(The Center Square) – The Spokane County Commissioners have adopted a budget for the coming year that, at $873 million, increases spending by about 1.6% and gives a big boost to public safety programs.
“Throughout this process, the commissioners worked with budget staff to find ways to maximize every taxpayer dollar the county is entrusted with,” said spokesperson Jared Webley in a written statement. “This budget maintains and increases valuable services without creating undue hardships on taxpayers and does so without taking the allowed 1% property tax increase for 2023.”
The 2023 county budget dedicates $171.1 million of the $242 million general fund to the sheriff’s office and public safety programs, a 9% increase over 2022. The court system will receive about 20% of the general fund.
“The money the county invested in public safety will help us solve more crimes and protect our communities,” said Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich.
Commissioners Mary Kuney, Josh Kerns and Al French authorized $775,000 for staffing at the Real Crime Center. The funding will allow two more civilian investigative analysts to be hired, along with one additional property crime detective, an investigative sergeant and a regional intelligence detective, according to Sheriff-Elect John Nowels.
“Honestly, these positions are going to help us catch up with a backlog of property crimes that we haven’t been able to get to due to a lack of staff,” he said.
Knezovich explained that the Crime Center is a hub in the Public Safety Building on Mallon Avenue. At that site, he said law enforcement officials gather data from numerous sources to analyze crime trends and develop suspects.
He said the sheriff’s office has been using “intelligence-led policing” for more than a decade with good success. He said analysts and detectives stay abreast of technological innovations in data collection to track down suspects and bring them to justice.
“This center helps us understand trends so we can disrupt crime before it happens,” explained Nowels, who takes over in January following Knezovich’s retirement.
The county is providing $350,000 to remodel the center that has been an inadequate workspace for existing staff, said Nowels.
“We have someone even working on a folding table,” he said.
The sheriff’s office will also receive $597,000 in the upcoming year to use for equipment purchases to benefit the center and other programs.
There are about 260 commissioned deputies at work for the people of the county and they will be outfitted with the tools they need by the county’s investment, said Nowels.
Also included in the budget is $136,000 for three clerks in the Spokane County court system. Another $500,000 will be used for additional courtroom construction.
Funding for the prosecutor’s office and criminal justice has remained in the $40-43 million annual range since 2018, budget records show.
Funding for general county services – including the auditor’s office, the medical examiner, county commission and other departments – is projected to be $26.7 million in 2023.
Capital projects included in the 2023 budget include $3 million to replace the roof at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center in Spokane Valley and $1.5 million to replace the heating and air conditioning system.
The county will spend $500,000 to improve county buildings to meet environmental standards.
Also planned next year is expenditure of $3.9 million for construction, conservation and amenities at parks in the county.
Webley said, during development of a balanced budget, the commissioners followed a process laid out in a 2017 resolution to provide greater transparency to the public and provided opportunities for comments from community members on staff presentations and proposals.
