Vote yes for public safety

Voters in the city of Spokane have an opportunity to improve the response capabilities of the Spokane police and fire departments.

Proposition 1, placed on the Feb. 12 ballot by the Spokane City Council, asks for a 0.30 cent increase in the 2020 property tax levy, an increase of about $5 a month to a home assessed at $200,000.

The levy will be allocated 100 percent to “provide funding for police and fire personnel and crime reduction programs.” The fire department will continue to staff special response units that responded almost 15,000 times for emergency assistance in 2018, freeing up fire engines for more critical emergencies.

The police department will also benefit with 20 new positions, adding critical personnel to the property crimes, the downtown and the neighborhood resource divisions. Additions to crime reduction programs and the courts to process habitual offenders should impact crime within the city.

The city council’s highest priority is to ensure the public safety of its citizens and visitors. Let’s give our city police and fire the resources necessary to better provide for our health and safety.

Please join me in supporting public safety in the city of Spokane by voting “approve”!

Mark Beck

Spokane