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City begins implementing public safety sales tax: three neighborhood resource officers placed; fire and court investments being scoped
Summary
City staff said collection of the public safety sales tax begins in April. Initial steps include placing three neighborhood resource officers, scoping fire rig purchases, and continuing funding for municipal court community justice services.
Maggie Yates gave a brief implementation update on the community safety sales tax at the March 3 Public Safety Committee meeting. She said official collections do not start until April, but the administration has begun to use vacancy savings and other short‑term measures to start investments promised to voters.
Yates said the Spokane Police Department has placed three neighborhood resource officers (NROs) as an initial step: one each in the Northeast and Northwest neighborhoods, and one shared between the downtown and South precincts. The city plans to stagger hiring until the full complement of seven NROs is reached so that patrol and other units are not negatively impacted during backfill.
The fire department is finalizing specifications, costs and delivery timelines for apparatus that will be funded through the tax. Municipal Court and community justice services will continue operations, Yates said, thanks to secured sales tax funding that preserves that department’s staffing and programs.
Council members asked whether a broader multi‑year strategic plan for expenditure would be released; Yates said work is underway and staff will share updates as plans develop. The ombuds program (listed as a funding pillar) is working through staffing and training and expects to begin program expansion once tax collections start in April.
