(The Center Square) – Approaching its self-imposed deadline, the Spokane City Council drafted a list of budget priorities on Monday as the dais grapples with another deficit ahead of next year.
The Spokane Municipal Code requires officials to place a draft of the priorities on an agenda for the Finance & Administration Committee by April every year; however, now weeks past that deadline, the council is racing to meet the next one by approving the list at its July 14 meeting.
Much of the draft focuses on improving the city’s general fund reserves and identifying funding for its labor contracts and retirement system. Meanwhile, Mayor Lisa Brown and Chief Financial Officer Matt Boston are coming up with how to balance a $3.8 million deficit ahead of next year…