If the Spokane Police Department is defunded, where would leaders look to make cuts?

Spokane’s Salary Review Commission reviews the council and mayor’s salaries every two years. Many, including Council President Breean Beggs, believe they’re due for a raise, and offered blunt assessments of their roles as city council members.

After actions taken by Gov. Jay Inslee, President Donald Trump and Spokane County, only people who are a safety risk to the public can be evicted from their apartments and far few homeowners can be foreclosed upon as the COVID-19 pandemic grows.

Three of the Spokane City Council’s seven members were home sick, but called in to Monday’s committee meeting by phone.

What happens when a homeless person is tossed out of a shelter for violating the rules? Are they barred for life? Are other shelters made aware, and do they enact a ban as well? Are they offered support services?

City leaders gathered at the downtown library on Friday to celebrate its looming transformation into a modern community pillar that melds the offerings of a traditional public library with future-focused amenities.

Spokane City Councilwoman Kate Burke thought she had solved a major funding challenge when she introduced a bill that would erase trash bills for homeless shelters. But the logistical and legal challenges to implementing Burke’s proposal, introduced late last year, proved too substantial to overcome. Early this month, the bill was shelved indefinitely. And Burke is frustrated.

The Spokane City Council once again balked Monday on a proposal to ban devices that emit high-pitched noises to disperse young and homeless people from areas near downtown businesses.

After minor revisions, the Spokane City Council will vote Monday on a bill drafted by Councilwoman Kate Burke that would outlaw the use of the Mosquito, which emits a high-pitched noise meant to deter loitering and unsavory behavior.

Over the coming months, the newly formed Spokane Flag Commission will undoubtedly review a deluge of designs for a new city flag. But one thing almost everyone appears to agree on is that Spokane’s current banner, adopted in the 1970s, should be neatly folded and stuffed into the city history books.

The Spokane City Council narrowly decided Monday to delay the vote on a proposal to ban machines that emit irritating noises intended to scatter young and homeless people from public spaces.

Councilwoman Kate Burke’s proposal would ban mosquito high-frequency noise machines that are used in some places downtown to deter loiterers.

A 30-point list of proposed revisions to Mayor David Condon’s 2020 budget would result in several new positions in the City Council office, including a council spokesperson, four research analysts and an intergovernmental affairs position.

This week’s announcement that the city would again pursue temporary solutions, almost all of which still have yet to be identified, for sheltering the homeless during winter put an exclamation point on a year of fecklessness and fumbling from the Condon administration.

Councilwoman Kate Burke will introduce a proposal to offer homeless shelters a 100 percent credit credit on their water and sewer bills.

Councilwoman Kate Burke wants to provide free access to early childhood care in Spokane.