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October 11, 2010 in City
Mayor tries to stay upbeat amid tough economic times
Spokane Mayor Mary Verner accentuated the positive Monday in her annual state of the city speech to City Council.
But the mayor choked up briefly when her speech hit on the gloomy news that has dominated city hall in recent weeks – the 120 pink slips recently distributed to city employees.
“Those are real people,” she said in a brief interview after the speech. “I knew almost everybody on the list.”
The city forecasts a $12 million deficit for 2011. City officials have asked unions to give up their pay raises next year and to pay more for their health insurance to prevent layoffs. So far, no unions have agreed.
“We remain hopeful that our bargaining units will agree to give up pay raises for next year,” Verner said in her speech. “But we are prepared to move forward with the less-desirable deeper cuts.”
In her half hour speech, Verner discussed the city’s efforts to attract businesses, plans to create a new police evidence building without new taxes, the City Council’s decision to strengthen the police ombudsman position, progress made on street paving projects, the extension of bike lanes, improvements to the city’s recycling program, efforts to continue helping economic development initiatives within the city’s neighborhoods and changes to make the city’s permitting process easier.
Verner noted that 57 percent of the city’s general fund budget pays for public safety, making it extremely difficult to avoid cuts in police and fire services – which she said remains the city’s top priorities.
“The shortfall cannot define Spokane,” she said. “What we do to surmount this obstacle will define Spokane.”
MAC faces angry crowd 
west on October 11 at 8:56 p.m.
Wow…60 percent of all revenue city takes in goes for salaries in public safety. Not much left over..remaining city employees get probably 30 percent…and 10 percent for capital improvements, like road repair. I think a $200,000,000 bond to pay city salaries is coming next. Ya, borrow money to pay people. City Unions own, control, and and dictate to Verner and council.
nitro71 on October 11 at 9:18 p.m.
But she’s proud of bike lanes. I think it’s time to get rid of her…
RADICAL on October 11 at 9:26 p.m.
City employees are fat. They’ve received annual raises totaling near 25% over the last five years, and are due another one now. Not to mention all the other bennies you wouldn’t see in the private sector.
Note all the layoffs are in the general budget domain, Police, Fire, Streets. Nothing mentioned or planned for Garbage, Sewer, or Wastewater, departments historically overstaffed and underworked. Payed for by surcharge taxes on utilities exceeding 30%.
Working for the City was great, as was retiring at 50 like all my friends there. I’m just glad I don’t live there and have to pay for the waste.
lewis8457 on October 11 at 11:30 p.m.
“Plans to create a new police evidence building without new taxes”, sure they already bought the building it is part of the 12 million deficit.
“The City Council’s decision to strengthen the police ombudsman position” pure BS the guild never OK the request so Ombudsman has no more powers then he had when the guild first neutered him.
More smoke city hall is good at blowing smoke.
While our 100 grand a year cops shoot innocent citizens even though their highly specialized training that makes them so damn valuable fails every time to stop them from pulling there gun and shooting from the hip, like in the old west. And then their co-harts the fire boys get to earn rock star wages to work a 3-day week. With 14 firehouses 300 full time fire fighters and only 70 annual fires our SFD heroes have to fight over the couch in the ready room on a daily basis. Or who gets to drive the 300 thousand dollar 4 ton fire truck that gets 2 miles to the gallon to zips to pick up lunch.
Of course they always cut police and fire first after that libraries and pools. Those items get the taxpayers ears up and alert no protection oh my here is more money. Who wants to bet we wont see more then 3 cops laid off after this is all said and done and no fireman will be laid off.
There is plenty of revenue they simply are too lazy to go after, so the hell with them I figure.
There are plenty of great cops at the SPD sadly we never get to see them but I am sure they are there and I know there are some real heroes at the SFD but we simply can not afford to pay our protection personnel roc star wages, with no end in site.
Dazzeetrader11 on October 12 at 12:44 a.m.
She created a fresh $5.5 million in debt ( to date) when she bought that old rat trap on Gardner. She left a modern building with more sq ft the police could have stayed in for 5 years for a flat $1.2 miilion total!. Who does she think she’s kidding.
She needs to resign as she is unfit to be the Mayor.
The best part is that she bought that old rat’s next to house the Municipal court. Only thing is that she didn’t check with the judges first. They refused to have court in that old building so after $200 K just to lease an empty building she bought it to cover her tracks because she wanted to be re-elected. It’s make one shake your head in disgust. KREM even ran a 2 days special on this mess. She was told in advance how much money she’d lose. What did she do? She had her friends Rush, Snyder, Waldref and Cooley lie about the debt.
She’s done “what” to help the city? Name one thing but those crazy bike trails that take up space, snarl traffic and the traffic engineers say will just get worse. She had no experience coming in. Is all this beginning to sound familiar? Her, Obama, Gregoire and Marr….with help from Lisa Brown should be removed.
Dazzeetrader11 on October 12 at 10:38 a.m.
Here’s a novel idea!!
http://www.cnbc.com/id/39626607