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Spokane warns two‑month shortfall in Criminal Justice Assistance Fund as county jail charges outpace revenue
Summary
City finance staff said the Criminal Justice Assistance Fund—fed by the state's 0.1% criminal justice sales tax—has been used for other purposes and now cannot cover escalating county detention charges; the city currently lacks cash to pay approximately two months of jail bills (about $1.3 million).
City finance staff told the council that charges allocated by Spokane County for detention services are rising faster than the state criminal justice sales tax revenues that fund the city's Criminal Justice Assistance Fund. Jessica Stratton, a city finance official, described the Criminal Justice Assistance Fund (established 2007 and funded by the state's 0.1 percent criminal justice sales tax) as the primary source used to pay the city's share of county jail bills. Stratton said the fund built a healthy balance over time but was used for other lawful purposes—police Axon equipment, electronic monitoring, interpreter costs…
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