No on the parks levy: City must earn our trust first

By Joanna Hyatt

Spokane is an outdoor city, characterized by people who love to experience the myriad parks, mountains and outdoor recreational places that define this state. Tragically, this is becoming increasingly difficult to do.

Every week, my five children and I try to visit a different park or outdoor area in Spokane. Our experience has been varied, but one theme is constant: mind the bushes and avoid the bathrooms.

My young children have learned to keep an eye out for makeshift tents and individuals passed out under bushes.

It’s heartbreaking, but not surprising. This summer, a majority of the City Council refused to pass the language of Proposition 1, a measure that had been approved by 75% of voters in 2023 but struck down by the Washington state Supreme Court in April 2025. This was a bipartisan plea for improved safety and enforcement in our city, barring encampments within 1,000 feet of parks, schools and day cares.

The negligent and permissive approach to addiction in Spokane means that even as our tax burden grows, the problems never diminish.

In January, the voter-approved sales tax increase went into effect, presumably to fund safety and law enforcement.

On Oct. 1, another $9 billion in tax increases landed on Washington voters.

The mayor’s office recently hinted at another tax increase this coming spring, to cover a projected $13 million deficit.

Now, they would like us to fund an additional $240 million through the parks levy.

Like an abusive boyfriend full of empty promises, Spokane leadership continues battering voters for more money, all while refusing to implement policies that would actually allow our parks and outdoor spaces to be protected.

Neither will they take substantive steps toward other revenue streams that do not require taxpayers to pay more out of their own pocket. Currently, nearly a third of downtown business space is vacant. That is millions of dollars in missed tax and sales revenue that would help fund the city and revitalize our core without adding to each individual’s tax burden.

If the city wants to be trusted with even more of our money, there are two actions they should take first:

• Pass the language of Proposition 1 in its entirety, allowing enforcement of the camping ban and making our parks and outdoor spaces for children safer.

• Put forward a revised parks levy that only covers what is needed for safety and better maintenance. This is currently listed as 35% of the total levy being requested.

Our city has a repeated history of ignoring the will of the voters.

They moved ahead with the ONE Stadium downtown after 65% expressed a preference for Joe Albi.

They have failed to implement robust park protections by passing Proposition 1 language.

They do not listen to the hundreds of testimonies that have come before them at City Council meetings, demanding that action be taken to save Spokane.

They seem numb to the addicts being stripped of their dignity as they stumble and pass out in our parks and across our city, covered in the filth of permissive policies.

They are indifferent to the pleas of business owners trying to improve the lives of their employees and our city at large.

Perhaps the majority of the City Council will finally hear us when we say no to another tax on Spokane residents. No to more money for parks that will just be overrun by those battling addiction. No to taking more from a city with 13% already living below the poverty.

Voting “no” on the park levy is a vote for our city, for our neighbors, for our children and for the future of Spokane by demanding responsibility and accountability for the promises that have already been made but remain woefully unfulfilled.

Joanna Hyatt, of Spokane, has worked in nonprofit advocacy work for 15 years, with an emphasis on youth and women.