fund, by a 5-2 vote.
Council member Cathcart said she would vote against the ordinance, taking “responsibility in some ways for the deficit” after voting in past years to broaden allowable uses of the fund to homelessness-related programs and noting the result was an erosion of the fund’s balance. She said, “the proposed solution essentially takes the dollars from the base wages of police.”
The ordinance…
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